Chapter 716

"Dr. Laurent!" The head nurse burst into the office just as Vivian was removing her lab coat.

The shrill alarm of a monitor pierced through the hallway. Vivian grabbed her stethoscope and sprinted out, her long hair whipping behind her.

Inside the OR, the cardiac monitor displayed a flatline. The lead surgeon's forehead glistened with sweat, his fingers trembling slightly.

"Move." Vivian's voice cut through the tension like a scalpel.

She tore open a sterile glove package with her teeth. Her fingers found the precise puncture point in one fluid motion. The moment the needle pierced skin, the monitor emitted a weak beep.

Three hours later.

Beads of sweat clung to Vivian's lashes. Her surgical gown was soaked through. Only when the monitor stabilized into a steady rhythm did her fingers finally release the hemostat.

"Dr. Laurent..." The anesthesiologist offered a glucose solution.

She shook her head. As she turned, darkness suddenly swallowed her vision.

"Thud—"

Ethan Roscente paced outside the ICU. The sound of wheels against linoleum made his head snap up.

"Vivian?"

The figure on the gurney was deathly pale. Ethan seized the nurse's wrist. "What happened?"

"Dr. Laurent worked 36 hours straight. She collapsed right after performing cardiac resuscitation." The nurse winced at his grip. "Preliminary diagnosis is hypoglycemia and exhaustion."

Ethan released her, his knuckles white. He'd texted Vivian to go home hours ago.

In the recovery room, Vivian's lashes cast delicate shadows under the lights. Ethan gently enveloped her icy fingers.

"Run full bloodwork," he suddenly ordered the resident physician.

The resident blinked. "But Dr. Laurent's symptoms clearly indicate—"

"Do it." Ethan's voice turned glacial.

His gaze locked onto the faint needle mark below Vivian's collarbone. Last week's surveillance photos showed her entering the oncology center alone.