Chapter 1 A Husband's Duality

"Talia…" His low and husky voice filled her ear, gentle and lingering. Although Talia Ainsworth and Lucien Reese had been married for three years, she still felt like he was a different person in bed. On normal days, he was thoughtful, gentle, and chivalrous. But when night came and they tangled with each other under the sheets, she always found it hard to keep up with him. When the deed was finally done, Talia was so sore that she could barely lift an arm. The next second, Lucien seized her arm. She couldn't even keep her eyes open anymore. Half-begging, she whined, "Let's call it a night. We still have work in the morning." Talia was already busy with her preparations for the upcoming professional practice evaluation. It had been past midnight when she finished her report, but Lucien had dragged her into bed and worked her to the bone. At this point, she was like a fish out of water, exhausted and helplessly gasping for air. A light chuckle escaped Lucien. "I do wonder what goes on in that head of yours." Talia blushed slightly. "What are you—" A large hand gripped her shoulder, and Lucien gently kneaded the aching spot along her shoulder blade, working the knots under her skin. He was strong, and his fingers were deft. It wasn't long before a pleasant, tingling soreness spread through Talia's body, the sensation eliciting a soft moan from her. "Does it feel good?" Lucien murmured in her ear, his deep voice breathy and soft. Talia's face heated uncontrollably. As an obstetrician and gynecologist, she knew more about sex than the average person. Unfortunately, she was the medical world equivalent of an armchair detective—great with theories but not so much at practice. When things came down to it, she was admittedly weak and a novice. Thankfully, Lucien was a gentleman. They might not be glued to each other like most newlyweds, but they respected one another. In truth, Talia chose to look on the bright side when it came to their marriage. The civility they shared wasn't so bad, considering they'd met on a blind date and gotten hitched without going on dates or getting to know each other better. "Move your shoulder. See how it feels," Lucien suggested. Talia tried to roll her shoulder. Now that Lucien had massaged it, it wasn't as stiff as before. She turned to look at him. "Thanks, it feels a lot better now. Where did you learn to massage like that?" "An old physician showed me a few tricks, but that was years ago. I'm glad I haven't gotten rusty." Lucien gently tucked her hand under the blanket and said, "Go to sleep." What made a happy marriage? Everyone had a different answer. Sometimes, Talia lamented over her decision to pour herself into her studies and career, a choice that ultimately led her to miss out on dating in her younger years. But she was content with her marriage. Lucien was the whole package—he came from a good family, had great looks and a decent personality, and was knowledgeable. He was practically the perfect husband. He didn't smoke or drink, and he hardly attended business get-togethers. He usually came straight home to Talia after work. Even Abigail Brown, Talia's best friend and a jaded cynic when it came to men, had given Lucien a rare compliment, saying he was the ideal all men should aspire to. In short, Talia was happy with the husband she'd settled down with, especially since she was pregnant with his child. Her hand fluttered to her stomach as she said quietly, "Your birthday's this weekend, Lucien. I got you a present." At that moment, Lucien's phone vibrated twice. He picked it up, and whatever he saw on the screen made him blanch. Noticing this, Talia probed, "What's wrong?" Lucien got out of bed. "I have to go. Something urgent came up." "Is it work-related?" "Yes." His voice was a little muted, but the next second, it was edged with tension. "I've got to run." "Okay, be safe—" The slam of the door cut her off. She muttered the rest of her sentence to herself, "On the road." She'd never seen Lucien so anxious in the three years they'd been married. She reckoned something big must have happened at the company. She vaguely recalled seeing the news of Reese Corporation's involvement in a recent acquisition. It was all the buzz in the financial news. Talia was a doctor with little to no understanding of the commercial world, but the acquisition must have been a major event if it had made it onto the financial news channels. She put her hands together and silently prayed that Lucien and his company would do well. She was about to go to sleep when her phone rang relentlessly. "Dr. Ainsworth, we need you at the hospital now. There's a pregnant woman here in a critical state!" Talia had been a doctor for long enough to handle many such cases. After hanging up, she immediately put on a change of clothes and headed out. She arrived at the hospital to find her assistant, Lisa Langley, expecting her at the entrance. Upon seeing Talia, Lisa handed her a white coat and a pair of surgical gloves. "You're finally here, Dr. Ainsworth!" Talia was all about professionalism when it came to her work. As she hurried into the building, she put on the white coat and gloves. "Brief me on the patient." "She got into a motor accident, and from what I heard, it was a pretty bad crash. The patient is six months pregnant and has lost a lot of blood. She's also unconscious, and her system has gone into shock." The woman was too far along in her pregnancy to avoid surgery; it was either a cervical cerclage or labor induction at this point. "Have you contacted her next of kin?" Talia asked. "Yes," Lisa answered. "Have them sign the consent form. The patient needs surgery immediately." "Got it." Talia entered the operating theater. The patient was in bad shape, indeed. After going through the on-call doctor's notes, Talia decided to do a cervical cerclage on the patient. Talia was familiar with the standard procedure that ensued. After putting on her scrubs, she headed into the operating theater and began her work. The surgery, coupled with life-saving procedures, took up nearly six hours. Talia swayed on her feet after emerging from the operating theater. Fortunately, Lisa caught her and held her steady. "Are you alright, Dr. Ainsworth?" She shook her head. "Take me to those seats over there." Lisa led Talia to the chairs and eased her into one. She then ran to get Talia a cup of warm water, pointing out worriedly, "You shouldn't have to work this hard now that you're pregnant, Dr. Ainsworth, but this was a complex case. You were the only one in this hospital who could save that patient." When Talia heard the word "pregnant", her hand shook slightly. "How did you find out?" Lisa grinned and winked at her. "Being pregnant is a good thing, right? Why did you hide it from me? I saw the test results on your desk yesterday." Talia gave her an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, it's a good thing." "Have you told your husband?" "Not yet. His birthday is in two days, so I figured I'd tell him then—" Violent thumping suddenly came from the door of the operating theater anteroom. Lisa remarked, "Must be the patient's husband. He's probably desperate to know how his wife and baby are doing. Sit here while I handle this, Dr. Ainsworth." "I'll go," Talia said. "I'm her lead surgeon, and the hospital policy says I should be the one to tell the patient's family about the patient's condition." She braced a hand against the wall and hoisted herself upright. Lisa immediately helped her open the door of the anteroom. The man outside practically hurtled in. "Doctor! How is she?" "Don't worry, sir. The patient and her baby are just fine. She's still under observation…" The words had only just left Talia's mouth when she and the patient's husband froze. "Talia?" Talia stared at the man before her in disbelief. "Lucien?"