Too Late to Love Her: When She Divorced, He Fell Apart-Chapter 18: Now That We’re Married, You Are My Man in Name

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Now That We’re Married, You Are My Man in Name
Claire said indifferently.
Tina Hayes immediately beamed with joy upon hearing this, nodding repeatedly.
The fact that her boss could say this meant she was fully confident.
Tristan Lockwood walked up to Claire, his gaze lingering on her hand, and said, "Come to my office. I’ll help you reduce the swelling."
"No need to trouble Dr. Lockwood."
Her voice was cold, her whole demeanor excessively distant, as if they were strangers. She cast him a brief glance before stepping away.
Tina Hayes gave Tristan Lockwood a fierce glare, then sneered mockingly at Kiara Vance, before hurrying after Claire.
After everyone had left, Tristan Lockwood looked at Kiara and said expressionlessly, "Starting tomorrow, you’ll be suspended."
The doctors and nurses who joined at the same time were all taken aback. Knowing Kiara’s background, no one dared to say anything even though she normally acted spoiled and arrogant.
Kiara’s face turned pale, and she said anxiously, "My dad won’t agree to this!"
"If Director Vance has any complaints, he can come directly to me."
Tristan Lockwood’s expression was especially cold. Even his colleagues who were used to his unsmiling nature dared not speak up for Kiara at this time.
The next day, Tristan Lockwood was called to the director’s office.
"I already heard Kiara’s account of the whole incident. She made a mistake and apologized. Even if you’re punishing her, you don’t have to go as far as suspension, do you?"
Director Vance, over fifty, was a senior to Tristan Lockwood. But since the Lockwood Family was the hospital’s largest shareholder, he had to tread carefully despite his displeasure.
"If Kiara made an accidental mistake, I could overlook it. But she did it on purpose, which is a matter of character. I won’t place patients in the hands of someone who can’t distinguish personal interests from professional duties."
"On purpose?"
Director Vance’s expression changed. It seemed Kiara’s explanation had entirely shifted the blame onto Claire.
"Kiara may be a bit spoiled, but I believe she’s not someone who can’t tell right from wrong. Accusing her character might be going too far, don’t you think?"
Tristan Lockwood didn’t say much. He simply tapped on his phone a few times, and Director Vance immediately received a video.
"Ward surveillance," Tristan said with no emotion.
In the video, Kiara’s impatience was evident, while on the hospital bed, Claire looked clearly unwell and uncomfortable. Not only did Kiara fail to react, but she also said a few unpleasant words before leaving.
Director Vance’s face turned extremely grim after watching.
Tristan’s gaze fell on the video, paused at the scene where Claire painfully removed the needle, his dark eyes flickering subtly.
"What a reckless brat! All the principles of conduct taught to her were fed to the dogs!"
Director Vance flew into a rage, sweeping everything off his desk onto the floor.
Tristan Lockwood watched steadily, waiting for him to finish venting.
"I’ll educate her properly about this matter, have her apologize to you, and ensure this won’t happen again. She can return to surgery in a month."
In the end, still pleading for Kiara.
"The person she needs to apologize to isn’t me," Tristan said calmly. "The one wronged was Claire."
Director Vance, an old stager, picked up the crux of the matter in a single sentence, cautiously asked, "Is the patient a friend of yours?"
"She’s my wife."
Tristan looked at him, paused, then added:
"Both my grandfather and grandmother are very fond of her."
Director Vance’s face turned dark blue, and for once, he couldn’t utter a single word.
His good-for-nothing daughter had picked the wrong person to provoke!
He had heard rumors of Tristan Lockwood’s hidden marriage, but the identity of the spouse had never been mentioned by the Lockwood Family.
He thought that since it wasn’t mentioned, the spouse must not be significant, possibly even separating in a few years.
But now, not only did Tristan confirm it himself, but he also hinted at how much the elder Lockwoods cherished this granddaughter-in-law.
"I’ll have Kiara personally visit and apologize to Mrs. Lockwood."
...
When Claire returned home, Tristan Lockwood was coming down the stairs in a bathrobe.
He had just finished showering, his hair still damp, water droplets trailing down the perfect line of his chin and sliding over his half-exposed chest.
Claire averted her eyes and asked, "Was it you who took the surveillance footage from the ward?"
She hadn’t felt well yesterday and didn’t go to the surveillance room for evidence. She didn’t expect anyone else to consider it, yet when she went to check today, the footage had already been taken.
The security guard at the surveillance room was tight-lipped and wouldn’t initially disclose who took it. It took a bit of persuasion to get him to spill the beans.
Tristan nodded, and looking at her hand, asked, "How’s your hand?"
"None of your business."
She changed into slippers, walked to the water dispenser, and filled a glass. She didn’t spare him even a side glance.
Noticing her unusual coldness, Tristan frowned slightly, "What’s making you unhappy again?"
She drank the water, collected herself, and recalled his indifferent attitude at the hospital yesterday. Her expression turned cold again as she said, "What do you mean by taking the footage? To oppose me, you’d even defend someone with no professional ethics?"
"Her father is the director of Central Hospital; there’s no need to blow it out of proportion."
Tristan halted in front of her, looking down as he spoke.
"Your firm is only two years in the making. Offending the Vance Family could trigger a series of butterfly effects which won’t benefit your firm’s growth."
"Tristan Lockwood."
She suddenly called him by his full name.
"I know I leveraged Grandpa and Grandma’s affection to force you into marriage, making you hate me. But remember, since we’re officially married, you are, in name, my husband. No normal man would defend an outsider knowing his wife was wronged."
For the past two years, no matter how cold they were in private, they hadn’t made things publicly unpleasant.
But this time, his indifferent stance truly broke her heart.
She didn’t expect him to even cut off her way out.
Tristan remained unmoved, saying, "Kiara’s father dotes on his daughter and is narrow-minded, treating people differently based on their status. If you truly offend him, without him knowing you’re my wife, do you think he’ll let you off easily?"
She tightened her lips, firmly locking her gaze on him.
He lifted her swollen hand from yesterday, examined it carefully, and only after confirming the swelling had subsided did he say, "The firm is the result of your years of hard work. It’s unnecessary to jeopardize it just to vent your anger."
She looked up, seeing his face with an unusually sincere and gentle expression, then nonchalantly brushed off his hand and said, "No need for you to worry, I have my own plans."