The General's Replacement Doctor Wife

Chapter Thirty-Two

Olivia felt at a loss for words. She wondered what she had done to deserve such hostility. Sarah's contempt dated back to their days at the orphanage. Back then, Olivia endured every mistreatment without complaint. But not anymore. She was no longer willing to suffer in silence.

Olivia fixed Sarah with a cold, cutting glare, and the words she would normally swallow out of courtesy finally spilled forth without restraint. “I work in this hospital. And in case you're not aware, your grandmother is my patient.” She paused, crossed her arms over her chest, and thrust her chin forward. “I could give you a plethora of reasons, but unfortunately, that would take all day. And unlike you, I don't have the luxury of dilly-dallying when I have patients waiting for me.”

Sarah clenched her teeth in fury. Frankly, Olivia was surprised she hadn't lunged at her like a feral cat. Not that she was worried. Years of medical training had taught her exactly how to bring someone down in seconds without causing lasting harm. Still, the last thing she wanted was to turn a hospital corridor into a wrestling ring.

“Don't even think about getting close to my grandmother. That is, if you want to keep your job in this hospital,” Sarah warned with a smug smile. 

Olivia met her gaze without flinching. “Save your threats, Sarah. This is a hospital, not your home. I don't answer to you. I answer to my patients. Your grandmother's treatment will be based on what's best for her, not on your demands.”

She interrupted before Sarah could speak. “If you try to interfere with her care or attempt to intimidate me again, I will document it. And I will report it. I don't bend the rules just because someone decides to threaten my job.”

Olivia turned on her heel, deciding the conversation had already consumed more of her time than it deserved. But Sarah wasn't finished. She grabbed Olivia by the elbow. “I'm not letting you be my grandmother's doctor,” she snapped. “You don't deserve it, and I don't think you're qualified. I want the best doctor.”

It was Olivia's turn to smile. With practiced gentleness, she removed Sarah's hand from her arm. If there was one thing she could take pride in, it was her work. The hospital's Hall of Fame was lined with accolades bearing her name. “I am the best doctor,” she said simply. It wasn't arrogance; it was an incontestable fact that everyone in the hospital knew.

Sarah's jaw dropped. It took her a while to recover, but when she did, she let out a peal of laughter, clutching her stomach as though Olivia had told the funniest joke she'd ever heard. “You're kidding me, right?" she scoffed between laughs, dabbing at the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. “I'm sure all those glowing articles about you are pure exaggeration. The hospital must've spent a fortune building your reputation.”

She shook her head, another mocking laugh escaping her lips. "Know your place, Olivia. Don't let all that fake praise fool you. You're nothing. You wouldn't even be a neurosurgeon without the Hiltons. You're just trash they picked up from the gutter.”

The words should have hurt, Olivia thought, but to her surprise, they didn't. Perhaps it was because she had long accepted one painful truth: despite her adoptive parents' flaws, she still owed them a little for the life and education they had given her.

“I've always wondered…” The question she had buried for years finally surfaced. “What have I ever done to make you hate me, Sarah? Why do you hate me so much?” 

Sarah stopped laughing. The amusement vanished from her face as though it had never existed. She blinked once, then twice. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly, as if the question had robbed her of speech. And then it finally dawned on Olivia: there was no answer because there had never been one. Even if she had been perfect, patient, and kind, it wouldn't have made a difference. Sarah's battles had always been her own.