Love Under Scalpel: My Ex, My Doctor

"Take off everything below your waist and lie down. Spread your legs. Have you had this examination before?"

The doctor's deep voice came from above Camila Lawson, and warmth rushed to her ears.

Why did he sound so familiar?

Camila frowned and looked up at the man beside the examination bed. A surgical mask covered half his face, but she still recognized his sharp features. The longer she stared, the more certain she became that she knew him.

Her attention shifted to the physician ID badge on his chest.

Camila's breath caught, and her heart began pounding.

The doctor's name was Andreas Murphy.

He was the man she had dated seven years ago.

Old memories immediately returned.

...

"I'm a Lawson. I'll marry someone who belongs in my world, not some poor nobody like you!"

Seven years ago, Camila had ended their relationship without mercy. She walked away and never looked back, even though anger and betrayal had turned Andreas's eyes red.

Right after that, she dropped out of school and disappeared.

Camila had never expected to meet him again seven years later. Of all places, she had run into him during the preoperative examination for her hymen repair surgery.

Worse, he was the doctor assigned to examine her.

His white coat looked perfectly neat, and gold framed glasses rested on his nose. He remained tall and proud, but the distance in his manner made him seem like a stranger.

Camila still remembered his broad hands and long fingers. However, the warmth he once showed her was gone.

She silently begged him not to recognize her.

Back then, she had weighed one hundred ninety eight pounds. She weighed only one hundred six now.

This couldn't possibly be her ex-boyfriend. Surely fate wouldn't play such a cruel joke on her.

Another doctor must've had the same name.

The examination form in her hand filled Camila with shame and brought back the cruel comments she had endured years ago.

"Can you believe that fatty Camila tried to seduce Andreas, the most popular guy on campus? She has no shame."

"I heard she saved his life and used that against him until he agreed to date her. I feel sick whenever I see all that fat."

"Do you think she made him sleep with her, too? Has she ever looked at that disgusting body in a mirror? Andreas probably wants to wash his hands with acid every time she touches him."

Camila stared at the examination bed in embarrassment. She quickly stuffed the forms and medical records into her bag while trying to find a way to leave.

Then she remembered something she could use as an excuse.

Her appointment was supposed to be with Lenny Shaw.

Why had this man taken over the examination?

Camila tried to stay composed, but her voice still shook when she spoke.

"Excuse me, Doctor. I think there's been a mistake. My appointment is with..."

Andreas reached for a disposable glove but suddenly stopped. He tapped the table once before walking closer and lowering his mask. Cold amusement appeared in his eyes.

"Quit pretending you don't know me, Camila. I've touched every part of you more times than I can remember. Did you really think losing weight would make me forget who you are?"

His words hit harder than she expected.

Memories she had spent years suppressing rushed back without warning.

Camila began to shake.

She could almost imagine that gloved hand grabbing her at any moment. Andreas might push her onto the examination bed and pull her back into the desire they had once shared.

Andreas noticed every change in her expression. There was no doubt that she was Camila.

She didn't know that seeing her name on the patient list had nearly stopped him cold. He had spent seven years focused on medical school, his career, and the family business. He kept himself busy every day so he wouldn't have time to remember her or the resentment he still carried.

When Camila was eighteen, she had never believed Andreas would truly become intimate with her. He had always seemed kind but distant, almost impossible to reach.

All she had allowed herself was a quiet crush from a distance, and even that had brought her a painful kind of happiness.

She wouldn't have regretted loving him, even if nothing had ever happened between them.

Everything changed on the night she pulled him out of the water. He was soaked, and alcohol lingered on his breath. He gave her a broken smile and asked what she wanted in return. Whatever she asked for, he promised to give it to her.

Seeing him that way hurt her so much that she answered before she could reconsider. "Then... can you be my boyfriend?"

Andreas went still for several long seconds. Without another word, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with desperate force. Then he lowered her onto the mattress in his shabby rented apartment.

She expected him to regret everything once he was sober. Instead, he began coming to her bed almost every night and only left her alone during her period.

His voice would turn low and rough whenever he whispered into her ear.

"Be good, baby. Just one more time. Tell me you want this."

Andreas hadn't hated her body or found her weight disgusting. He had truly chosen to become her boyfriend.

He was the only good thing left in her miserable life. She had been so happy with him that she forgot how little control she had over her future.

Now, the same voice that once made her weak sounded colder than she remembered.

"So this is what happened to the proud Lawson?" Andreas mocked. "Where's the rich, powerful man you left me to marry? Did he get tired of you? Is that why you're repairing your hymen before moving on to the next one?"