Her Rightful Title

Desmond wrenched the steering wheel to the right with brutal force. Tires screeched against the asphalt as the heavy Porsche swerved sharply out of the path of danger. He slammed on the brakes, pulling the car to a shuddering halt by the curb. A delivery scooter flew past them in the wrong direction, missing the front bumper by mere inches. The near-miss accident hung heavily in the air, highlighting his extreme distraction over a simple phone screen.

Coralie’s heart hammered against her ribs. The color drained from her face as she pressed back into the leather seat, clutching the safety belt. "It is best not to be distracted while driving."

Desmond gripped the wheel, his knuckles turning white. He let out a ragged breath and tossed the smartphone into the passenger seat. "You figure it out yourself."

Coraline did not even glance at the device in her lap. "No way, I need to touch up my makeup."

"But I have to drive."

"You are not driving right now." Coraline sighed, popping open a fresh lipstick tube. "How about this? Give me the phone, you tell me the password, and I will unlock it."

Desmond picked the device back up from the seat. "Okay. The password is ryx2..."

Coraline exploded into sudden anger, slamming the small mirror shut and snatching the phone from his grip to throw it hard against his chest. "What do you think you are doing, Desmond?! You cannot tell anyone my password!"

The volatile protectiveness over a mere string of characters left a ringing silence in the luxury cabin. Desmond sat frozen, absorbing the outburst without a single word of protest.

Coralie watched from the back. The heavy awkwardness suffocated the small space, drawing a stark line between the two people in the front and herself.

Coraline twisted around in her seat, her face displaying zero embarrassment. A sickly sweet smile stretched across her lips. "I am sorry, Dr. Rowe. Pregnant women are affected by hormones, and their emotions fluctuate a lot. You should understand, right?"

"I suppose, yeah."

"In modern society, a cell phone is essentially the key to a person's privacy. The right to privacy is a citizen's legitimate interest. I am just legally protecting my own interests, and I do not have anything against you."

Coralie found the explanation ridiculous. "As expected from someone with a legal background."

"It is just a professional habit. Please do not get mad at me, Dr. Rowe."

"I will not, but I would prefer it if you called me Mrs. Dalton. We are not in the hospital now, and I am not your attending physician. I only performed surgery on you out of emergency."

Coraline’s smile faded, her shoulders stiffening. She flatly refused to acknowledge the title. "Since you performed surgery on me, you are my doctor. It does not matter if you are my attending physician or not. Besides, since we met yesterday, I have always called you Dr. Rowe. It feels strange to suddenly change."

"It is not strange at all. I am, after all, Mrs. Dalton."

"Yes, that is right. But calling you Mrs. Dalton makes you sound old. I might think you are in your forties or fifties. Calling you Dr. Rowe makes you seem younger."

Coralie locked eyes with her, a rising tide of indignation building in her chest.

Coraline flashed a triumphant smirk and turned her back to the rear seats. "Start the car, Desmond. We do not want to be late."

The rest of the drive passed in dead silence. As a medical student and now a busy doctor, Coralie rarely had time for social gatherings. Stella had invited her to these class reunions multiple times in the past, but work always served as the perfect excuse.

Stepping out of the car into the cool night air outside Velvet Bar, her phone began to ring.

Desmond paused his steps toward the entrance. "Is it from the hospital?"

Coralie checked the caller ID. The hospital's landline flashed on the bright screen. "Mm-hmm, there must be an emergency with a pregnant woman. Otherwise, they would not call me on a holiday."

"I will drive you there."

"No, I can go by myself..."

Coraline shouted from the entrance doors, waving her hand. "Desmond! Tobias is calling us to hurry up!"

Desmond furrowed his brows, glancing between Coralie and the club entrance. The dilemma lasted barely a second.

Coralie watched her husband turn his back and walk away to join another woman's reunion. A severe sense of marginalization washed over her. She answered the persistent ringing. "Hello?"

"Dr. Rowe, this is Maya. The director just informed us that there is an opportunity for an overseas job next month. Do you want to go?"

Coralie let out a long breath of relief. "You called just to tell me about this? I thought there was another emergency."

"Haha, there are not that many emergencies every day. Do not worry, I can handle most situations."

"I am glad to hear that."

"So what is your answer? Are you going or not? It is such a rare opportunity! I have even printed out the application forms for you. If you decide to go, I can fill them out and submit them for you right away."

Coralie rested a protective hand over her flat abdomen, rejecting the offer without hesitation to protect her secret pregnancy. "No. I also prefer my child to be born in the country. I want them to have citizenship here."

"Also? Is there someone in your family who recently had a baby as well, Dr. Rowe?"

"Oh, it is a friend of my husband."

Maya sighed through the receiver. "Alright then. It is unfair that women often have to sacrifice job opportunities for the sake of family and children. You are already a respected figure in the OBGYN department at such a young age. If you were to spend a few years abroad and return, you would surely achieve even greater success."

Maya was only two years younger, still a graduate student, and deeply cynical about marriage. Working in the OBGYN department gave her a front-row seat to the daily sacrifices women made.

Coralie offered a few words of comfort and ended the call. When she lowered her phone, the street was empty. Desmond and Coraline had vanished into the building, leaving her standing alone on the sidewalk. She truly felt like a ghost in her own husband's life.

Coralie pushed through the heavy double doors of Velvet. The lively, thumping bass and chaotic noise of the venue immediately rushed her senses. The main hall was packed with nearly a hundred people, mostly around Desmond's age, drinking and shouting over the loud music.

Despite the dense crowd, her eyes found Desmond instantly.

He stood tall near the center lounge, radiating a refined and elegant aura in his tailored suit. Yet, beneath that polished gentleman exterior, a sharp dominance lingered in his facial features. He held a glass of whiskey, nodding politely to the peers swarming him.

Coralie took a step forward, only to freeze as a conversation drifted from a nearby high-top table.

"Did Desmond really marry Coraline?" a woman asked, sipping a vibrant cocktail.

"Of course, why would I lie to you? Did you not see the interview on the finance news channel? He mentioned his wife's name, Coraline," a man replied.

"You are kidding. They have been friends for so long. If they had feelings for each other, they would have gotten together ages ago. Why now?"

The man shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe they just realized their feelings suddenly? But back in school, Coraline always preferred the gentle and wholesome type like Tobias, not the arrogant and dominant type."

"Have Coraline's preferences changed then? I will have you know that back in the day, Desmond was the epitome of arrogance. Nobody could hold a candle to him."

"It is possible that Coraline's preferences have not changed, but Desmond's demeanor has. Look at him now, dressed in a posh suit and fancy glasses, so gentle and polite! Who would have thought that the fierce and arrogant Desmond from high school would end up like this now?"

The casual gossip struck Coralie like a physical blow. The shocking realization shattered the fragile illusion she had built over their three-year marriage. Desmond’s impeccable manners, his tailored suits, his polite persona—none of it was his true self. It was a deliberately crafted mold designed exclusively to suit Coraline’s preferences. Every gentle smile he offered her, every patient word, was a performance. He had reshaped his entire identity to please another woman, leaving Coralie to fall in love with a ghost of someone else's desires.

The sleek smartphone slipped from Coralie’s trembling fingers.

Thud!

The device hit the polished hardwood floor, the sharp sound cutting through the immediate chatter. The two gossiping guests jumped, turning to look at her.

The man in the blue suit leaned down, picking up the phone. He handed it out to her. "Are you okay?"

Coralie forced her stiff facial muscles to move. She reached out and took the phone back. "I am fine."

"Which class are you from? I do not recall seeing you before."

"I am not your classmate, I am..."

"You are not? I apologize, miss, but we are having a class reunion here today, and the bar is reserved for us. It is not open to the public. If you are looking to have fun, you will have to go elsewhere."

"I am not here for fun. I am looking for someone."

The man in the blue suit frowned, his gaze sweeping over her face. "Who are you looking for?"

"Desmond."

The man was taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise. "You are looking for Desmond? Are you..."