He Watched Me Shine Without Him novel Chapter 6

Houston held her tightly and murmured, "If you don’t want to go public with us just yet, I’ll respect that. But in private… shouldn’t you at least call me ‘hubby’?"

Rose blushed so hard her heart almost burst out of her chest.

"I…" she stammered, unable to finish.

Houston looked down at her flustered face and couldn’t help but chuckle.

He’d been surrounded by bold, flashy women for years—women who chased him without shame. But Rose’s soft, shy demeanor? That was something rare. Precious.

He let her go without pressing. "Don’t forget to think about me."

Rose nodded. "Okay."

Houston gave her one last look, then got in the car and drove off.

She stood there, palms still covering her burning cheeks, cursing herself. Why didn’t I just call him hubby? He is my husband, after all!

Her three-day holiday was over. The next day, she returned to work.

At the entrance of the psych department, she ran into her supervisor, Dr. Noel Carter, who was rushing toward the conference room but stopped when he spotted her.

"Dr. Marshall," he said with a hint of hesitation, "we’ve got a new PhD intern. Admin’s keeping a close eye on him. You know we’re short-staffed—if he performs well, they’re planning to offer him a permanent spot. I’d like you to mentor him."

Rose gave a calm nod. "Sure."

She had an awkward status in the department—unmatched in both expertise and reputation, yet still just a regular attending physician. No overseas degree, no connections. Just pure skill. And yet, whenever a knowledge problem popped up, management always turned to her.

Noel walked a few steps, then suddenly turned back. "Oh, right—he’s twenty-nine, male, handsome, and brilliant. Honestly, we all think you’d make a good match. Ever consider not being single?"

Rose froze. Back when she dated Ethan, he never once came to her workplace. No wonder Noel assumed she was single.

"Dr. Carter, I’m engaged," she said, choosing her words carefully. She had no intention of explaining her surprise marriage.

Noel blinked. "Oh. I see." He scratched his head, clearly embarrassed.

Rose let out a quiet breath of relief.

As Noel disappeared down the hallway, she turned toward her office—and stopped cold.

There, standing in the dim corridor in a white coat, was Ethan.

Tall and thin, he stared at her with a shadowed, unreadable expression.

In a sudden flash of clarity, she realized—the intern Noel had mentioned… was him.

Ethan’s low voice echoed through the empty hallway, tinged with anger. "Rose, how could you just abandon my mom and sister at the hospital? You know they didn’t have the money to pay. Do you know how panicked they were?"

She stood frozen, stunned.

She wanted to walk past him and never look back. But her savings were still with him. That alone forced her to hold back the disgust and step closer.

"Ethan, on what grounds do you think you get to scold me? I’m nothing to you anymore. Your mom’s medical bills? Why should they come out of my pocket?"

Ethan hadn’t expected this. The Rose he used to know would’ve accepted it all without a fight. This version—fierce, calculating—threw him off.

Rose snapped, "What else do we have besides money?" She stormed off, face dark.

"Don’t flatter yourself. My fiancé has nothing to do with you."

She stared at him, heart twisted in bitterness. This man knew how deeply she loved, and he still chose to betray her.