Chapter 4 How Did She Change?

Sibel blocked Julian's messages, and it felt like the world had suddenly become a much quieter place.

She tossed her phone aside, picked up the materials Chloe had given her, and threw herself into her new work.

Chloe's company was in the tech innovation district, focused on cutting-edge medical research.

Sibel had been out of the workforce for five years, but she'd been an outstanding student in college, with a sharp eye for biomedical science in particular.

Chloe knew exactly what she was capable of, so she handed her a challenging project right off the bat, applying AI-assisted diagnostic systems to rare diseases.

"Pretty mind-bending, right?" Chloe pushed open the door and walked in with two cups of coffee. "I'm telling you, if this project takes off, we'll be the hottest names in the industry, pulling in hundreds of millions in funding just like that!"

Sibel took the coffee and sipped it. The bitter taste sharpened her focus a little.

She closed the folder and rubbed her throbbing temples. "I'm starting to get a feel for it, but I need to dig deeper into the clinical side, especially how rare diseases actually get diagnosed. A lot of the details just aren't in any textbook."

"Of course they're not. Books are static, people aren't." Chloe sat down across from her, crossing her legs. "That's why you need to get out there and talk to real people, hospitals, specialists, patient communities. The more you connect, the more you'll learn."

Sibel nodded, a spark in her eyes that had been missing for a long time.

She loved this feeling, being busy, being purposeful, living for herself.

For the past five years, her life had revolved entirely around Julian and Ethan. Every bit of effort she had went into that home.

Now, she could finally fight for herself. For something she actually cared about.

She thought of Rayn.

As a surgeon at a large general hospital like City Hospital, he must have seen a wide range of cases.

Maybe he could give her some insight.

Meanwhile, Julian stared at the short, cold text on his phone, his face dark with anger.

Divorce? Sibel had completely lost her mind.

He never imagined she would go this far.

To him, she was just throwing a tantrum, trying to get his attention, to make him back down.

Just like all those other times. She always stirred up trouble when he was at his busiest.

"Julian, don't be angry. Sibel's probably just exhausted." Wendy sat on the sofa, cradling a cup of hot tea, her voice barely above a whisper.

Her pale face wore a look of quiet sympathy, as if she were defending Sibel, while hitting exactly the nerve she meant to hit.

"Exhausted?" Julian let out a cold laugh and slammed his phone down on the coffee table. "She hasn't worked in five years. She's been living comfortably at home. What does she have to be exhausted about?"

"Julian, don't say that." Wendy lowered her eyes, her long lashes fluttering slightly. "Maybe Sibel feels like you've been paying too much attention to me lately. That probably doesn't sit well with her. After all, she ended up in the hospital because of the tension between you two over me..."

"She didn't end up in the hospital because of tension." Julian cut her off impatiently. "She was faking it, trying to get my attention. Why else would she suddenly yank out her IV and snap at Ethan like that?" The image of Sibel's pale face and her sharp words to Ethan flashed through his mind, and his anger flared again.

"That doesn't sound like her, though." Wendy bit her lower lip, hesitating. "Maybe she just wanted you to see how much she matters to you? She did say once that her biggest fear was being overlooked by you."

Julian paused. Sibel had said something like that, but that was before they got married.

After the wedding, hadn't she always seemed so independent, so composed?

He'd assumed she had settled into life as Mrs. Logan and no longer needed that kind of reassurance.

"She's just being dramatic." Julian made up his mind. "Does she really think I'm going to chase after her and beg her to come back like I used to? Not a chance."

He decided it was time to teach Sibel a lesson. He wanted her to understand that he wasn't someone she could push around whenever she felt like it.

She wanted a divorce? Fine. Let's see how long she could hold out.

When she finally realized she was nothing without him, she'd come crawling back in tears.

"Julian, stop letting Sibel get to you. It's not good for you." Wendy handed him a glass of water, her eyes carrying a flicker of concern, though the corners of her mouth curved ever so slightly upward.

Julian took the glass, and some of the irritation eased.

He glanced over at Wendy. She looked fragile on the sofa, her slight frame seeming even smaller, her pale face and the dark circles under her eyes a testament to everything her illness had put her through.

Next to that, Sibel's so-called grievances seemed like nothing at all.

"She won't come back to me." Julian's eyes went cold. "I want to see exactly what she thinks she's going to do."

Sibel scheduled a meeting with Rayn for Thursday afternoon.

She wore a sharp, put-together outfit. She looked focused and full of energy.

"Rayn, thanks for making time." Sibel walked into his office with a smile.

Rayn adjusted his glasses and gestured for her to sit. "Since when do you need to thank me? I still haven't called you out for disappearing without a word and making me worry."

He meant the time she'd left without saying goodbye.

"Don't remind me." Sibel gave a wry smile. "I can't afford to get sick right now anyway. I've got to work and take care of myself."

Rayn pulled a folder from his drawer and handed it to her. "These are some rare cases I've put together recently. They might be useful for your project. But you have to promise me, no more running yourself into the ground like that."

Sibel took the folder and started reading carefully.

Rayn sat beside her, drawing on his clinical experience to walk her through each case, the key features, the diagnostic challenges, the details that never made it into textbooks, and the obstacles patients faced during treatment. It gave Sibel a much clearer picture of what AI-assisted diagnosis would actually look like in practice.

The two were so deep in conversation that neither of them noticed the office door being quietly pushed open.

Julian had brought Wendy to the hospital for a follow-up.

Her leukemia treatment required regular check-ins, and Julian had been on edge ever since Sibel went quiet on him. Coming along for Wendy's appointment gave him an excuse to be there and maybe, if he was lucky, he'd run into Sibel and figure out what she was up to.

He'd expected to find her in the emergency department or one of the wards. What he didn't expect was to pass by the chief surgeon's office and see something that made his blood boil instantly.

Sibel was sitting at Rayn's desk. Their heads were close together, bent over something they were looking at.

Rayn had a warm smile on his face, glancing over at Sibel every so often, his expression so openly tender it was almost embarrassing.

And Sibel, none of the paleness or exhaustion he'd seen in her lately. She was bright-eyed and animated, talking to Rayn with a kind of energy he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Julian..." Wendy's voice came from beside him, carrying a faint trace of surprise and hurt that she almost managed to hide. "Is that... Sibel?"