Kate had come to them on her own. She was smiling kindly and promising that if they agreed to let Athena perform the surgery, most of the medical costs would be waived. Herbert and Trina were touched. They thought they had met a good doctor and quickly agreed. "Dr. Warner was just here," Trina said with a faint smile. "She told us not to worry, that everything's ready for tomorrow. Once the surgery's done, you will be back on your feet." They comforted each other. The weight on their hearts finally eased. Then came a knock on the door. Maya stepped in wearing a calm, polite smile. "Hello, I'm Professor Rice. You must be the couple scheduled for surgery tomorrow?" Assuming she was another doctor checking in, Herbert and Trina quickly welcomed her. "Yes, Professor Rice," Trina said eagerly. "Dr. Warner already came by to check on us. She said everything's fine, and we just need to rest and wait for the operation." Maya's eyes flickered. So it really was Kate who helped Athena. Suppressing her thought, Maya smiled faintly and said, "Our doctors are quite skilled. I'm sure you already know who'll be performing the operation, right?" Trina blinked and tried to remember. Oh, what is her name again? Trina recalled Dr. Warner mentioning it, but it slipped her mind. Trina hesitated, trying to remember the name. "Oh, right ... the doctor's name is ... D-Dr. Hall!" she said it, still unsure. "She'll be the one operating on my husband."A sly smile tugged at Maya's lips. She sighed dramatically and murmured, "Dr. Hall isn't bad, but ... oh, never mind." She suddenly covered her mouth like she had said too much and stood up quickly. "Oh dear, look at me running my mouth again. Forget I said anything. You two should get some rest. I'll be on my way." And with that, Maya stood up and was ready to leave the room. Trina noticed that Maya stopped halfway through her sentence and instantly sensed something was off. She couldn't let it go. Grabbing Maya's arm, she pressed, "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with Dr. Hall? Please, tell me!" Maya hesitated on purpose, pretending to be troubled. "It's not that I don't want to tell you," she said softly. "It's just ... we all work together. Talking bad behind someone's back isn't right. If people find out I said anything, it could cause trouble for me. Maybe it's better if we just forget it." She gave Trina's hand a gentle pat and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. Everything will go smoothly." But the seed of doubt was already planted. Trina wasn't about to let her go that easily. She held on tight to Maya's hand and pleaded, "Professor Rice, please! I've been with Herbert for so many years, and now his illness happened out of nowhere. I can't lose him. Please, I'm begging you! "Please, Professor Rice! I swear I won't tell anyone. No one will ever know you said anything." Maya acted as if she finally gave in, sighing softly. "Alright then, since you're so sincere, I'll tell you." She leaned in slightly and lowered her voice. "The doctor doing your husband's surgery is named Athena Hall. She only joined our hospital a month ago." Trina's eyes widened in shock. A month ago? That meant she was practically new! But Kate had told them the surgeon was experienced and reliable. If that was true, then Kate had lied to them. Panic started rising in Trina's chest. Her trust began to crumble. Just then, Maya took out her phone again. She pulled up a video of Athena performing a simulated surgery overseas and handed it to Trina. "Take a look," Maya said smoothly. "This is the doctor who's supposed to operate on your husband. See? She can't even hold the scalpel steady." Maya carefully watched their faces. When she saw their shocked and angry expressions, a proud smirk curved on her lips. "I'm not trying to scare you," she continued, pretending to sound kind. "I just think you should know the truth. If something goes wrong during the surgery, there's nothing anyone can do. You'll have to sign a risk waiver before the operation, and once that's done, you can't complain afterward. Even if something terrible happens, you'll have to accept it." Trina's anger flared. Her face darkened as she declared resolutely, "That Professor Warner! She lied to us! She said this doctor was excellent, but she can't even hold a scalpel? What are we, test subjects?" Her voice trembled as she went on, "If Herbert dies on the table, what am I supposed to do? If we skip the surgery, maybe he could live a few more years, but if we go through with it tomorrow, who knows what'll happen?"