Seeing that Alexander didn’t respond, Evelyn called out again.
“Alexander?”
“Aren’t you going to answer Evelyn?”
Aunt Eleanor was becoming anxious.
She was secretly annoyed with her son for being so impossible.
Evelyn had gone out of her way to come here.
She had even taken the initiative to greet him.
So why was he still sitting there with that cold, unreadable expression?
At this rate, even the sweetest girl would eventually be frightened away.
And then where would she find a daughter-in-law?
Only then did Alexander finally respond.
“Mm.”
His voice was low and indifferent.
After that single word, his expression returned to its usual coldness.
Aunt Eleanor nearly felt her blood pressure rise.
She decided she would have a serious conversation with her son later.
How could he treat Evelyn like this?
With that expression, he looked less like a young man and more like a statue carved from ice.
Evelyn, however, didn’t mind at all.
In her previous life, Alexander had always been like this.
Cold.
Quiet.
Distant.
Back then, she had been too foolish to understand him.
She had thought Alexander was boring and difficult to approach.
Compared with Damien’s charming smile and sweet words, Alexander had seemed almost impossible to get along with.
But now Evelyn knew the truth.
Alexander might have been cold on the outside, but his heart was warm.
He was honest, loyal, and sincere.
He was infinitely better than Damien, who had a mouth full of honey and a heart full of knives.
No.
Evelyn immediately corrected herself.
That comparison wasn’t even fair.
One was a decent human being.
The other was a beast wearing a human face.
There was no comparison between them.
Evelyn looked around the room.
The atmosphere was unbearably heavy.
Everyone seemed weighed down by Alexander’s injuries.
Their expressions were filled with sorrow, worry, and helplessness.
Evelyn couldn’t stand seeing it.
“Grandfather Blackwood, medicine is advancing every day.”
She looked at the old man firmly.
“Alexander will get better.
We have to believe that.”
She wasn’t saying it merely to comfort them.
She genuinely believed it.
More importantly, this gloomy atmosphere wasn’t good for Alexander’s recovery.
If the people closest to him had already given up hope, how could Alexander maintain his own confidence?
Before he could respond, a cold voice came from the other side of the room.
“Anyone can say comforting words.”
The speaker was the wife of one of the Blackwood family branches—Damien’s mother.
She crossed her arms and spoke with a faint sneer.
“The nerves in his legs are damaged.
No matter how advanced medicine becomes, there may be nothing anyone can do.”
Evelyn’s eyes immediately turned cold.
She heard every word clearly.
So it was her.
Damien’s mother.
In her previous life, she had also played a role in destroying Evelyn’s life.
Mother and son really were alike.
Their hearts were just as dark.
Alexander’s complexion became even paler.
He knew the condition of his own body better than anyone.
The nerves in both his legs had suffered severe damage.
The doctors had already warned him that the damage was likely permanent.
Over time, the muscles in his legs would continue to weaken.
Eventually, his legs might become little more than useless limbs.
He would never stand again.
Never walk.
Never return to the battlefield.
Never stand beside his comrades again.
The thought was more painful than any physical injury.
Aunt Eleanor’s expression became even more distressed.
She was furious, but her naturally gentle personality made it difficult for her to confront someone aggressively.
She could only swallow her anger and remain silent.
Evelyn couldn’t.
She stepped forward.
“You’re not a doctor, so how can you say Alexander won’t recover?”
Her voice was calm but firm.
“Besides, the final outcome hasn’t been decided yet.”
She stared directly at Damien’s mother.
“So why are you already declaring that he has no future?”
The woman frowned.
Evelyn didn’t retreat.
“I believe Alexander can recover.”
Her eyes shone with absolute certainty.
“He will stand again.”
The room suddenly became quiet.
Alexander’s heart gave a sudden, powerful beat.
He couldn’t help turning his head toward Evelyn.
From where he sat, he had a clear view of her profile.
The sunlight from the window fell across her face.
Her red dress made her look even more striking.
But what caught Alexander’s attention most were her eyes.
They were bright.
Clear.
Determined.
She genuinely believed that he would stand again.
Even though he himself had almost lost all confidence…
This girl was certain.
Alexander’s chest tightened.
A strange warmth slowly spread through his heart.
For the first time since returning home, he felt something other than pity surrounding him.
During the past few days, he had seen countless people.
His former comrades.
His superiors.
Relatives.
Friends.
Every single one had looked at him with the same expressions.
Sorrow.
Sympathy.
Pity.
Even Grandfather Blackwood and Aunt Eleanor couldn’t hide the pain in their eyes whenever they looked at him.
Everyone seemed to have already accepted his fate.
Everyone except Evelyn.
She hadn’t looked at him with pity.
She hadn’t told him to accept reality.
She hadn’t treated him like a broken man.
She had simply looked at him and said—
He would stand again.
Alexander’s heart, which had been sinking deeper into despair, slowly began to warm.
A faint spark of confidence appeared within him.
Maybe Evelyn was right.
Until the very end, no one could know the outcome.
The doctors could make predictions.
His family could worry.
Others could decide that his future was already over.
But none of them could see the future.
So on what grounds could anyone declare that Alexander Blackwood would never stand again?
His hands slowly tightened against the arms of his wheelchair.
He had survived worse.
He had fought through countless battles.
He had never surrendered.
Why should he surrender now?
No.
He was Alexander Blackwood.
He would never admit defeat so easily.
Across the room, Damien’s mother was furious.
She had just been contradicted by a young woman in front of the entire family.
Her pride couldn’t accept it.
And her resentment toward Evelyn deepened instantly.
That girl had always looked like a spoiled little temptress, forever hanging around Damien and trying to capture his attention.
If Evelyn hadn’t possessed such a considerable fortune, she would have forced Damien to cut ties with her long ago.
In her eyes, Evelyn was nothing more than a wealthy, foolish girl who didn’t deserve her son.
And now…
She had even dared to lecture her in front of the entire Blackwood family.
Her eyes darkened.
She would remember this.