Editor: Henyee Translations “It’s a private hospital owned by the Lowell family.” Matthias answered timidly.
“Good.” Evelyn seemed satisfied.
“That will make confidentiality much easier to maintain.” Noticing the exhaustion etched across his face, she added, “Let’s stop here for today.
Once you have finalized the treatment schedule, just let me know.” “One week from now,” Matthias replied without hesitation, almost as though he had been waiting for the opportunity.
With the date settled, they parted ways.
Back in the car, Matthias’s assistant immediately noticed that the blanket draped across his employer’s lap had somehow changed.
“Mr.
Lowell, did something happen?” he asked cautiously.
The curiosity in his eyes was impossible to ignore.
Matthias casually opened the file resting on his knees and cleared his throat.
“Nothing.” The assistant frowned.
Something about his tone sounded unusual.
“Are you feeling unwell, sir?” Without lifting his eyes from the paperwork, Matthias replied flatly, “I have a fever.” The assistant’s expression changed instantly.
“I’ll stop and pick up some medicine right away.” “No need.” Matthias turned a page.
“I already took some.” After a brief pause, he added, “And don’t tell my mother.” Ever since the accident, Mrs.
Lowell had become extremely sensitive whenever his health was involved.
As Matthias’s personal assistant, he understood that better than anyone.
“Yes, sir.” The mention of medicine reminded Matthias of the question he had almost asked Evelyn during lunch but ultimately kept to himself.
Why was she treating him so well?
Why was she so concerned about him?
Deep down, he already knew the most logical answer.
She was simply fulfilling the role of a fiancée.
Or perhaps there was something the Lowell family could offer that she needed.
Yet despite those rational explanations, an irrational hope still lingered quietly in his heart.
As for what exactly he was hoping for, he couldn’t have said.
Suddenly, two questions Evelyn had asked him resurfaced in his mind.
The first had come during their initial meeting, when she asked whether he remembered what had happened in Greektown.
The second had arrived in a message, when she asked if he truly didn’t remember her.
A strange, indescribable emotion swept through him, leaving his thoughts tangled and unsettled.
Closing the file, Matthias leaned back against the seat and pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to drive away the distracting feelings.
— The next day, Matthias received a call from his friend, Edward Neill.
“Come by the hospital tomorrow,” Edward said.
“I want to run another evaluation.” A graduate of Crestview Medical University and one of the most respected young physicians in the country, Edward had been heavily involved in Matthias’s care since the accident.
Although the Lowell family had consulted countless specialists over the years, Edward remained one of the doctors most familiar with his condition.
With only a week left before Evelyn’s treatment was scheduled to begin, Matthias felt Edward deserved to know, both as his physician and as his friend.
So he didn’t hide it.
“I’m having surgery next week.” The reaction was immediate.
“What?” Edward nearly shouted.
“Surgery?
What are you talking about?” Matthias calmly explained, “Someone believes there’s a seventy percent chance she can treat my condition.
I want to try.” For a moment, there was complete silence.
Then Edward’s voice rose several octaves.
“Seventy percent?
Did you just say seventy percent?” Even over the phone, Matthias could picture his disbelief.
“Who would make a claim like that?
I’m only thirty percent confident about your case.” After venting his shock, Edward took a breath and spoke more carefully.
“Matthias, I know you want to recover.
But you can’t let desperation cloud your judgment.
You can’t trust every miracle cure that comes along.” Matthias sat quietly in his wheelchair, gazing through the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office.
Below him, the city stretched toward the horizon.
As Evelyn’s bright eyes flashed through his mind, he said softly, “I know.” Then, after a pause: “But I want to trust her.” Edward was genuinely stunned.
Who could possibly inspire that kind of faith in Matthias?
“Who is this doctor?” he asked.
“Which specialist are we talking about?” “Evelyn Ashford.” Edward searched his memory.
The name meant nothing to him.
He knew most of the prominent physicians in the country and many internationally, yet he had never heard of her.
And it sounded distinctly feminine.
“Who is she?” he asked.
“What’s her background?” Background?
Matthias found himself unexpectedly hesitating.
Should he say she was the eldest daughter of the Ashford family?
Or the woman tied to the Lowells through an arranged engagement?
The memory of Evelyn crouching beside him surfaced unexpectedly.
Don’t push me away.
His throat tightened slightly.
“She’s my fiancée.” Edward froze.
For nearly thirty seconds, he said absolutely nothing.
Then: “Your what?” His voice echoed through the phone.
“Isn’t your fiancée the Ashford family’s eldest daughter?
The one who practically grew up away from her parents?” Edward usually paid little attention to society gossip.
But Matthias was one of his closest friends, and certain stories were impossible to avoid hearing.
“Matthias, do you know what people say about her?” Growing increasingly agitated, he continued, “She never attended medical school.
As far as anyone knows, she doesn’t even have a medical license.
And now you’re telling me she’s claiming she can treat a condition that some of the world’s leading specialists couldn’t fix?” His frustration became more obvious with every sentence.
“You have shared, what, one meal together?
How can you trust her this easily?” Before Matthias could respond, Edward cut him off.
“No.
Absolutely not.” His tone left no room for argument.
“I don’t care who she is.
I’m not letting you gamble your future on this without knowing the facts.
I’ll investigate her myself first.” The call ended before Matthias could say another word.
Looking down at the disconnected screen, he frowned.
Edward wasn’t wrong.
They had only recently met.
So why did trusting Evelyn feel so natural?
And why did hearing someone speak poorly of her leave such a sour taste in his mouth?
— As one of the most promising young doctors of his generation, Edward was frequently invited back to Crestview Medical University to give guest lectures.
Having just finished one that afternoon, he stepped out of his office with every intention of gathering information about Evelyn.
Instead, he spotted Grace Ashford walking down the hallway.
Edward’s eyes immediately brightened.
Grace was Evelyn’s younger sister.
If anyone knew the truth, it would be her.
He strode toward her.
“Grace.” Grace was walking with two classmates on her way to another lecture.
Hearing someone call her name, all three girls turned.
A pleasant surprise flashed across Grace’s face.
She knew Edward was one of Matthias Lowell’s closest friends.
Although the Neill family wasn’t as powerful as the Lowells, they still occupied a social circle far above the Ashfords.
And beyond that, Edward himself was one of the most admired young men on campus.
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Grace offered him a gentle smile.
“Professor Neill.
Is there something I can help you with?” Edward nodded.
“There’s something I’d like to ask.
Do you have a minute?” Grace glanced at her classmates.
The two girls exchanged subtle, envious looks before tactfully excusing themselves.
A flicker of satisfaction passed through Grace’s eyes.
Only after they left did she turn back to Edward.
“Of course, Professor Neill.
Ask me anything.” Edward wasted no time.
“Did your sister, Evelyn Ashford, ever study medicine?” Grace froze.
So he had approached her because of Evelyn.
Just like Miles.
And now Edward too.
Every person she had desperately wanted to get close to—but couldn’t—was suddenly seeking her out for the same reason.
Evelyn.