“What’s the point of you coming here?” I asked coldly. “Are you a doctor?”
“I’m just letting you know,” I continued, my voice icy, “this little game of yours has hurt someone innocent. Handle Evelyn. I’ll take care of Tessa.”
With that, I hung up.
As for how Christopher planned to deal with a woman faking her own death, I didn’t care.
If his solution didn’t satisfy me, I’d handle it myself.
I walked into Tessa’s hospital room.
She was curled up on the bed, staring blankly out the window, her eyes empty and
unfocused.
I pulled a chair over and sat down in front of her.
“Tessa, I think we need to talk,” I said.
She stayed silent for a long time before finally whispering, “Thank you. Thank you for saving me.”
“But… I don’t want to talk right now,” she added.
ant to talk righ
“Officer, can’t the questions wait?”
She thought I was a cop.
After all, when she was being kidnapped, her first instinct had been to cry out for the police.
I sighed. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t push her like this, but Dr. White had made it clear: Tessa needed surgery as soon as possible.
“Tessa, I’m not the police,” I said.
Her calm, distant gaze flickered with confusion.
“I’m Hannah,” I said. “Christopher’s wife.”
She froze.
“A while ago, Evelyn stirred up a storm online, dragging me into a massive scandal. You didn’t see the news?” I asked, surprised.
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14:34 Wed, Feb 5
<
“I thought it was just some dumb drama,” Tessa replied, lowering her eyes.
“Don’t worry,” she added after a moment. “I’ll leave him.”
I couldn’t help but laugh softly.
10
Tessa was surprisingly reasonable. Even in this situation, she still apologized to me.
“That’s not the issue,” I said, smiling faintly. “You’re pregnant. But you have a heart condition, and after everything that happened today, your body’s in a fragile state.”
“The doctors are recommending you terminate the pregnancy as soon as possible.”
“You’re not physically capable of carrying a child to term.”
Tessa stared at me, her expression blank.
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I sighed silently. Even in the most horrifying circumstances, her first thought had been of her baby.
She must really want this child.
“Can you give me some time to think about it?” Tessa finally said.
I nodded. “You can also talk it over with Christopher. Don’t worry–it’s just a simple procedure.”
She thanked me again.
I stood up and left, deciding it was time to visit Evelyn.
This time, I planned to slap her. Hard.
And as for the thugs who had kidnapped Tessa? I didn’t intend to let a single one of them off the hook.
When I arrived at the hospital where Evelyn had been taken, the doctor told me that Dr. Grant had been arrested.
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But Evelyn herself had already been transferred–to a private hospital.
The nurses were buzzing, chatting about the latest gossip.
“Hannah, are you a friend of Miss Reed?” one of them asked me. “Miss Reed is so lucky- Mr. Gray loves her so much!”
“Miss Reed has a severe kidney condition and needs a transplant, so Mr. Gray transferred her to another hospital,” another nurse chimed in.
“Well, we’re just a small clinic,” one of them added with a shrug.
That’s how I pieced together the latest information about Evelyn–from the chatter of young nurses.
22
I knew Dr. Grant well enough–he was Evelyn’s most loyal lapdog.
Like her, he’d grown up in the same orphanage.
But unlike Evelyn, he’d worked hard, gotten into med school, and carved out a stable life for himself as a doctor at a small hospital.
If Dr. Grant hadn’t fallen for Evelyn, he could have had a bright future.
He had a solid career, a respectable skill set, and the foundation to eventually meet a nice woman, get married, have kids, and build a happy little family.
But unfortunately, he loved the wrong person
Even though he knew Evelyn didn’t love him.
Even though he knew she was only ever using him.
Even though he understood the consequences of issuing a fake death certificate for a living person… he still went through with it, without hesitation.
Is that what love is supposed to be?
14:35 Wed, Feb 5 LE
<
I wasn’t sure.
I didn’t go to the hospital where Evelyn had been transferred.
I already knew what Christopher planned to do.
And I didn’t intend to stop him.
Everyone has to pay the price for their actions–just
e those thugs who hurt Tessa.
Three days later, Christopher showed up at my house, looking exhausted.
I was cooking some instant noodles, and I didn’t bother to make any for him.
“Hannah, I’m sorry,” he said, his tone unusually soft.
“Shouldn’t you be saying, ‘Thank you‘ instead?” I replied with a smirk, slurping my
noodles.
He sat down across from me and let out a long sigh.
“Hannah, there’s something I need to discuss with you,” he began.
“Go ahead,” I said, smiling faintly.
I had an idea of what was coming.
“Tessa’s not doing well. Her body… she’s not fit to be pregnant,” he said carefully.
“I’ve been trying to convince her to terminate the pregnancy, but she won’t listen. She wants to keep the baby.”
I stayed quiet, listening. This wasn’t my problem, after all.
“Hannah,” Christopher said, looking at me intently, “do you want a child?”
I froze, lifting my head to stare at him in disbelief.
“If you don’t mind… if Tessa insists on having the baby, I was thinking… maybe we could
14:35 Wed, Feb 5 L
<
raise it under your name,” he said, his voice awkward, his expression revealing a hint of guilt.
I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
“Tessa could lose her life if she goes through with this,” I said flatly.
Dr. White had made it clear: Tessa’s pregnancy had to be terminated. Any responsible doctor would prioritize saving her life.
“She’s not fit to have this baby,” I continued. “This isn’t about whether I want a child or
not. You’re gambling with Tessa’s life.”
“You should keep talking to her. But I’m telling you now–I don’t think it’s a good idea to let her keep the pregnancy.”
Christopher picked up his coat and got ready to leave.
As he stood at the door, putting on his shoes, he suddenly said, “Hannah, once I’ve taken care of Tessa and Evelyn… let’s start dating.”
I almost choked on my noodles.
We’ve been married for years.
Not too long ago, he staged an over–the–top, citywide fireworks display and broadcasted his proposal to Evelyn globally.
More recently, I helped him rescue his precious Tessa–the same Tessa who’s now pregnant.
A moment ago, he suggested letting Tessa’s baby be raised under my name.
And now, he’s telling me he wants to “start dating“?
“Hannah, I’m serious,” Christopher said, his tone earnest. “We should forget about all the family politics and the whole arranged marriage thing. Let’s give this a real try.”
23
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23
CH
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Christopher had been gone for a while, but I still hadn’t snapped out of it.
Dating?
I’d tried. I really had.
That spring in Southlake, with the apricot blossoms blooming in the gentle rain, I’d wanted to play a fleeting, romantic game with him.
I’d tried to open up, to share my dreams for the future, to show him a piece of my heart.
But it was like he didn’t hear me.
Panicked and hurt, I slammed the door to my heart shut.
He wandered through endless gardens of roses, reveling in their beauty, and when he grew tired or bored, he came to me, looking for the comfort of home.
I knew what was really going on–Evelyn had drained him.
It wouldn’t be long before he found his next pursuit.
Would it be a sweet, naive college girl? A gentle, understanding secretary? Or maybe a glamorous actress from the entertainment world, someone full of charm and allure?
Christopher drove around in his luxury cars, dressed to perfection, playing the part of the gallant prince over and over again, always ready to rescue his chosen princess.
But not every woman in this world is an Evelyn.
Not everyone needs saving.
