Chapter 7: Evidence and Apology
“Miss Carter, are you alright?” Lily asked, her tone full of concern.
She had seen everything that had just happened.
What she hadn’t expected was that the man was Hazel’s husband-and the woman, her sister.
Her husband had cheated on her with her own sister.
It was just too insane.
Any woman in her shoes would’ve broken down.
And Hazel had leukemia on top of that.
Hazel couldn’t stop replaying the image of Sebastian walking away with Vivian in his arms, not even sparing her a glance. It was like someone had pried open her heart and left a gaping hole.
The cold wind pierced through her, chilling her to the bone.
Four years ago, on her wedding day, Vivian had asked to be alone with her to give her a gift. But then she suddenly collapsed. Hazel’s parents had burst in and blamed her without a second thought for not taking care of her sister.
The Cole family had never been fond of her. That incident just gave them an excuse to lash out, calling it bad luck on the wedding day. Some even whispered behind her back, saying she was cursed, that she made her sister sick.
As everyone turned on her, Sebastian had stood firmly by her side. He held her hand tightly and declared, “My wife is my blessing in this life. From this day on, we’re one. If you insult her, you insult me.”
“Vivian already has leukemia. It’s normal for her to pass out. Unless one of you here knows more about medicine than I do-or has some magic power to prove my wife is to blame?”
Back then, he had defended her so firmly.
So why, just four years later, would he believe she’d changed so much she’d actually push Vivian?
Sebastian, you’re the one who’s changed.
A bitter metallic taste filled Hazel’s mouth. Her vision blurred, and she collapsed backward-
“Miss Carter!” Lily’s pupils contracted. She reached out to grab Hazel’s arm, but a shadow moved faster than her.
An arm caught Hazel’s waist. A cool, clean scent flooded her senses. The arm was cold but steady.
She could even feel the beads of a string of prayer beads pressing into her side.
Her lashes fluttered weakly, and she vaguely made out a man’s pale skin.
“Mr….” Lily blurted out instinctively upon seeing Elias Sterling, but stopped when his dark, expressionless eyes swept toward her.
“Can you stand?” Elias asked. His voice was cold as snow, laced with laziness and indifference.
Hazel finally saw his face clearly-it was him. The man she had saved from drowning.
She felt uneasy being held like that. She immediately tried to get up, but moved too fast. The rush of blood to her head made her dizzy, and she instinctively grabbed his shirt for support.
“I didn’t…” She started to say she hadn’t done it on purpose, but before she could finish, he had already scooped her up in his arms.
Lily gaped in shock, then quickly followed after him.
In the hospital room
Elias gently placed Hazel on the bed. He brushed the back of his hand across her nose and noticed how hot her breath was.
His brows furrowed slightly. He pulled his hand back and said flatly to Lily, “Check if she’s running a fever.”
Lily touched Hazel’s forehead. Sure enough-it was burning.
Fever and chills were common symptoms of leukemia.
“Miss Carter, I’ll go get your medication.”
Hazel’s pale lips moved. “Thank you.”
Once Lily left, Hazel looked up and saw Elias still standing by her bed. The room was quiet, just the two of them.
The man was striking-his face like it was carved by a master, cold and otherworldly. He exuded a presence that couldn’t be ignored.
He looked like someone from an ancient, hidden family-untouchable, aloof, and powerful.
She recalled how lifeless he had looked that day, his eyes closed as if he were already gone. And now, she was grateful he had survived.
Someone like him, so unique, shouldn’t die.
“You…” The silence was becoming unbearable. Hazel tried to speak, her voice trailing off uncertainly. “Are you okay… after that day?”
Elias looked up at her, his eyes calm and unreadable, like a still, bottomless pool. “Why did you save me?”
Hazel couldn’t tell what he was thinking. She stared straight at him. “No reason. I just wanted to.”
Maybe because her life had gone to hell, and yet she never once thought about giving up
Someone like him had even more reason to live.
Saving him felt like saving herself.
Elias gazed at her serene expression. Then he thought back to what he had just witnessed-her husband walking away with her sister in his arms.
“What do you want in return?” he asked suddenly.
Hazel blinked. “What?”
Did he just say “in return”?
What could he possibly offer?
He looked at her confused face, and his lips curved ever so slightly.
Dr. Leonard Grant entered with Lily right behind him. He caught that subtle change in Elias’s expression and froze in disbelief.
That… was that a smile?
Was this really the cold, emotionless heir of the Sterling family?
He turned to Hazel. The girl was indeed beautiful and refined, but Lily had told him her husband and sister had come to beg for medication earlier.
Could it be… the young heir had a thing for married women?
Dr. Grant adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. “Hazel, aside from the fever, are you feeling any other discomfort?”
Hazel shook her head. “No.”
Dr. Grant asked Lily to draw blood for testing. “Your immune system is weak due to the leukemia. Make sure to stay warm.”
Hazel nodded. She was here to work, not to be a patient. She would take care of herself and not be a burden.
“Dr. Grant, when can I start working?”
“Tomorrow,” he replied kindly. “Once your fever breaks, Lily will take you to the lab.”
Hazel nodded obediently. Then she hesitated. “Actually, could I check the security footage from earlier?”
She hadn’t pushed Vivian.
She needed evidence-she wanted to throw it right in Sebastian’s face.
Dr. Grant agreed without hesitation and took her to the security office. The research center was a tightly monitored facility, and the footage clearly showed that Vivian had fallen on her own before Hazel even lifted her hand.
Hazel copied the clip and sent it straight to Sebastian.
He called her almost immediately.
When she answered, his voice came through hoarse and full of guilt. “Honey… I saw everything. I’m sorry…”
Hazel had told herself she would never feel anything for him again. But hearing his voice still made her throat tighten.
She forced herself to swallow, as if gulping down all her pain.
She said nothing.
Sebastian’s voice trembled with remorse. “It’s my fault. I let my instincts as a doctor take over. When a patient gets hurt, I panic. I’m sorry, Hazel. It’s
all on me.”
“Just doctor’s concern for a patient?” she scoffed coldly.
She had no idea Sebastian was such a good actor-lying so smoothly and shamelessly.
There was a pause on the other end before he scrambled to explain, “Of course it’s just that. Hazel, do you really think I’d have feelings for her? You know I’ve always viewed your sister’s illness as a clinical case, nothing more.”
“She just woke up and apologized. She told me you didn’t push her. She fainted and didn’t want to drag you down, so she lied.”
Hazel’s hands clenched.
Vivian sure knew how to play the game-fainting like a victim, then swooping in to defend her afterward.
Wow.
“She says something, and you believe it. I say something, and do you believe me?”
Sebastian was speechless. All he could do was whisper, “Hazel, I swear it won’t happen again. I was just too worked up. I’m outside the institute right now. Martha said you haven’t gone home. Come out, let me take you to dinner, okay?”
“I booked a candlelit dinner. We haven’t had a proper night together in days.”
Hazel let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “No thanks. Enjoy it alone.”
She hung up.
And blocked him without hesitation.
A while later, Lily came running over. “Miss Carter, there’s a man outside insisting on seeing you. He’s trying to come in, but the security guards stopped him. He said we’re holding his wife against her will and threatened to call the cops.”
Hazel’s face darkened. She didn’t expect Sebastian to be this shameless.
Dr. Grant had kindly taken her in. She didn’t want her messy personal life disrupting this peaceful place.
As soon as she stepped outside, Sebastian pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly, breathing in her scent like he’d been starved for it. “Honey, I finally found you.”
Hazel struggled, but he was too strong. Furious, she yelled, “Sebastian, let go of me!”
He ignored her and dragged her toward his car.
He opened the door.
The inside was cozy and brightly lit. A bouquet of fresh red roses sat on the seat, petals still glistening with dew.
“Do you like them? I rushed to buy them right after surgery,” Sebastian said, full of hope.
Hazel’s face remained blank. She reached out and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
Then she turned around and walked away.
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