Chapter 175

Chapter 175

"I fell in love with you, Angela. But my pride, my paranoia, and that so-called 'sense of responsibility' toward Cora — they all fought like crazy against these feelings. I told myself that loving you would be a betrayal of my past promises. So I ran from it. I lied to myself. I treated you terribly and said the cruelest things to you, just to prove to myself that I didn't love you."

Lucas laid bare the ugliest parts of himself, his voice filled with pain.

"I was in love with you without even knowing it, Angela. That's on me. My own stupidity and selfishness drove us to this point."

He lifted his head again, his eyes filled with something close to desperation. "But Angela, I swear — I swear there was never anything real between Cora and me. It was just a young crush, and time wore it down to nothing long ago."

"You're the one I love. Only you, Angela."

His confession echoed through the cold, empty hospital room.

Angela's expression stayed calm.

She looked at Lucas — this man who had always acted like he owned the world — now on his knees before her, sobbing so hard he could barely hold himself up.

If she had heard these words a year ago, or even a few months ago, she might have been overjoyed. She might have felt that every hurt and every moment of silent endurance had been worth it.

But her love for him was gone now.

It had been buried along with the child she never got to meet, along with her broken body that was already counting down its final days.

"Angela, I know the damage I caused can't be undone. I know I have no right to ask for your forgiveness."

Lucas reached out with trembling hands and finally, gently, carefully, laid them over her cold ones.

"But I'm begging you — please give me a chance to make it right. Just stay alive. Just let me stay by your side. We can go abroad. We'll find the best doctors, the best care. I will get you better, Angela. Please don't leave me. Please."

Lucas pressed his face against her cold hand.

Angela looked down quietly at this man kneeling at her bedside, humbled to his very core.

Looking at his red-rimmed eyes and tear-streaked face, Angela felt nothing stir inside her. Not even a ripple.

When pain goes deep enough, all that's left is numbness.

Her lips moved, and a slow, barely-there sigh slipped from her throat.

"Lucas..."

Her voice sounded hollow.

Lucas looked up, his eyes flooding with desperate hope. "Angela! I'm here, I'm right here! Tell me — whatever you want to say, I'm listening..."

Angela looked at him, a faint smile crossing her pale face.

"It's too late..."

She said it softly, and warm tears slid silently from the corners of her eyes.

"You want a chance... but I don't even have one left for myself."

Those words hit Lucas like a knife through the heart.

"No... no, that's not true! Angela, look at me!"

Lucas completely lost it, shaking his head over and over.

"Trust me, Angela. Trust me. I will find a way to save you. The world is so big — there are so many brilliant doctors out there. I'll find every single one of them."

He said it like a vow, fierce and desperate.

But Angela just looked at him quietly.

Images flashed through her mind — so many moments from the past.

His coldness. His suspicion. His cruelty.

She didn't know if she could trust him anymore. And she didn't know what was left of her broken body to even try.

A wave of exhaustion crashed over her, overwhelming and total, swallowing the last flicker of her consciousness.

Angela took one long, final look at Lucas. In her eyes — relief, and a bone-deep weariness.

Then she slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Angela! Angela, don't close your eyes! Look at me, open your eyes!"

Lucas watched her eyes fall shut again, and it felt like something was being torn straight out of his chest.

At the same time, up on the top floor of the hospital, the atmosphere in the consultation room was suffocating.

Charles stood at the head of the long table, his face dark.

"The patient's condition is not looking good."

Charles pointed to the latest blood work and bone marrow biopsy results, his voice rough.

"The patient's acute lymphoblastic leukemia has relapsed completely, with multiple organ failure. The miscarriage and the hemorrhage that followed have completely destroyed her immune system. Every chemo regimen and medication available here would harm her more than help. Her system is too weak to endure chemotherapy's harsh toxic fallout."

The specialists around the table exchanged glances. They all saw the same thing in each other's eyes — helplessness.

"Mr. Miller, this is already the top medical team in the country. If she can't even tolerate targeted therapy, then all we can do at this point is palliative care — just trying to keep her vitals stable..." One of the senior specialists sighed, trailing off.

"Palliative care is just waiting to die."

Charles shook his head. He was a doctor, and he was Angela's friend. He couldn't just stand by and watch her fade away silently in that hospital bed.

After the consultation ended, Charles leaned against the hallway wall, exhausted, rubbing his throbbing temples.

Then something hit him. His eyes snapped open. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

The call connected quickly. A low, steady voice came through.

"Charles? What's going on — is something new happening with Angela?"

Edward's voice was urgent on the other end.

"No, listen — I need Professor Hans Cooper's contact information. I remember the Williams family has worked with him before. Can you get it for me?" Charles got straight to the point.

Edward paused for a moment.

He had always been sharp, and he caught the edge in Charles's voice immediately. "Is it Angela..."

"Yes. She's in bad shape. We've hit a wall with every option available here." Charles took a deep breath.

"I remember Professor Cooper was involved in a clinical research project abroad on relapsed and refractory leukemia using gene-targeted therapy. He mentioned there's a professor in Novaria who's a leading authority in that field — the one who pioneered the technology. Am I right?"

"Yes — Professor Perez at Harborview Medical Center." Edward's voice dropped.

"You want to send Angela abroad for treatment?"

"Exactly." Charles let out a long breath.

"As long as there's even a small chance, we can't give up. Can we?"

"Understood."

"My uncle happens to be in Novaria right now for an academic conference. I'll reach out to him immediately. Meet me at the hospital in half an hour."

Twenty minutes later.

Edward arrived at Charles's office — with Frances and Alan.

"Mr. Miller, what's really going on? How bad is my sister..." Alan could barely get through the door before the words came rushing out.

"Alan." Edward put a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's hear what Charles and Professor Cooper have to say first."

Edward sat down and connected a video call to Hans.

Charles sent over all of Angela's medical records and test results to Hans on the other end of the call.

Hans went through them carefully.

The room fell silent.

After a long moment, Hans took off his glasses. His expression was grave as he looked at everyone.

"Her condition is extremely serious. But that doesn't mean there are no options."

Those words broke through the silence like a crack of light.

"Professor Cooper — are you saying there's still hope?" Charles asked, leaning forward.