Chapter 190

Chapter 190

"I... I had a nightmare." Evelyn answered in a daze, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

She thought she'd gotten used to life without Matthew.

Three years had passed—what was there left to adjust to?

But in the dream, when Matthew truly disappeared into that abyss, she felt it with brutal clarity: losing him was something she could never accept.

It was like someone had ripped her heart right out of her chest.

Monica and Caleb both got up from the fold-out bed and quietly sat beside her.

After a long moment, Evelyn's crying finally subsided.

"I'm sorry for worrying you both." She sniffled, her voice still hoarse.

"Caleb, stay here with your godmother for a bit, okay? I need to go see him."

"Okay." Caleb nodded obediently. He didn't ask questions, just reached out and gently patted the back of Evelyn's hand, the way she usually comforted him.

Evelyn glanced at the clock on the wall. Seven a.m. exactly.

The hallway was nearly empty. Morning light filtered through the windows, bathing the entire floor in a soft golden glow.

She walked slowly toward the ICU entrance.

Matthew hadn't experienced any critical episodes overnight, but there were no signs of him waking up either.

The nurse said his vital signs were relatively stable, but his consciousness remained submerged deep below the surface, like a drowning man refusing to come up for air.

After completing the visitor registration and changing into sterile scrubs, Evelyn was allowed a brief visit.

Matthew lay very still in the hospital bed, eyes closed, breathing shallow—as if he were merely asleep.

Only the countless tubes running into his body and the thick layers of bandages wrapped around him revealed that he was actually teetering on the edge between life and death.

The IV dripped steadily, each drop making a faint sound, like some silent countdown.

Evelyn thought she'd be strong.

But seeing him lying there so motionless, like a sculpture that could shatter at any moment, tears spilled down her cheeks again.

She sat there by his bedside, eyes brimming with tears, completely still.

When only a few minutes of visiting time remained, she finally spoke, her voice dry and cracked:

"Matthew. I had a dream. In it, you were so far away from me..."

"Please wake up, okay? I just need you alive. I just want you alive."

"Miss Gray, time's up." The nurse's voice was gentle, as if afraid to disturb something fragile.

Evelyn gave Matthew's hand one last squeeze.

His fingers were ice-cold. They didn't squeeze back the way they used to.

Her eyes reddened again, but she forced a light smile:

"I'm leaving now. I hope the next time I come see you, you'll be awake. Don't worry—I'll protect everything for you."

She meant it.

Behind Matthew lurked who knew how many predators watching from the shadows, just waiting for him to fall so they could swoop in and devour the Perkins Group's vast assets.

But as long as she was still standing, she'd never let that happen.

She would protect everything he'd built until he woke up.

Evelyn stood reluctantly, preparing to pull her hand away.

That's when she felt it—a gentle touch against her palm.

Her heart lurched. Instinctively, she looked at Matthew's face.

Then she saw it: his tightly closed eyes trembled slightly.

"Matthew!" Evelyn rushed closer, leaning in near his face, holding her breath.

Matthew's eyelids slowly lifted. His eyes hadn't fully focused yet, but he was looking at her.

His lips moved, as if trying to say something.

Evelyn quickly leaned her ear closer.

"Eve... don't go..."

The words were so weak they were almost inaudible, but each one landed clearly in her heart.

Tears flooded Evelyn's eyes.

"I won't. I won't go..." She nodded frantically, her voice trembling. "I'm right here with you."

Hearing her words, Matthew's expression relaxed slightly before his eyes fell shut again.

The nurse quickly called for the doctor.

After examining him, the doctor exhaled in relief. "The patient made it through the worst night."

"Waking up at this stage is a very good sign. Once his vitals stabilize further, we can move him out of the ICU."

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Evelyn wept with joy.

Due to hospital regulations, Evelyn couldn't stay in the ICU indefinitely.

After thinking it over, she had a bodyguard buy a voice recorder. Then she sat in the hallway outside the ICU, and through the glass window, she began reading Tagore's 'Stray Birds' aloud, word by word.

She remembered—Matthew had always loved that collection of poetry.

The hallway was quiet, only her voice filling the space.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, falling warmly on her.

"If you shed tears when you miss the sun, you also miss the stars."

Her voice was soft, unhurried.

After recording the entire book, she asked a nurse to place the recorder by Matthew's ear and play it for him.

...

When Chloe woke up that morning, she immediately fussed about wanting her mother.

Susan barely managed to pacify her with the excuse that "Mommy has to work," but then Chloe started crying for her brother. In the end, Caleb returned to the villa first.

Monica came over with a wheelchair, intending to take Evelyn to the garden for some sun.

"I can walk on my own." Evelyn didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Absolutely not! The doctor said you have a mild concussion!" Monica's expression was stern, brooking no argument.

"You're staying put these next few days. You're not going anywhere. Just rest properly in the hospital."

Evelyn nodded helplessly.

"You and Matthew have been trending online for the past two days." Monica said hesitantly as she pushed the wheelchair.

Evelyn lowered her eyes, saying nothing.

She didn't have the energy to care about that right now.

Finding whoever hurt Matthew and her, and protecting him—those were the only things that mattered.

What she didn't know was that this particular trending topic was explosively popular.

Internet sleuths were practically analyzing the surveillance footage from the shooting scene frame by frame.

[Guys, did I hear that right? At the fifteen-second mark in this video, the bodyguard calls that woman Adam!]

[I can confirm, you heard correctly! Oh my god, could it be 'that' Adam?]

[Which Adam? Why all the mystery?]

[You're clearly not in finance circles! It's Adam, the goddess of Wall Street!]

[Yes, it's her! I dug up her info online—Wall Street goddess Adam looks exactly like her.]

[Holy crap! It really is my goddess! And she's the next heir of the Gray family! How can someone be this accomplished AND this gorgeous!]

[So the heiress is the Gray family heir! Mrs. Gray treats her so well.]

[Fun fact: my family's been in luxury goods for generations, and I heard Adam's clothes are mostly custom-made pieces Mrs. Gray commissions from Zephyria. Every single one is one-of-a-kind!]

[Wow, Mrs. Gray dotes on her so much! Please, universe, give me a grandmother like that!]

[You're all missing the point! Shouldn't the real story be that Matthew literally took a bullet for her and got seriously injured?!]

[Anyone who watched that can't help but say—he's so devoted!]