Chapter 385: Change

As far as Hermione could recall, this was the first time she'd ever seen Lon smile so freely—though it lasted only a fleeting moment.

She felt like something about Lon had changed, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what.

While Hermione was lost in thought, eyes downcast, Lon had already circled around his desk to stand before her.

"Hermione."

"What is it?"

She looked up, her calm gaze meeting those dark, unfathomable eyes.

"I missed you."

Hermione's eyes widened in shock.

This was the first time Lon had ever been so direct about his feelings!

Instinctively, she clutched at the fabric over her chest, feeling like a wild deer was crashing around inside her ribcage, threatening to burst her heart right out.

Joy? Confusion? Pain? Unease...

A tangle of emotions knotted in her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Because of her condition, tears welled up uncontrollably when her emotions ran high. Her eyes reddened instantly.

'Don't cry in front of him, Hermione!'

'You're not that clingy, boring woman who used to cry at everything anymore!'

She warned herself internally, summoning every ounce of strength to fight the emotional response triggered by her condition.

Suddenly, a warm fingertip gently brushed the corner of her reddened eye.

"If you want to cry, cry. You don't have to hold back."

Lon paused, then continued, "James and the others say I'm emotionally detached—that sometimes I'm basically a high-efficiency robot executing commands, with nothing in my life except work. You were the first, and the only woman who wasn't scared off by my coldness, who actually had the courage to get close to me. I'll admit at first I was with you mostly out of curiosity. You were innocent, kind, beautiful—completely different from all those women who tried to get close to me for ulterior motives."

Perhaps because he'd never laid himself bare like this before, Lon stopped there. His brow furrowed deeply, a flicker of confusion and uncertainty crossing his eyes, as if searching for the right words to continue.

Watching him stand there with that stern expression, brow creased in thought, Hermione felt a sudden rush of tenderness. He actually looked... adorable.

Lon had never been good at sweet talk, never even tried. Making him say all this must have been incredibly difficult for him.

Hermione felt herself soften.

During Lon's disappearance, beyond worrying about his safety, she'd replayed every moment they'd shared together in her mind.

Afterward, she'd made a major decision.

So what if their backgrounds were mismatched? She could work hard to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

What if he didn't love her enough? Then she'd improve herself, make herself so captivating he couldn't live without her.

Lon was her first love, and he would be her only love.

This brief loss had made Hermione realize—she was absolutely crazy about Lon. He wasn't someone she could easily let go of.

Since she couldn't let go, she'd fight for him.

Even if she failed in the end, it would simply mean they were meant to meet but not meant to be.

But at least she'd have tried. At least she wouldn't have too many regrets.

So when Hermione heard from Emily that Lon had returned safely, she'd immediately requested time off work and rushed to Elysium Lounge to find him.

She'd wanted to tell him her decision in person, wanted to boldly declare her intentions to pursue him, wanted to see what expression he'd make.

Would he be surprised? Confused? Maybe disgusted?

But standing before Lon now, seeing him whole and unharmed, Hermione's heart had suddenly grown calm.

Declarations, promises—none of it seemed to matter anymore.

As long as he was alive and well, standing safely in front of her, that was enough.

Hermione blinked away the sting in her eyes and smiled through her tears.

She stepped forward and gently wrapped her arms around Lon's waist.

"Welcome back."

'Thank God you're okay.'

Lon's body stiffened for an instant when she embraced him. He froze for a moment, then slowly returned the embrace.

In the quiet office, the two held each other in silence, listening to the steady rhythm of each other's heartbeats.

Neither noticed the half-open door being gently pulled shut, followed by the soft sound of Lavinia's retreating footsteps.

...

At Emerald City Hospital.

James walked down the corridor with measured steps.

"James!"

A delighted voice called out from behind him.

James turned to see a female doctor in uniform approaching—poised, elegant, with delicate features.

He raised an eyebrow, regarding the woman with cool eyes.

"James, don't you remember me?"

The doctor stopped before him, flashing a charming smile. "Remember? At the Aurelia University graduation ceremony, we talked about our dreams and aspirations."

Aurelia University—a prestigious institution where James had studied abroad for two years.

"You're Lucy."

It came back to him suddenly. During his time at Aurelia University, there'd been a campus beauty in the medical program—Lucy.

Lucy had been a year ahead of James. They'd met at a joint campus mixer event.

Though they'd been in different programs, Lucy could technically be considered his classmate.

Still, their paths had rarely crossed. They'd only collaborated at a few campus events during their school years, with virtually no interaction otherwise.

James's last memory of Lucy was from graduation year, when he'd heard through the grapevine that she was pursuing a doctorate in medicine.

After that, James had graduated and returned home. Caught up in various matters, he'd naturally forgotten about his brief time at Aurelia University, never giving it another thought.

"You do remember me!"

Lucy's face lit up with joy, her eyes shining with undisguised affection for James.

James frowned, instinctively stepping back to put distance between them.

"What are you doing here? I heard you were working on your doctorate."

"That was three years ago! I've already finished. I can't believe you've been keeping tabs on me—you even knew I was pursuing my doctorate."

James wanted to say he hadn't been keeping tabs at all. If Lucy hadn't called out to him, he wouldn't have even remembered who she was.

As for knowing about her doctorate, back then one of his classmates had been one of Lucy's admirers, constantly going on about her. James had simply overheard bits and pieces.

"Lucy, if there's nothing else, I need to go."

James's tone was flat as he turned to leave.

"James!"

Seeing him about to walk away, Lucy quickly called out again.

"I have my doctorate now, and I'm a specialist physician at this hospital. If you—or anyone in your family—ever needs anything, you can come to me. Here, this is my card. Could you give me your contact information too?"