Chapter 12
By the time security rushed over to restrain Rose, Evelyn felt a dull ache spreading through her lower back.
When Matthew had yanked her aside, she'd slammed sideways into the sharp edge of the coffee table.
The pain hit late but hit hard. Evelyn sucked in a sharp breath, her face going pale as she could barely stand straight.
Matthew caught her expression, his chest tightening.
"Where are you hurt?" His voice was wound tight, his hand on her shoulder not letting go as his eyes rapidly scanned her body.
"My back..." Evelyn managed to get the word out through the pain.
Matthew's expression darkened further.
Without even glancing at Marigold standing nearby with her complicated expression, he scooped Evelyn up in his arms.
"To the hospital." He barked three words at his assistant and headed for the exit carrying her.
"Matthew! Your arm..." Marigold took a couple steps after them.
Matthew didn't stop, just tossed back: "Thomas, handle the scene. Get Miss Quinn out of here."
Thomas acknowledged and stepped forward to intercept Marigold as she tried to follow.
"Miss Quinn, once I've dealt with things here, I'll see you out."
Marigold stood frozen, watching Matthew's retreating figure as he carried Evelyn away without another word. Her expression remained poised and gracious, though her manicured nails dug deep into her palms.
---
At the hospital, in the emergency room.
Matthew placed Evelyn directly on the exam table and told the approaching doctor in a low voice: "She hit her back."
The doctor looked at Matthew's bleeding arm hesitantly. "Mr. Perkins, your wound..."
"Check her first." Matthew frowned, restating his priority.
The doctor didn't dare argue and quickly examined Evelyn's condition.
"We can do an X-ray." The doctor gestured for a nurse to take Evelyn to the changing room.
Matthew moved to follow, but Evelyn quickly stopped him. "Go get your wound treated. I need to change clothes... don't follow me."
Her palms were slightly damp with sweat. He absolutely could not be present... she could not let him discover her pregnancy.
Matthew raised an eyebrow at her. "What part of you haven't I seen?"
Evelyn's face flushed as she protested urgently, "Matthew!"
Her voice rose with a pleading edge. "I'm asking you, please—go get your wound treated first, okay?"
Seeing her rare show of yielding, Matthew's irritation quietly dissipated. His mood inexplicably improved.
He nodded at the doctor. "Examine her thoroughly." Then he left.
Evelyn watched him go, her anxious heart finally settling.
She shook her head at the doctor. "Doctor, I'm pregnant. I can't have an X-ray. Is there another way to check?"
The doctor paused in surprise, then nodded and carefully examined her lower back.
After a moment, the doctor breathed a sigh of relief. "It's not serious—just surface trauma. To be safe, I'll prescribe some medications that are safe for you to use."
Seeing Evelyn's pale complexion, the doctor couldn't help but caution her. "You look quite anemic. Have you been overworking yourself lately? Any other discomfort?"
Evelyn shook her head.
"You're pregnant. You absolutely cannot overwork yourself, get emotionally agitated, or suffer any more injuries. You need to be extremely careful right now."
Evelyn's emotions were complex. She unconsciously touched her belly and nodded silently.
Matthew walked back in just then. He only caught the doctor's final warnings: "Absolutely no overworking... must be extremely careful."
Matthew stopped short, his gaze landing on Evelyn. "What does that mean? Doctor, what's wrong with her?"
Evelyn's heart nearly jumped out of her chest.
She spoke up quickly, her words rushing out. "Nothing's wrong! The doctor's just saying my health is really poor!"
She looked appropriately exhausted. "I haven't been keeping regular hours lately."
The doctor hesitated, glancing at Evelyn's tense expression. Out of instinct to protect patient privacy, she went along with it and nodded.
Matthew looked skeptical, his gaze sweeping over Evelyn's forced composure.
He was about to press further when his phone rang. Marigold.
He stepped aside to answer. Whatever was said made his expression shift slightly. He spoke a few words in a low voice, then hung up and came back, looking at Evelyn with a complicated expression.
"I'll have Thomas take you home." His tone reverted to its usual coolness, though with less of an edge. "Get some proper rest."
Evelyn couldn't have asked for more and nodded immediately.
---
Thomas drove Evelyn back to her apartment and left behind a pile of supplements.
"Eve, Mr. Perkins is giving you two weeks off. He wants you to rest properly."
Thomas relayed Matthew's orders, and only after seeing her nod did he leave.
The apartment fell quiet.
Evelyn lay on the sofa, her thoughts in turmoil.
Matthew, who always kept work and personal life separate, was actually giving her a week off?
The way he'd taken that knife for her, the concern in his eyes—it hadn't seemed fake. It was the kind of care she hadn't felt in so long, even... panic.
A corner of Evelyn's heart suddenly softened.
But the next second, she pinched her palm hard.
Evelyn, don't be stupid. He was probably just instinctively protecting what's his.
After three years, even if you raised a pet, you'd develop some attachment eventually.
Matthew had always been this way—what belonged to him, even if he didn't want it anymore, couldn't be harmed by others.
She closed her eyes, forcing herself to snuff out that ridiculous hope.
Hadn't the past taught her enough lessons?
Get healthy, leave this place. That was what she really needed to do.
She gently touched her belly as the doctor's warnings echoed in her ears.
There really was a tiny life here now, so fragile it needed her full protection.
She did need proper rest. For the baby.
She decided to visit her mother at the care facility tomorrow, spend a couple days in that relatively peaceful environment, and catch her breath.
Just as she was planning this, her phone screen lit up—an unfamiliar number from S City.
Evelyn had a bad feeling as she answered.
"Is this Evelyn Arden, the lead on 'Sparkle'?" The voice on the other end sounded urgent.
Evelyn confirmed. "Yes, who's this?"
"I'm Sam, site manager for the S City drone testing grounds. We've got a problem!"
"Local villagers are insisting on using the field to dry their grain. We can't get them to leave, and the presentation rehearsal is in five days. What do we do?"
Evelyn's heart sank.
She'd just been about to take time off, and trouble had come chasing after her.
---
With time pressing, Evelyn decided to go to S City herself.
She booked a flight and contacted the care facility to postpone her visit.
Over the phone, Gina told her to take care of herself, her voice full of worry.
Putting down the phone, Evelyn murmured to her belly.
"Baby, I'm sorry. Just hang in there with Mommy a little longer. Once we handle this, we'll rest properly."
The next day at noon, S City Airport.
Evelyn walked out with her luggage, about to contact her liaison when a familiar voice spoke beside her.
"Evelyn?"