Chapter 193

Chapter 193

Susan listened to Evelyn's words, her brow furrowing deeply.

She would never forget how Matthew had nearly gotten Evelyn killed in the ocean three years ago.

Why should Evelyn just go back to him the moment he supposedly saw the light?

But clearly, Evelyn didn't see it that way.

Those eyes held something Susan recognized all too well at her age.

In the end, Susan only let out a long sigh.

She respected Evelyn's own choices.

This child had suffered too much since childhood. If she truly wanted to take another gamble on Matthew now, what could she, as her grandmother, really say?

"Forget it. I'm old, and my way of thinking isn't the same as you young people's."

She waved her hand dismissively, her tone carrying resignation. "Let's wait until he wakes up."

"If he hurts you again, I won't let him off."

"And don't worry too much. I've already had someone keep an eye on Limbo Inc. After all, it's his own company. The founding members are still loyal to him. It shouldn't fall apart."

"Thank you, Grandma." Evelyn felt deeply moved, her nose tingling.

Susan was always demanding and cold toward outsiders, but with her, she was always wholeheartedly supportive, never stingy with patience or warmth.

Susan glanced at her shoulder and sighed. "Just focus on recovering these next few days."

"Once you're better, go see Chloe and Caleb. They miss you."

"Okay." Evelyn stood and gently hugged Susan. "I've troubled you again, Grandma. I'm so lucky to have you."

Susan lowered her eyes without speaking.

Wasn't it only natural for her to care about her granddaughter?

Besides, she owed Emily far too much. Being able to help Evelyn now was her greatest comfort.

……

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Monica was busy with the HealthNova Pharmaceuticals partnership, so Evelyn told her not to come to the hospital room anymore. Still, Monica would visit every evening after work, even if just for ten minutes, needing to see with her own eyes that Evelyn looked well.

Most of the time, only Evelyn and Matthew occupied the hospital room.

Evelyn had the bodyguards buy a thick stack of poetry collections, and she read them to Matthew one by one.

It reminded her of three years ago, when she'd first come to Matthew's side.

Back then, Sloane had just married and moved abroad. Matthew, perhaps because his heart followed Sloane, often couldn't sleep for entire nights.

He'd taken many medications, but none worked.

Until that period when Evelyn was busy preparing for the CFA exam. After Matthew and she had sex, he'd go shower while she sat on the living room sofa memorizing materials.

When she looked back, she'd discovered he'd somehow already fallen asleep on the bedroom bed.

After that, Matthew brought home several thick philosophy books and had her read them to him.

Gradually, his insomnia improved. Evelyn had nearly forgotten about it.

Until recently, when she started reading poetry collections to him again, the memories came flooding back.

Another deep night arrived.

Evelyn finished the last poem in Tagore's 'The Crescent Moon' and gently closed the book.

She dimmed the lights and studied Matthew on the hospital bed.

"I finished another poetry collection for you." Her voice was soft. "Tomorrow I'll start a new one. When you wake up, you'll be so surprised. Good night."

She placed a gentle kiss on Matthew's forehead, tucked the blanket around him, and stood to return to her own bed.

The moment she turned, she felt her hand being tugged.

The force was light, but her heartbeat skipped heavily.

Instinctively, she looked toward Matthew's face.

His eyes had opened at some point and were quietly watching her.

"You—you're awake?" Evelyn rubbed her eyes, triple-checking this wasn't a hallucination.

Matthew nodded slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing.

His voice came out hoarse. "All this time... thank you."

Tears immediately spilled from Evelyn's eyes.

She quickly had the bodyguard outside fetch the nurses and doctors.

After the doctor came and ran through a battery of tests, confirming all of Matthew's vital signs were normal and that he'd truly regained consciousness, Evelyn's heart finally settled back into her chest.

The medical staff left, and the hospital room grew quiet again. She looked at Matthew, a smile unconsciously spreading across her lips. As she smiled, tears streamed down again.

"I almost... almost thought I'd lost you."

Her voice trembled with the lingering fear of a narrow escape.

Matthew's gaze had been following her the entire time. Hearing her words, his lashes trembled faintly.

He reached out, struggling to lift his hand to touch her face, but the injuries on his arm only allowed him to raise it halfway.

Evelyn quickly leaned forward, grasping his hand and pressing it against her cheek.

"Honey, I'm sorry." His voice remained hoarse, but every word carried absolute sincerity.

"You saved me. What are you apologizing for?" Evelyn's tone came out fierce, though tears still clung to the corners of her eyes. "And I'm not your honey yet!"

Matthew gave a faint smile.

He instinctively tried to sit up to get closer to Evelyn. She immediately pressed him down. "You're injured all over—don't move!"

Matthew obediently complied, immediately going still.

"Honey, don't leave."

"I won't leave. I'll sleep right next to you." Evelyn found it somewhat amusing, yet her eyes still burned.

She didn't withdraw her hand, simply sitting at the bedside, watching him.

Matthew seemed to relax, slowly closing his eyes.

Evelyn sat by the bed a while longer. Once he'd fallen deeply asleep, she gently extracted her hand and returned to her own bed. She adjusted her sleeping position, turning her face toward Matthew's side. Seeing the rise and fall of his chest, she'd never felt such peace. Days of accumulated exhaustion and fatigue crashed over her, and she finally fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Evelyn groggily opened her eyes and immediately noticed Matthew's bed was empty.

She jolted awake, instinctively starting to get up, but the sudden movement pulled at her shoulder wound, making her cry out in pain.

"What's wrong?" Matthew walked in from outside.

He held a cup of milk and a bag of bread, his gait still slightly limping, but his eyes were urgent.

He hurried over, examining her carefully, his brow knitting tightly. "Where does it hurt?"

"I'm fine. I was just a bit disoriented waking up." Evelyn smiled guiltily.

Matthew didn't listen. He immediately pressed the emergency button, summoning the nurse.

After confirming Evelyn was all right, he had the nurse fetch Evelyn's medical records.

"Stop! I'm really fine. You don't need to make such a fuss!" Evelyn felt helpless.

Matthew remained insistent, his gaze heavy on her.

Evelyn couldn't win. She sighed. "Don't bother the nurse. I'll tell you."

She pulled her jacket open slightly, revealing the bandage on her shoulder. "My shoulder's fractured."

Matthew frowned, his expression clearly waiting for her to continue.

"And... some mild concussion. That's it. Nothing else, really!"

Evelyn looked into his eyes, promising earnestly.

After triple-checking she wasn't lying, Matthew spoke slowly. "Just now—you got up too quickly and pulled the wound, didn't you?"

"Yes." Evelyn nodded obediently.

"You lie down too. Stop constantly telling me to rest while not taking your own body seriously." Matthew's tone grew stern, like scolding a disobedient child.

Evelyn complied helplessly.

Matthew brought over the bread and milk from the bedside table, feeding her bite by bite.

Evelyn thought to herself: 'I am injured, not incapacitated...'

Whatever. It was rare for him to be so caring after waking up. She couldn't crush that.