Chapter 136
In the hallway, people came and went.
Juliana leaned against the wall and let out a soft breath.
She wasn't a saint—she had no sympathy for Ashley. She just felt that the grudges of the older generation shouldn't carry over to the kids.
……
Around the corner in another corridor, a man wearing a black baseball cap and mask was peeking around cautiously.
It was David.
Chloe was in this hospital too, but the Andersons had tight security. Anxious, he'd gotten a doctor's scrubs from someone and snuck in.
He just wanted to see her from a distance, make sure she was okay.
As he was about to head toward the ICU, a commotion erupted behind him.
"Well, well, if it isn't Mr. White!" A sarcastic voice rang out.
David's body went rigid. He turned to see that jewelry-laden Mrs. Anderson clutching her husband Leon's arm, two bodyguards behind them, looking at him with contempt.
"Mr. White, Chloe has nothing to do with you anymore. Stop stalking her." Mrs. Anderson's voice was shrill and cutting. "You two just looked after each other for a while. Don't get any crazy ideas—someone of your status doesn't deserve to be friends with our Chloe, let alone family."
Leon snorted coldly. "Young man, how much do you want? Name your price."
Once upon a time, these people hadn't even been worthy of speaking to him.
His hands in his pockets clenched into tight fists.
"I just..."
"You just want to harass my daughter!" Mrs. Anderson cut him off. "Security! Get this stalker away from our patient!"
Two bodyguards immediately stepped forward and grabbed David's arms on either side.
Humiliation washed over him like a tidal wave.
Just then, an elevator down the hall dinged open.
Lucas and Juliana stepped out.
Almost instinctively, David wrenched himself free from the guards and pulled his baseball cap down low, covering most of his face.
He couldn't let Lucas see him like this—so pathetic.
Lucas seemed to notice the disturbance, his gaze sweeping over.
David quickly turned and strode away in the opposite direction.
Lucas's eyes paused on that retreating figure for a second. Something about it seemed familiar, but the cheap athletic wear and the way the person was fleeing made him dismiss the thought.
"What's wrong?" Juliana asked.
"Nothing." Lucas looked away and took her hand. "Let's go."
They walked past where David had just been standing.
Around the corner, David stopped and leaned against the cold wall.
In the end, he didn't look back.
Brothers who once stood side by side—now one still brilliant as ever, the other fallen into the dust.
……
In the hospital room, the two children chattered on either side of Ashley's bed, telling her stories from preschool.
Damian spoke animatedly while Matthew calmly filled in details whenever his brother left something out.
Ashley leaned against the headboard, listening to those childish voices. Her clouded eyes actually held a glimmer of life. She looked at the two children—one with Lucas's childhood composure, the other with a liveliness Lucas had never had.
How nice.
……
As the elevator doors closed, Lucas suddenly spoke. "I'm sorry."
Juliana looked up at him.
"Seven years ago, I should've come looking for you." He stared at her reflection in the elevator wall. "If I'd just tried a little harder..."
Would everything have been different?
Juliana squeezed his hand back, her fingertips gently tracing his knuckles. "It wasn't your fault."
She paused, meeting his eyes directly. "Lucas, neither of us was wrong. The one who was wrong is the person who schemed from the very beginning."
The elevator dinged, arriving at the first floor.
The doors opened to the noisy hospital lobby.
Lucas didn't move. He looked down into Juliana's eyes—seeing understanding, acceptance, and a resilient strength he'd never seen before.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
Like compensation for seven years of missed chances.
……
They were about to leave when Juliana stopped. She saw someone who looked like a head nurse holding a medical chart, discussing something serious with an attending physician.
"...The situation is still very dangerous. The Andersons keep pressing us, saying they've brought in an international team of specialists arriving tomorrow."
"Ms. Hale's case is really tricky. Getting through surgery was already a miracle. Post-op infection and rejection are going to be the hardest hurdles."
Juliana's professional instincts made her listen closer.
She turned to Lucas. "I want to take a look."
Pure professional curiosity about a difficult case.
Lucas nodded.
……
Outside the ICU, through thick glass, they could see the patient inside.
Chloe was connected to tubes and wires running to beeping machines. Her pretty face was drained of all color, fragile as a porcelain doll.
Leon and Mrs. Anderson stood guard outside. The moment they spotted Lucas, they immediately put on fawning expressions.
"Mr. Sharp, what brings you here?" Leon bowed obsequiously.
Juliana ignored them, her attention drawn to the open medical chart at the nurses' station. She walked over and said to the nurse on duty, "Hi, I'm Juliana Wells. May I see Ms. Hale's chart?"
The nurse froze, clearly not placing the name immediately. In international surgical circles, especially oncology, Juliana Wells was at the very top.
The attending physician beside her recovered first, both surprised and delighted. "You're Professor Lynd's granddaughter, Dr. Wells?"
Juliana nodded.
The doctor immediately handed over the chart respectfully.
Juliana flipped through it quickly—CT scans, surgical records, medication protocols. Her frown deepened with each page.
"The previous surgery was well done. The lead surgeon was highly skilled. Suturing and lesion removal were both clean. Why the sudden transfer? For a patient in this condition, moving them is the last thing you want to do."
At those words, the Andersons' faces changed.
That other hospital was technically excellent, but David had access there. That's why they'd moved her here.
But they couldn't say that. Mrs. Anderson jumped in. "That hospital was no good! Almost killed my daughter! This is the best private hospital around!"
Just then, a commotion erupted from inside the ICU.