But when I arrived, the ward was empty — no one from the Lin family was with her.

I called Lucian.

He sounded irritated.

“I’m on leave. Find another doctor.”

When I insisted, he finally agreed to come — dragging along Ivy, of course.

Helena had a cerebral hemorrhage and dangerously high intracranial pressure. She needed emergency decompression.

Lucian swore he would do the surgery himself.

I believed him.

Back then, I thought it was just a simple craniotomy — nothing could possibly go wrong.

The news that the surgery had failed was so absurd, I almost laughed.

Lucian still hadn’t realized that the one lying in the operating room… was his own sister.

So he hadn’t even performed the surgery himself?

A strange chill spread through me. Helena’s body had been lying in the hospital all day — surely someone should have informed the Lin family by now.

But Lucian still acted as though nothing had happened.

Just as I was trying to piece things together, I heard the click of the front door.

Lucian walked in, Ivy trailing behind him, dressed to perfection and smiling coyly.