Wren Wynter and Kaden Xavier froze on the spot.

A moment later, they entered the hospital room, one after the other.

Old Madam Xavier coughed a few times, her face paling. Wren hurried forward and skillfully placed her fingers on the woman’s pulse.

The pulse was faint and thready, showing signs of weakening.

’It seems Grandma won’t be with me for much longer.’

Even with the surgery, she was old, and her ability to recover wasn’t what it used to be. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Wren’s mood plummeted once more.

"Grandma, what on earth did Seraphina do to offend you? Why must you hurt her like this!"

"Kneel!" Old Madam Xavier commanded sharply.

Kaden Xavier’s hands tightened into fists. He wanted to argue, but in the end, he knelt in silence.

"Have you forgotten everything your grandfather and I taught you all these years?! Disrespecting your elders for an outsider, and now you want to betray the wife who has stood by you through thick and thin!"

"I haven’t! Grandma, Seraphina and I are innocent!"

"Hah. You may think you’re innocent, but she might not want to be!"

Old Madam Xavier was seized by another violent coughing fit.

Wren gently patted her back, trying to make her more comfortable.

Old Madam Xavier’s chest heaved with the force of her coughs.

Kaden’s jaw was clenched, his fists at his sides so tight his knuckles turned white.

"Grandma." Kaden looked up abruptly, his eyes red-rimmed. "She’s a pregnant woman with no one to rely on. I was just looking after her for Asher Lynch’s sake. Is that so wrong?"

Old Madam Xavier let out a cold laugh, dripping with endless sarcasm.

"No, it’s not wrong. But ask your own heart, is what you feel for her really as simple as just taking care of your comrade’s widow?

Is there not a single shred of pity? Have you not crossed the line time and again? Have you not repeatedly neglected and hurt the wife you should actually be cherishing, all because of her?!"

Kaden looked as if he had been struck. He opened his mouth but found himself unable to utter a single word of rebuttal.

The more Old Madam Xavier spoke, the more agitated she became, which brought on another fit of violent coughing. Her face grew even more ashen.

Wren quickly supported her, patting her back and comforting her in a low voice, "Grandma, please don’t get upset. Your health is what’s important."

Catching her breath, Old Madam Xavier looked at Wren’s calm, gentle profile, her heart aching with sorrow and bitterness.

’How could such a wonderful girl have suffered so much in our Xavier family!’

She took Wren’s hand and squeezed it tightly, then turned to her grandson, her eyes weary and disappointed.

"If you still consider me your grandmother, if you still consider yourself a son of the Xavier family, then get rid of those muddled thoughts of yours! Now get out and reflect on what you’ve done! Without my permission, you are not to do anything to hurt Wren again, and you are forbidden from seeing that Seraphina Sutton!"

Kaden’s face was ashen. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but Old Madam Xavier had already closed her eyes and waved a dismissive hand, clearly unwilling to speak with him further.

Kaden looked at his grandmother’s resolute expression and Wren’s distant gaze, and a sense of panic tightened in his chest.

He cast one last look at his grandmother in the bed and Wren beside her, then turned and walked out of the room with heavy steps.

The door closed softly.

Kaden stood in the empty, quiet hallway and heard the sound of sobbing.

He looked down and saw Seraphina Sutton.

"Kaden..." she choked out, her voice broken. "I’m sorry... It’s all my fault. I’ve caused you so much trouble... Grandma Xavier must hate me, right? I... I’ll leave right now. I’ll never appear before you all again..."

As she spoke, she struggled to stand up, but her legs had gone numb from squatting for so long, and she swayed.

Kaden subconsciously stepped forward and steadied her.

Seraphina leaned against his arm, crying even more sorrowfully, as if she had suffered the greatest injustice in the world.

Watching her cry so tragically, Kaden’s mind became a tangled mess.

He wanted to comfort Seraphina, to tell her it wasn’t her fault, but the words died on his lips as he remembered his grandmother’s command and the fact that he had just been thrown out.

Just then, he heard footsteps behind him.

Kaden froze, releasing his hold on Seraphina and turning to look.

Wren had come out at some point and was now standing quietly a few feet away, watching them.

Her face was expressionless, her eyes as calm and unrippled as a deep pool of water.

"Since you’re worried about her, you should take Miss Sutton home. I’ll take a cab to the office myself."

Her tone was strictly business.

Kaden’s throat tightened. He wanted to explain, but Wren had already turned and was walking toward the elevators.

"Wren..." Kaden managed to get one word out before his voice got stuck in his throat.

Seraphina’s sobs still echoed in his ears.

Kaden closed his eyes, suppressing the inexplicable sting of pain and irritation in his heart. He said to Seraphina in a low voice, "Stop crying. I’ll take you home first."

Seraphina looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, looking utterly pitiful, and nodded.

Wren went straight to the office.

When she arrived at the aviation medical office, she was nearly two hours later than usual.

Joy Lynch was organizing a medical report. Her eyes lit up when she saw Wren walk in, but then her brow furrowed. "Wren, why are you so late?"

Wren put down her bag and changed into her white coat, buttoning it up as she answered calmly.

"Yeah, Grandma had a sudden heart attack last night and had surgery. She’s stable now. I was held up at the hospital this morning."

Joy was startled. "Was it serious? Who was the surgeon? My goodness, why didn’t you tell me something so major happened!"

"It’s fine now." Wren didn’t mention that she had been the one to operate, simply glossing over it. "The surgery was a success."

Seeing that Wren didn’t want to elaborate, Joy didn’t press further, merely looking with concern at her pale face and the exhaustion in her eyes.

"Well, you should sit down and rest for a bit. Have some hot water. By the way, the director came by this morning and said the newly hired aviation doctor is reporting for duty today. He wants you to train her."

Just as she said that, there was a knock on the office door.

A pretty girl who looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four stood at the door. She had her hair in a neat ponytail and was wearing a well-fitting uniform. Her face held a perfect smile, mixed with the shyness of a newcomer to the workplace.

"Dr. Wynter, Dr. Lynch, hello. I’m the new aviation doctor reporting for duty today. My name is Claire Shaw. The director told me to start by learning from Dr. Wynter."

The girl’s voice was clear and crisp, her attitude respectful.

Wren nodded, gesturing for her to come in.

"Hello, Dr. Shaw. I’m Wren Wynter. This is Dr. Joy Lynch."

Wren gave her a brief overview of the daily workflow in the aviation medical office, then had her try processing a simple pilot’s preliminary screening report.

Claire Shaw took it, sat down at a computer, and quickly completed the data entry and initial analysis.

Wren stood behind her and watched, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

’This new girl’s fundamentals are much better than I expected. She’s proficient, her thinking is clear, and her attitude is excellent.’

"Not bad," Wren offered, a rare affirmation from her. "There are a few details to pay attention to. For instance, the description of the EKG waveform here could be more precise. And here, the analysis of its correlation with the patient’s past medical history could be a little deeper."

She leaned over, pointed at the screen, and gave a couple of simple pointers.

"Understood, Dr. Wynter," Claire Shaw immediately nodded, accepting the feedback with humility.