Eleven Years All to the Wrong Man novel Chapter 143

As Evan walked into the living room, his eyes immediately fell on the woman reclining on the lounge chair, basking in the sun.

It was mid-afternoon.

She wore a simple cream-colored wool sweater with a white floral skirt. Her long, curly hair was woven into a loose braid that draped over her left shoulder, and she held a book in her hands.

Her eyes were gently closed, her long, thick eyelashes casting soft shadows on her cheeks. The warm, gentle winter sunlight poured in, enveloping her in a golden halo.

Evan stopped in his tracks, feeling his heart skip a beat.

Perhaps after being together for so long, one forgets the feeling of that initial spark. But thankfully, love exists. So even if the body forgets, the instinct of love will reawaken those initial memories time and time again.

Evan stood where he was, not daring to get closer, just watching her from a distance.

For some reason, he felt an urge to cry. The eleven years they had spent together flashed before his eyes.

Eating at cheap food stalls, sleeping in a basement, huddling together for warmth on cold winter nights in Averton City because their blanket wasn’t thick enough.

As his status and position had risen, Evan found that many of those old memories had faded. But in this moment, they all came rushing back. Looking at the sleeping woman, the guilt and regret in his heart reached a crescendo.

“Sir...”

Mrs. Alvarez was the first to notice that something was wrong with Evan.

She came out of the kitchen and called his name several times, but he remained unresponsive.

Mrs. Alvarez gently touched his shoulder. When Evan turned to look at her, she saw that the usually stoic man’s eyes had, at some point, turned red.

***

When Nathan came out after checking on all his patients, the girl was still leaning against the wall, crying.

The hallway was busy with people coming and going for lunch, and many cast curious glances her way as they passed. But she seemed completely oblivious, continuing to cry in silence.

Nathan looked up. It was her.

“Come in.”

Melissa was holding a file with her father’s recent test results.

Her eyes were still red, but she was no longer crying.

Nathan glanced at her, said nothing, and took the report she offered.

“Based on this, it looks like symptoms from a post-surgical infection. I recommend we start with antibiotic treatment and then repeat the blood work in one to two weeks to see if the white blood cell count has returned to normal. It’s not too serious, so don’t worry.”

Hearing this, Melissa, who was looking down, gave a slight nod.

Her mind was still preoccupied with Evan, so she didn’t have much of a reaction to the relatively good news about her father’s condition.