I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 371

Seraphina waited at the hospital until Dr. Reed was transferred to a standard room before making her way over.

Pushing open the door, she saw Dr. Reed lying in the hospital bed. He looked pale and was hooked up to various monitors, but he had clearly regained some of his strength as he listened to his doctor's instructions.

Dr. Reed nodded, his voice still weak. "I understand."

The doctor closed the medical chart, glancing from Seraphina to Dr. Reed. "You really dodged a bullet this time, Dr. Reed. Cardiac arrest has a four-minute golden window. Passing that mark makes the chances of coming back incredibly slim. The person who gave you CPR was a true professional. They kept it up for over twenty minutes and practically pulled you out of the grave."

Dr. Reed nodded slowly. "I know. Once I've recovered, I must find the person who saved me and thank them in person."

The doctor smiled and gestured toward Seraphina. "Well, here's your savior right now."

Seraphina offered a warm, perfectly tailored smile. "Dr. Reed, how are you feeling?"

Dr. Reed's gaze landed on Seraphina. A glimmer of life returned to his cloudy eyes as he waved her over. "You're the one who saved me."

Seraphina approached the bed with measured steps, lowering her head with just the right amount of concern. "Please don't push yourself, Professor. You just woke up and need to rest. I was just passing by and saw you collapse on the street. It was such a critical situation, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

Dr. Reed studied her carefully, a hint of scrutiny in his gaze before he gave a slow nod. "Are you in the medical field as well?"

Seraphina smiled, her tone dripping with practiced sincerity. "Of course. Who in the medical community doesn't know you? I've read every single one of your papers. I was actually planning to stand outside your seminar today just to listen in, but then I ran into your accident on the way, so..."

Dr. Reed frowned. "Why would you listen from the outside?"

Seraphina ducked her head, feigning bashfulness. "I couldn't secure an admission ticket."

Dr. Reed didn't call her out. He simply changed the subject, asking for her interpretation of a specific medical paper.

Seraphina forced a laugh, her smile turning brittle. She scraped together a flimsy answer that was riddled with massive holes.

A heavy silence settled over the hospital room for a few seconds.

Dr. Reed looked at her, a fleeting shadow of disappointment crossing his eyes, but he ultimately swallowed his critique.

Regardless of everything, the woman standing before him had saved his life. Setting aside her questionable academic competence, the debt he owed her was very real.

He simply nodded, his tone turning politely neutral. "Not bad. You're young; there's always room to grow."