Left for Dead Came Back for Everything novel Chapter 135

The cafe downstairs had a minimalist aesthetic—light wood tables and chairs, with a few black-and-white photographs hung on the walls.

By the time Eliza arrived, someone was already seated at the booth by the window.

Julian wore a dark gray fine-knit sweater under a lightweight black trench coat.

Two cups of coffee sat in front of him: a black coffee, and—as Eliza got closer, she realized—an oat milk latte. A small sticker on the cup read, "Light ice, a touch of sweetness."

Exactly how she liked it.

Eliza felt a faint warmth rise to her cheeks.

She took the seat across from him, purposely ignoring the coffee.

Shaking off her distraction, she pulled the roster from her tote bag, flipped to Yvonne's page, and slid it toward Julian.

She tapped her finger on the phrase, "Health Status: Excellent."

"Julian, I'm sorry to bother you out of nowhere, but I have a situation I can't make sense of, and I need a professional to help me break it down."

"This is Yvonne Vance's resume. A few days ago, she was shoving an ultrasound in my face, bragging about being pregnant." Eliza's voice was completely flat, as if she were detailing a case study that had nothing to do with her.

"Now, she's showing up on a candidate list for a lead dancer in a martial arts drama that requires heavy wirework. And there's zero mention of a pregnancy."

She looked up, meeting Julian's eyes directly.

"Medically speaking—does this make any sense?"

Julian picked up his black coffee and took a slow, unhurried sip.

Setting the cup down, his long fingers flipped open the roster. He reviewed it page by page.

From Yvonne's headshot to her credentials, to the 'Internal Recommendation' line, all the way down to the health status notes.

He examined every page meticulously.

When he reached the second page, his brow furrowed slightly, but it smoothed out just as quickly.

Julian seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. He paused, then delivered the critical point.

"There's one more thing."

He tapped his index finger lightly against the tabletop.

"The Roth family has a long medical legacy. Dr. Roth has been practicing medicine for forty years. Diagnostic basics are second nature to him."

Julian's eyes settled on Eliza's face.

His voice dropped slightly.

"The real question is—did Dr. Roth ever actually examine her himself? Or has Yvonne been making up excuses to avoid letting him check her pulse from the very beginning?"

Eliza's gaze sharpened.

She remembered Eleanor screaming in the hospital lobby, clutching Yvonne and pointing a trembling finger at Miriam—"She's carrying the Roth family's flesh and blood!"