The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 190

At St. Jude's Medical Center, on the twelfth floor of the inpatient ward.

When Madeline Thorne stepped out of the elevator carrying a fruit basket and an elegant bouquet of lilies, she immediately spotted Evelyn Sullivan stepping out of a hospital room at the end of the hall. Their eyes met, and Madeline hurried over.

"Evie!" she kept her voice low. "How's Arthur?"

"Stable. He just got moved to a regular room," Evelyn took the gifts from her and glanced at the door. "He's still sleeping. The nurse is watching him."

Madeline nodded, peering through the glass window on the door. Inside, Arthur lay quietly in bed. His face was still pale, but his breathing was steady. A middle-aged nurse was sitting by the bed, scrolling through a phone.

"Let's talk outside," Evelyn said softly.

The two walked over to the seating area around the corner and sat on a bench. Outside the window was the hospital courtyard, where the autumn sun cast dappled shadows through the leaves.

Madeline carefully studied Evelyn's face. "You've lost weight. Have you not been eating properly these past few days?"

"I'm fine," Evelyn rubbed her temples. "It's the critical post-op period. I can't afford to be careless."

"What exactly is wrong with him? How did he suddenly go into severe heart failure?" Madeline asked. "Weren't you the one managing his health?"

Evelyn remained silent for a few seconds before speaking in a low voice. "Digoxin poisoning. The serum concentration was three times over the lethal limit."

Madeline's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Poisoning?! How is that possible..."

"Helena Sullivan," Evelyn uttered the name with a terrifying calmness. "The afternoon my father called me to rush back, she went to the old estate and brought a thermos of 'chicken soup.' My grandfather collapsed right after drinking it."

"Does your father know?" Madeline's voice was laced with shock.

"He knows." Evelyn's lips curled into a freezing smile. "Not only does he know, but he also helped dispose of the thermos and the leftover soup. When I confronted him, he admitted it."

Madeline gasped. "Stephen Sullivan... has he lost his mind? That's his own flesh and blood!"

"His flesh and blood?" Evelyn looked out the window. "When my grandmother was alive, she always said this son of hers was heartless and completely unreliable. Her exact words were, 'If he ever runs out of money, he might just sell my bones for buttons.' Looks like Grandma was a great judge of character."

Madeline was briefly at a loss for words. She reached out and grabbed Evelyn's freezing hand. "So... did you call the police? Poisoning is a criminal offense, Helena committed attempted murder!"

She paused, lowering her voice. "But Evie... you hid this way too well. Three years. For three whole years, I watched you suffer in the Lancaster family, watched Lyra and the rest of them walk all over you... If I had known you were Dr. Rose, I would have absolutely..."

"Would have absolutely what?" Evelyn asked softly. "Stormed into the Lancaster estate and bragged about how amazing your best friend is?"

Madeline paused, then sighed. "You're right... even if I did tell them, they probably wouldn't have believed it. Those people only see what they want to see."

"Exactly. That's why there was nothing to say," Evelyn replied calmly. "A title is just a title. Life is life."

Madeline looked at Evelyn's serene profile, a wave of complex emotions washing over her. She thought about how much Evelyn had endured at the Lancaster estate over the past three years, the endless moments of being dismissed and ridiculed... If the Lancaster family had known her true identity, would things have been different?

But she quickly shook her head, tossing the thought aside. There was no 'if'. The Lancaster family didn't deserve her.

"By the way," Madeline put her phone away, her expression turning slightly hesitant. "Evie... there's something else. I don't know if I should bring it up."

"What is it?"

"Julian... he reached out to me again recently." As Madeline spoke, her tone subconsciously softened, and a brief glimmer flashed in her eyes. "He said he wants to set up a meeting with you to discuss a potential partnership."