Society is cruel. It’s never fair.
If a man is infertile, the marriage stays. They adopt a child and move on. But if a woman can’t have kids? Ten out of ten couples divorce.
If Evelyn’s test results come back bad, it’s her fault. Alexander doesn’t seem like the type to walk away. But their marriage has cracks. Even if he doesn’t care, Eleanor Sterling will never accept it.
So as long as Evelyn isn’t pregnant, she’ll worry. Every single day.
Parents really do have the hardest lot.
After work, Evelyn heads back to Sterling Manor as usual. She takes a bath. Alexander isn’t home yet. He called earlier, said he’d be late, told her to eat without him.
She’s not hungry anyway. She decides to take a walk in the garden first.
The weather is nice tonight. But there’s no moon, no stars.
The osmanthus flowers are in full bloom. As she gets closer, the sweet fragrance fills the air. Her mood lifts.
Evelyn strolls through the garden for nearly half an hour. Then she heads back inside.
She walks in. Still no sign of Alexander. She thinks he hasn’t returned yet. Just as she’s about to go upstairs, Lily Thompson calls out to her.
“Lily, what is it?” Evelyn stops, turns around, and asks.
“Ma’am, Chloe called. She said the old lady fainted. The fourth young master has already gone to the main house. She asked me to tell you.”
“What? Is it serious?” Evelyn’s heart jumps. She hurries back down the stairs.
“I don’t know the details. Chloe just said the old lady collapsed,” Lily replies.
“I’m going to check on her!” Evelyn says, already walking out of Sterling Manor, heading quickly toward the main house.
Lily follows.
Evelyn had just been relieved that her own mother was fine. She never expected her mother-in-law to have an accident.
When she reaches the main house, the butler tells her that Alexander and Chloe have already taken the old lady to the hospital.
“Lily, call Arthur Clark. Tell him to take me to the hospital.” Evelyn gives the order, then turns to the butler. “Did Alexander say which hospital?”
“Evelyn, I’ll take you!” Ethan Sterling’s voice cuts in. He just got the news too.
“Okay, good.” Evelyn follows him to the parking garage, jogging to keep up.
Ethan reverses the car. Evelyn gets into the passenger seat.
He drives fast. She doesn’t say a word to him this time. Neither of them speaks the whole way.
At the hospital, Eleanor Sterling has already been sent to the operating room. They’re preparing for surgery.
Alexander is standing guard outside. Evelyn walks over.
“Alexander, what happened to Mom?”
He turns to see her and Ethan. “Cerebral hemorrhage. Needs immediate surgery.”
He looks at Ethan. “Call your aunts. Tell them to come.”
“I already called Aunt Audrey and Aunt Scarlett,” Ethan says.
Alexander nods. He doesn’t say anything else.
Dr. Michael Young is a top brain surgeon. He’s also Eleanor’s personal doctor. He knows her medical history inside out. They can trust him with the surgery.
There’s nothing else to do now but wait.
This is Evelyn’s first time dealing with something like this. Honestly, she feels lost. And scared.
But she knows she can’t help. She can’t cause trouble either.
So she stands quietly beside Alexander. She waits with him.
Later, he takes her hand and leads her to a chair in the waiting area. They sit down and keep waiting.
Audrey and Scarlett arrive. They’re frantic, asking about their mother.
“She’s still in surgery. We won’t know anything until the doctor comes out,” Alexander says.
“Mom’s health has always been good. How could this happen?” Scarlett mutters.
“She’s getting older. These things happen. Let’s just pray she’s safe,” Audrey says.
They have no choice but to wait for the result.
Suddenly, the operating room door opens. They all rush forward. A nurse steps out.
“Who has AB negative blood?” she asks. “We have multiple surgeries today, and all of them need AB negative blood. Our blood bank is running low. We can’t get a transfer in time.”
“I’m type O. Universal donor. Take mine!” Evelyn says quickly.
She doesn’t even realize the nurse asked for AB negative.
Alexander pulls her back. “Take mine.”
“Mr. Sterling, follow me,” the nurse says.
Alexander turns to Audrey and Scarlett. “Second sister, third sister, I’m leaving this to you.”
“Don’t worry,” Audrey nods.
Alexander glances at Ethan, then follows the nurse to the blood draw room.
Evelyn is worried. She follows too.
After the check, the nurse draws 60cc of blood from Alexander.
Evelyn sees his face turn pale. Bloodless. She panics.
She turns to the nurse. “Is that enough? If not, take mine. I’m type O. I’ve donated before. I’m strong.”
She’s afraid the nurse will take more of Alexander’s blood.
“That’s enough for now. I’ll let you know if we need more.”
The nurse turns to Evelyn. “Mrs. Sterling, you can go to the duty room. Ask the doctor to prescribe a bottle of glucose water for Mr. Sterling. Have him lie down for a while. He’ll feel better after resting.”
Then the nurse leaves.
“Lie down. I’ll get the glucose water,” Evelyn says.
“No.” Alexander grabs her hand. He tries to stand up.
His body sways. Evelyn quickly supports him. She’s anxious and angry.
“You just gave so much blood. If you don’t care about yourself, at least think about me! Mom is still in surgery. If something happens to you, what am I supposed to do?”
Alexander looks at her. “I’m sorry. Go get it.”
“Lie down first. I’ll be right back.” Evelyn leaves the blood draw room to get the glucose water.
When she comes back, Alexander isn’t lying on the stretcher.
She’s frustrated. But she can’t do anything about it. She walks toward the operating room. Sure enough, she sees him sitting on a chair in the waiting area.
He sees her too. For a moment, his face is unreadable. He just looks at her quietly.
Evelyn lowers her head. She doesn’t say anything. She hands him the glucose water.
Alexander doesn’t resist. He drinks it calmly.
The operating room is still going.