"It's fine. I'm not leaving until Lily is out," Caroline firmly rejected.As her voice faded, the operation theater's lights dimmed. Caroline ceased her pacing and swiftly approached the theater's entrance. Scott followed closely behind. Soon, Deric gloomily emerged in his scrubs and looked at Caroline. "I'm sorry, Ms. Shenton. The surgery failed."Caroline's heart raced, and restlessness filled her chest. "What do you mean by 'failed'?"The sound of a stretcher being moved echoed, and Deric turned to allow nurses to pass. Caroline was about to check on Lily when she heard the doctor's regretful words. "Time of death, 2.27 p.m."Her arms dropped weakly to her sides. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Deric with disbelief. She asked hoarsely, "What did you say again?"Deric met her gaze with guilt. "Ms. Smith's vital signs were unstable during the surgery—""I don't want to hear this! I'm asking you, what did you say again?" Caroline sternly interrupted, her
"Why? Why is this happening?"Caroline's fists clenched, and she collapsed to the floor. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision."What have I done wrong? Why do the people closest to me always get taken away? Why?"Scott knelt beside her. "This isn't your fault, Carol…"Caroline leaned forward slowly. "I couldn't give Lily a good retirement life... I never got to repay her kindness. I caused Lily, my mother, and Jamie's deaths. I'm a jinx, and everyone around me will die because of me!"Scott comforted her, "This isn't your doing, Carol. You need to gather yourself. The children need you."-In the VIP room.Evan received Deric's guilt-ridden call, announcing Lily's death due to a failed surgery.Evan's face turned serious as he pictured Caroline's despair. He gritted his teeth and said, "I paid your team handsomely, and this is all you can do?"Deric explained, "The surgery should have been fine, Mr. Jordan. But the patient's vital signs dropped drastically during
Scott didn't prevent Caroline from entering.Caroline glanced up at the noise and quickly averted her gaze when she spotted Paige. She uttered hoarsely, "You're here."Paige approached and sighed upon seeing Lily. "Carol, please take it easy. I'm sure Lily wouldn't want to see you like this."Caroline stood up and grabbed a white cloth. "Lily endured a tough life. Her husband passed away long ago, and she sent her child abroad to study with her hard-earned money. Yet, he turned out ungrateful. I thought she'd be happier with me, but ultimately, I caused her harm."Paige looked at Caroline with concern. "Carol…"Caroline covered Lily's face with the white cloth. "Isn't it ironic?"Paige inquired, "What do you mean?"Caroline replied, "People around me keep passing away."Paige was genuinely scared. "It's not your fault. Those foreign doctors are to blame."'Foreign doctors…' she thought.Caroline recalled that Evan had arranged those doctors for Lily's treatment. He forcib
Scott advised, "Being excessively emotional isn't good for your health."Caroline took a deep breath. "I won't give up! I'm meeting Evan to clear things up."Neil suggested, "Do what you need to, but we might have to postpone our Christmas Eve plans."Neil turned to Scott. "Go inside with Carol first. I'll make a call."Scott nodded and left with Caroline.Neil's suspicion arose during Lily's first surgery. Why would an oncologist specialist attend a craniotomy surgery? Was it solely for Carol?However, Neil soon dismissed the idea.Even if Scott seemed suspicious, he likely couldn't manipulate Evan's hospital. Furthermore, his love for Caroline would prevent him from hurting her.-The next afternoon, Richie handed Evan the test report.Axel had been diagnosed with intermediate-stage acute leukemia from the expedited tests. Evan's grip tightened upon reading "intermediate stage".He looked at Richie seriously. "Do you have a treatment plan?"Richie replied, "We'll start wi
"I can promise you that," Evan assured. "However, you must behave and cooperate with the doctor during your treatment."Axel felt a wave of relief and nodded vigorously. He was willing to do whatever it took, as long as his father kept his promise not to inform his mother.-After leaving Grand East, Daniella drove to Villa Foresta. Upon arriving, she parked her car and entered the living room to find Casey resting there.She greeted him with a warm smile, saying, "I'm back, Casey."Casey opened his eyes and looked at Daniella gently. "How's Axel?"Daniella blurted out, "It's a bone marrow issue," as she sat beside Casey.Casey paused, puzzled. "Bone marrow?"Daniella quickly realized her mistake and corrected herself, saying, "He needs a bone marrow transplant."She was startled, fearing that Casey might discern she knew his true identity. She decided to keep this information to herself until their relationship had solidified, worried that Casey might turn against her.Casey
Lily cared for the two children for five years, and they had come to see her as family. When Lily passed away, it deeply saddened the children.Caroline released her hold on the children and said, "Lily's funeral will be on December 25th. I'll take a leave of absence to be there with you."The two children nodded with tears in their eyes.-Meanwhile, at Villa Foresta.Casey offered Daniella a place to stay for the night. She sat in his room, aware that their two-day time limit was about to expire, yet Casey showed no sign of checking his phone.As Daniella undressed in the bathroom, her phone suddenly rang. She quickly picked it up when she saw Hector's caller ID."Hello, Mr. Hendrix?" Daniella leaned against the bathroom door, trying to listen for Casey on the phone.Hector spoke. "I've found the bone marrow, which can be delivered anytime. You can name the price."Daniella didn't hear Casey's voice from outside. She wondered if the room was soundproofed exceptionally well.
Initially, Axel wasn't sure if Evan would agree to it. He didn't expect his father to agree so easily.Axel's eyes slowly brightened, and he said, "Thank you, Daddy."Evan smiled, but he felt a pang of sadness. He hadn't anticipated Axel being so overjoyed about something so trivial.-In the afternoon, Evan took a leisurely stroll through the mall, holding Axel's hand after lunch. Axel had already thought about the gifts, so he headed straight for the shop. He picked out a scarf for Caroline and a thermos flask for Tyler, knowing how much he liked warm drinks. He chose a large doll for Liora that she could cuddle with. Then, he purchased a tie for Evan.Evan was visibly surprised by the gift. "For me?"Axel nodded. "Daddy, you deserve a Christmas gift too."Evan leaned over and gently ruffled Axel's hair.Axel was taken aback because Evan was beaming with an infectious happiness he had never seen before. He couldn't hide the joy on his face and said, "Daddy, you should smile
Tyler lifted the thermos flask, remarking, "I know who sent this."Caroline grasped the scarf-packed gift box, asking, "It's from Axel, right?"Tyler nodded. "I have a gift for Axel too, Mommy. Could you arrange for its delivery?""Mommy, I've got a present for Axel too!" Liora said."Alright," Caroline replied, contemplating who should handle the gift deliveries, when Eira approached."I'll do it! I met the man who came this afternoon! He looks plain, but he has enormous eyes and a graceful face," Eira stated.Caroline realized Eira was referring to Reuben but didn't expect her to describe him as dull.Caroline instructed the children, "Fetch the gifts from upstairs. There's a watch on my bedside table. Please bring it as well."Liora playfully teased Caroline, "You secretly bought a gift for Axel too, Mommy."Caroline affectionately patted Liora's head. "It's the same watch you have."The two children hurried upstairs to retrieve the gifts while Caroline provided Eira with