LOGINA quiet mix of bitterness and self-mockery spread through Felix’s chest.“Don’t worry,” he scoffed softly. “To him, you look beautiful no matter what.”Miranda froze. Her hand stopped in the middle of smoothing her hair. She pressed her lips together but said nothing.“Do you want to go home and shower before you see him?” Felix asked suddenly.Miranda shook her head. “No.”Another self-mocking smile tugged at his mouth. “So you really do care that much about how you look in front of him.”Miranda blinked, slightly taken aback. It was true that she wanted to look a little more put together, but that was simply a woman’s natural instinct.She looked at him and said, “Thank you for staying with me. You should go home and get some rest.”Only then did she notice the faint red in his eyes too, as though he had also gone several nights without proper sleep.“I’m fine,” Felix said, sitting back down.“Have you seen my phone?” Miranda asked.Felix handed it to her. Miranda took it
When his life had hung in the balance, it was those two people, and the teams behind them, who had fought to win him one last chance.That was a debt too great to measure.He slowly closed his eyes, forcing all the emotion back down. “Uncle Zeller, I understand. Thank you for telling me.”Miranda woke again from another jolt of panic.Like someone breaking the surface after nearly drowning, she sat bolt upright, gasping for air.Felix had been resting with his eyes closed. The moment he heard her move, he opened them and met her startled, desperate gaze.“Did he wake up? Did Mike wake up?” Miranda grabbed his arm, her voice hoarse and urgent.Felix looked at the fear still written on her face and felt the tremor in her fingers. It was exactly what he had expected. The person she cared about most was still Mike.A dull ache tightened across his chest for a few seconds, but he immediately turned his hand and closed it around hers, the pressure gentle and reassuring.“He woke up,
Felix slowly leaned back against the chair and rubbed at his brow, exhaustion finally showing through. Over the past three days, he hadn’t slept through a single night. He would sleep for two hours at most, wake up, and then lie there unable to fall asleep again.Lately, that had become routine.After more than an hour of detailed examinations, Mike was finally taken back to his room to rest. His condition was better than they had expected, thanks in part to the physical resilience he had built over the years. Even so, he still needed time and quiet to recover.Dr. Zeller urged him to get some rest, but Mike looked far too awake for that. He pointed to the chair beside the bed. “Uncle Zeller, please sit.”One look at his face was enough for Dr. Zeller to understand. Mike wanted to know what had happened while he was unconscious.Mike was a child Dr. Zeller had watched grow up. He couldn’t help feeling deeply for him.“Uncle Zeller, can you tell me what happened after I lost consc
Staring up at the white ceiling, something flickered in Mike’s eyes. A faint sheen of moisture gathered there, tangled with love, guilt, and reluctance.It was also his final answer to a love that had never been meant to reach its ending.From this moment on, he would step back into the place of a friend. Whether she chose to devote herself to her career or someday to love, he would wish her happiness with complete sincerity.A little later, the medical staff wheeled Mike away for a series of more detailed examinations to make sure all his vital functions were stabilizing properly.Ten minutes after that, Justin took a phone call. When it ended, he made a point of coming to Miranda’s room. He stood outside the door for a moment, looking in, before his assistant gave a light knock.Felix looked up. Seeing Justin through the glass, he got to his feet and stepped outside.“Mr. Vice President,” Felix said respectfully.“Felix, thank you for everything,” Justin said, looking at him w
The moment Mike saw Dr. Zeller and his father fall silent, and noticed the way the people around him suddenly started avoiding his eyes, his heart sank.He had guessed right.A sharp rush of worry and heartache hit him all at once. He struggled to push himself up. “Where is she? I want to see her.”“Mike, don’t get worked up. You just woke up, and you’re still very weak,” Justin said, hurrying forward to press him gently back.Dr. Zeller called from the side, “Mike, lie back down.”“Dad, let me see her. Just once.” Mike’s voice was hoarse, but the insistence in it was unmistakable. Those eyes, barely open again after months, were already full of pleading.Dr. Zeller and Justin exchanged a look. They both knew him too well. Once Mike set his mind on something, there was no talking him out of it.In the end, Dr. Zeller let out a quiet sigh. “All right. But you can only look from outside. Miranda needs complete rest right now.”A nurse brought over a wheelchair, and they carefully
By the time Raymond carried Miranda to the doorway, Felix was already there to take her from his arms.“Raymond, I’ll take it from here,” Felix said.“Mr. Gibson, Miranda’s exhausted. Please get her somewhere she can rest as soon as possible,” Raymond said.Felix could feel how frighteningly light she was in his arms. Her face was as pale as paper. Her forehead was damp with sweat, but she had already lost consciousness.Justin hurried over, his face full of worry. “Felix, get her somewhere to rest.”Felix nodded and, without wasting another second, carried her toward a vacant patient room on the same floor. His jaw was tight, and a flicker of panic flashed through his eyes.“Doctor. Quickly. Check her.”A doctor came over at once, began examining Miranda, and hooked her up to monitors to check her heart function and blood pressure.“For now, it looks like Dr. Stone collapsed from sheer physical exhaustion,” the doctor said. “We’ll start an IV right away and let her rest quietl
Fiona convinced herself that Miranda’s win wasn’t as impressive as it looked. In her mind, Samantha and Dr. Lewis, who had both been close friends of Eugene, had obviously played a role in recommending her for the award. With professors like that behind her, the whole thing had to involve some level
Mrs. Young glanced over at Miranda. She was quietly flipping through a medical journal, completely absorbed, radiating a calm intelligence that made it clear she was no longer the young woman who had once depended on Felix.Every now and then, Miranda still checked on Mia, but her gaze settled only
“During the bouquet toss, I really wanted to hand it to you myself,” Sophie said. “But when I turned around, your seat was empty. Where did you go?”“I stepped out to take a call,” Miranda replied.“That was terrible timing. I was hoping to make you catch it right in front of Felix.”Miranda laug
Felix suddenly stood up and walked to the window. He stared at the blurred, rain-streaked world outside, his emotions impossible to read.“Felix,” Leo said quietly. “If you still care about her, then let her live her own life.”Felix did not answer right away. After a moment, he said in an even vo







