Today was the day Clara was to be admitted to the hospital. Because there were a series of procedures to handle, Marcus had arrived in N City a step ahead.

"There are many check-ups to do today, you two..." Marcus was seriously introducing the examination items in the front, but the two in the back were leaning together whispering, looking so distracted it made Marcus's temper flare.

"I said, that's enough from you two. Be more serious when it's time for business."

The two being called out sat up straight instantly, though the corners of Clara’s mouth were still slightly upturned.

Seeing her in a good mood, Marcus felt his heart grow a bit lighter.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Clara was greeted by a series of complicated preoperative examinations.

A few hours later.

Marcus was communicating the condition in German with the attending physician while Clara sat to the side, bored. Ethan pressed a small trinket into her hand to amuse her.

"She looks to be in a good mood. Is that her boyfriend?" the German doctor asked with a relaxed expression.

Seeing Ethan focused entirely on Clara by the window, Marcus felt a slight relief: "Yes."

"That’s good. A positive mood is beneficial for surgery."

Over the next few days, all the examinations were largely completed.

A group of doctors huddled around the medical records to study them repeatedly, while the Tang family and Ethan sat nervously in the office.

The German doctor spoke in German, which was then translated by Marcus.

As the last sentence ended, Marcus’s eyebrows lifted—the result was clearly positive.

"The doctor says Cece has been cared for very well; the overall condition hasn't worsened. While the specifics depend on what they find after opening the skull, it’s better than they expected, and the success rate has risen."

Mrs. Tang was the first to lose control of her emotions, hugging Mr. Tang and crying softly.

Clara couldn't see the expressions of those around her. Hearing Marcus’s words, she only smiled slightly, not appearing overly joyful.

It wasn't until they settled into the ward and only Marcus and she were left in the room.

Clara finally asked, "You're lying to Mom and Dad, aren't you?"

Marcus was surprised by her certainty. "Why do you say that?"

"Did you forget? I studied medicine too. My German isn't great, but I can understand a little."

Marcus’s expression became serious. "Cece, I didn't lie. Your condition isn't as great as I said, but it's also not that bad."

"I know you're afraid."

Marcus’s words made Clara’s nose sting. Even though she had made this decision with everything on the line, she was still afraid.

She worried that she would never wake up again. What would happen to her parents? What about Marcus? What about Ethan?

She had too many attachments, too much she couldn't bear to leave behind. She wanted to live.

"It's okay, Cece. We'll all be with you." In this rare moment of warmth between siblings, a knock on the door interrupted Clara’s tears.

Ethan’s voice drifted in.

Chapter 42

Marcus patted Clara’s shoulder and offered a few words of comfort.

He rose to open the door. Ethan looked at Clara, whose shoulders were trembling slightly with her back to the door, and a flash of anxiety crossed his eyes.

Marcus patted his shoulder and said, "Go comfort her."

Ethan gently closed the door.

Clara looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, and Ethan’s heart softened.

He reached out to pull her into his arms, saying with heartache, "How about we don't do it?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he had said the wrong thing.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Clara pushed him away and wiped her tears forcefully.

"No, we have to do it." Clara’s tone was exceptionally firm. Having come this far, there was no reason to give up halfway.

Ethan naturally knew how resilient and stubborn she was at her core. He only sighed softly.

"Mm. Then I will stay with you always. I'll accompany you wherever you go."

Ethan had dimmed the lights in the room. Under the hazy yellow glow, Clara’s eyes, which had just been crying, didn't feel the sting of the brightness.

But it was also in this quiet environment that Clara felt the obsessive state of Ethan that Summer Sheng had described so directly.

"What do you mean?" Clara paused, her voice filled with disbelief.

Ethan didn't speak. He just sat on a chair, resting his head on Clara’s knees and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

His grip was very strong.

At this moment, Ethan allowed his emotions to vent and run wild. He knew he shouldn't.

But other than Clara, he didn't want to be near anyone, much less let them see his weakness.

Clara was afraid, but he was even more terrified.

In these past ten or so days with Clara, he felt as if he were walking on clouds.

There were moments when he even forgot the suffocating feeling of hearing the news of her "death" three years ago.

But since entering the hospital, those memories had coiled around him like a nightmare.

"Ethan Shaw, you can't be like this." Clara’s hands were on his arms, gripping them tightly.

Ethan felt her concern through her tightening grip.

His hold around her waist tightened even more, as if he wanted to pull her into his very ribs, never to be separated.

"How am I being? Cece, you always abandon me. This is my punishment, isn't it?" Ethan didn't look up, but Clara felt a dampness through her thin hospital gown. "I truly know I was wrong."

Clara’s chest felt tight. She didn't know how to comfort him.

She didn't know the outcome either, but her heart was remarkably firm. She pushed against the person resting on her lap.

Ethan looked up at her. His eyes were red, but Clara couldn't see them.

Clara felt for his face and cupped it in her hands. "Ethan, you have to believe in me. I will definitely be fine."

Clara’s eyes were a bit wet, but she didn't back down at all.

Ethan looked into those lifeless eyes, but suddenly read a sense of resilience within them.

He slowly embraced Clara, resting his head on her shoulder, murmuring like a weary bird returning to its nest: "I believe you."

Because Clara’s care had always been excellent, her condition was good. To increase the success rate, the surgery wasn't scheduled immediately, leaving more time for the doctors to discuss contingency plans for any emergencies.

During her hospitalization, while people came and went to visit, only Ethan remained at the hospital the entire time.

Clara "saw" with her own ears that he was still handling work on his laptop in the middle of the night, and she had heard him take dozens of phone calls without a break.

She tried to persuade him to go back, but she couldn't overcome his persistence.

Until a few days later, Ethan’s father suddenly called, saying there was a meeting he absolutely had to attend.

It was right there in N City, and Ethan had no choice but to step out, looking back at every step.

Chapter 43

With Ethan Shaw away for his meeting, Song Qinghe was the one scheduled to stay for the bedside watch.

Since it was the winter break and school was out, her schedule was much lighter than Marcus Tang’s.

Song Qinghe called early in the morning, explaining that she was stuck in heavy traffic during the morning rush hour.

"Cece, make sure you don't wander around, okay? Just call the nurse if you need anything," Song Qinghe urged gently.

Clara Tang nodded composedly, then remembering she was out of sight, she spoke slowly in response: "I know, Sister Song."

After hanging up, Clara stayed tucked in bed obediently, listening to the dull sounds coming from the television.

Becoming bored after a while, she prepared to stand up and walk around the room. Having stayed there for some time, she had become familiar with the layout.

"No danger," she whispered to herself in self-assessment.

She drifted slowly about the room, walking from the door to the window and back again, as if taking a leisurely stroll.

As she reached the door once more, the faint sound of an argument drifted in from outside, getting louder as it approached.

Hearing the clamor, Clara instinctively shrank back.

Her blindness had slowed her reaction time; by the time she regained her senses, a sharp pain shot through her forehead.

The door was slammed open from the outside, striking Clara squarely as she stood right behind it.

The force spun her around, making her lose her footing.

With a "thud," she collapsed to the floor.

In an instant, she felt a splitting headache. Before falling into unconsciousness, she faintly heard Song Qinghe's terrified scream.

...

Outside the operating room, the faces of the Tang parents and the others were grim.