"Then he definitely likes you!" Amy’s eyes brightened instantly. "You don't know, Dr. Sullivan is an icon in the medical world right now."

From Amy, Clara learned about another side of Felix. Since returning from studying in Country D, Felix had become the youngest orthopedic expert in the country after seven thrilling but perfectly executed surgeries. Yet, he held no arrogance. Whether it was an ordinary person or a high-ranking official asking for treatment, he treated everyone equally. Because of this, his surgery schedule was booked through next year.

Amy grew more excited as she spoke:

"Dr. Sullivan is much busier than your average expert. I heard he’s so busy he studies cases even while eating. So, something like changing hospitals for a patient is absolutely unheard of. But he did it for you, Miss Miller. If that isn't love, what is it?"

Grandmother heard this and laughed: "If it’s Dr. Sullivan, I support it with both hands and feet!"

Amy’s words were like a pebble dropped into Clara’s heart, sending out ripples. She and Felix had only just reunited; how could he like her? Unless...

She shook her head vigorously to drive the absurd thought away. Felix had a good family, was handsome, had impeccable character, and was a top orthopedic expert. How could he look at a divorced woman like her? Moreover, she had just gotten divorced and had no intention of starting another relationship.

She smilingly dismissed Amy and lay back on the bed. But when she closed her eyes, Amy’s words kept swirling in her ears, and she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Scenes from high school slowly surfaced. After a mock exam when her grades dropped, she hid in a corner of the sports field to cry. It was Felix who brought over the exam paper to analyze it question by question, encouraging her to regain her fighting spirit. During a sports meet, she sprained her ankle while running the 800 meters and was in too much pain to stand. Felix was the first to rush over, carefully carrying her on his back to the infirmary. When the class organized a tutoring session that required three thousand dollars and she was mocked by classmates for not being able to afford it, Felix stood up and slammed the table: "Clara Miller ranks in the top three in the whole school; she doesn't need mandatory tutoring." Privately, he found her and said: "If you want to go, I’ll take care of everything."

...

In the past, she had simply seen it as a classmate helping out. Looking back now, her heart skipped a beat for some reason.

Chapter 18

For the next half month, Ethan never appeared again. Clara cooperated with her treatment every day, and her recovery speed far exceeded expectations. Soon, it was the day of her discharge.

The sun was shining brightly that day, and the air held a warm scent. Felix was wearing a blue shirt, and his well-tailored trousers made his legs look exceptionally long. His slender fingers quickly folded Clara’s clothes, placing them neatly into her suitcase.

He straightened up, the dimples in his cheeks appearing slightly. "Congratulations, you can be discharged so soon. You must be extra careful from now on."

Clara smiled, her tone full of gratitude: "It’s thanks to your superb medical skills, Dr. Sullivan, that I recovered so quickly."

"There’s no need to be so polite."

Felix paused when his gaze touched the scarf placed to the side. It was a cream-colored cashmere scarf with small daisies embroidered on the edge—the graduation gift he had given her in high school. He hadn't expected her to keep it.

He looked up at Clara, a hint of hard-to-detect expectation in his eyes: "Will we be able to see each other in the future?"

"Of course." Clara nodded immediately, her voice light. "You’ve helped us so much, and I haven't even thanked you properly. Grandmother said she wants to invite you to our home for dinner some day; she wants to cook personally to let you taste her skills."

Hearing this, Felix’s eyes brightened instantly. His fingers unconsciously gripped the hem of his shirt, as if he had finally gathered great courage:

"In the future... could you stop calling me 'Dr. Sullivan'? It’s too formal. If you don't mind, just call me Felix."

The sunlight fell on his face, making the faint pink at the tips of his ears clearly visible. Clara looked at his nervous and expectant expression, and her heart felt as if it were being gently tickled by a feather.

She lowered her head and whispered softly: "Felix."

Felix immediately smiled like a child who had finally received a favorite lollipop, his eyes full of hidden joy. He pushed Clara’s suitcase, walking with them toward the hospital entrance: "Let me drive you back. It’s hard to get a taxi at this hour, and it’s on my way."

As soon as he said it, he realized he didn't even know where Clara lived yet. He quickly added: "Grandmother’s leg isn't fully healed yet; a car ride will be more stable."

But remembering Amy’s words, Clara still shook her head in refusal:

" I heard you stayed up all night for surgery. You must be tired just coming off the operating table. Go get some rest; it’s very convenient for us to take a taxi."

Felix’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he ultimately didn't insist. When he handed over the suitcase, he moved the thermos in his hand to the top: "Then be safe on the road. Inside is some rib soup I kept warm; remember to let Grandmother drink it."

"I’ve also sorted Grandmother’s medicine into a pillbox and wrote the times on it. Remind her to take it on time."

Felix watched the figure disappear around the corner before slowly withdrawing his gaze. Clara had just been hurt; he couldn't be too hasty. No matter how long it took, he could afford to wait.

...

Just as Clara was helping Grandmother to the hospital entrance, she saw a familiar figure. Ethan was standing right at the main gate.

His exposed wrists and neck were wrapped in several blood-stained bandages, with crisscrossing whip marks faintly visible beneath. He walked over with a limp, his voice hoarse:

"Clara, I’ve come to take you home."

Clara immediately shielded Grandmother behind her, her gaze turning cold:

"Ethan, I made myself very clear that day. What are you still doing here?"

Hearing her words, a flash of hurt crossed Ethan’s eyes. He looked around as if guarding against someone, his tone urgent:

"Clara, stop being stubborn, alright?"

"As long as you’re willing to come back, everything in the past is wiped clean; I won't hold it against you."

He spoke as if Clara were the one who had done something wrong.

"I don't need you to 'not hold things against me'." Clara’s voice was full of mockery. "Ethan, don't pester me anymore."

She pulled Grandmother and tried to leave, but her wrist was suddenly gripped tightly by a burning hand. Ethan leaned into her ear, his voice extremely low:

"Clara, the fact that you secretly transferred the Miller Group shares to Julian Moore has been found out by Grandfather!"

"He wanted me to hand over all the Barker assets, but I couldn't fail you again, so I refused. Grandfather is coming to settle the score with you; I am protecting you!"

His voice began to tremble out of fear. Although Ethan was the only son of the Miller family, he had lived under his grandfather’s strict control since childhood. Because he carried the burden of being the heir, even the friends he made and the things he did had to be approved by Elder Miller. And she was the only "accident" in Ethan’s life that he had tried to protect with all his might, even defying his family.

Clara met his gaze, neither humble nor arrogant:

"Perfect. I have things I want to say to him too. Let him come find me."

Chapter 19

After settling Grandmother, Clara first went to the cemetery to pay her respects to her late parents. The cemetery was very quiet; the wind swirled fallen leaves across the stone path, carrying a hint of chill. Clara gently placed a bouquet of white chrysanthemums before their tombstone.

She spoke softly:

"Mom, Dad, I’ve come to see you."

Sitting on the stone steps beside the monument, she rambled about everything that had happened recently:

"I’ve divorced Ethan. But don't worry, I'm fine—I'm not sad at all."

"Also, I took back the family assets. I didn't let the things you worked so hard for fall into the hands of outsiders. I'll manage them well from now on and won't let you down."

As she spoke, tears began to fall uncontrollably. She remembered the first time she met them, how they had pulled her into their arms and wept. She remembered her elegant mother personally learning to cook just to make her favorite snacks: "From now on, Mom will make whatever you want to eat." She remembered her father shielding her from the pestering of the Barker family: "Dad is here. From now on, no one can bully you."