While boiling the medicine, I glanced at the calendar.
Three days left until the wedding.
During these few days of treatment, Rigel’s complexion had gained some color. Tessa treated me like an honored guest, pleased by the progress.
But I had stumbled upon an unexpected and unfortunate truth.
Rigel’s coma didn’t seem to be caused by any illness. My diagnosis revealed that his physical condition had already recovered.
The problem lay within his heart; there was an emptiness, something that no medicine could heal. What he lacked was fate.
I pondered deeply, as though something divine was guiding my thoughts.
As I fell into this reflection, several servants rushed in and knocked over my medicine chest. Bottles, tools, and herbs were scattered across the floor.
When I tried to stop them, two bodyguards pinned me to the ground.
“Let go of me! Are you crazy? That’s medicine for Young Master Rigel! It’s life-saving!”
“Life-saving or a scam, you know best yourself.”
A familiar voice echoed from the doorway. The clack of high heels grew louder, walking toward me with arrogant steps. I looked up and saw Arabelle’s smug face looming above me. Behind her stood Jaxon, Tessa, and an unfamiliar elderly man.
Tessa looked at me, her face tense as she anxiously spoke to the elderly man.
“This is the doctor I invited to treat Rigel. Her medical skills are outstanding; she even once—”
“Mrs. Montgomery! Don’t be fooled by this woman! She’s nothing but a liar! Didn’t you hear? She just got out of prison! And you trust her?” Arabelle cut in sharply.
Tessa’s eyes glared at Arabelle, but she was silenced when the elderly man raised his hand.
“That’s enough. I’ve heard enough.”
He turned to me and spoke slowly, “Out of respect for your connection to Jaxon, I’ll overlook how you managed to worm your way into the Montgomery family. Pack your things and leave. The engagement is canceled. I won’t pursue this further.”
When I heard the words "engagement is canceled," panic surged through me. Without it, how was I going to save Callum?
I looked at Jaxon. This marriage had been his idea. For the sake of his interests, shouldn’t he step in?
But to my shock, Jaxon nodded in agreement.
“You’d better leave. Using cheap tricks to get close to me will only make people look down on you. Now that you've been exposed, you won’t have a place left in this entire city.”
I was stunned. Wasn’t it he who had pushed me toward the Montgomery family? Now, he was regretting it?
Arabelle’s fake concern lingered in the air.
“Yes, little sister, don’t try to take on a job you can’t handle. I studied medicine abroad, and you’re nothing. How dare you pretend to be a doctor?”
I ignored them. Waking Rigel was all that mattered; it directly involved my fiancé’s life. I couldn’t retreat now.
I studied the elderly man carefully. Judging by Tessa’s and Jaxon’s respectful attitude toward him and recalling what I’d overheard at the banquet, this must be James, patriarch of the Montgomery family, the most powerful figure in Greenville.
I hadn’t expected Arabelle to go so far as to bring him here just to rid herself of me.
The guards holding me were about to drag me out, but I flicked my wrist, sending two silver needles flying from my sleeve. They struck acupoints in their arms, and they instantly let go, waving their arms in pain.
Upon seeing me fight back, Arabelle’s anger flared.
“Liora! How dare you act so arrogantly in front of Mr. Montgomery!”
I turned to face the old man’s fierce gaze. He sneered.
“You’ve got some tricks, little girl.”
He clapped his hands, and over ten strong bodyguards surrounded me.
“Break this girl’s legs and throw her out of the Montgomery household!”
The burly men moved toward me, closing in menacingly.
“Wait!” I shouted. “Who said I’m a fraud? I am a real doctor!”
I rushed to Rigel’s bedside and immediately inserted silver needles into several key acupoints.
The next moment, Rigel’s body twitched, and a faint murmur slipped from his lips.
Seeing this, Tessa rushed over, tears flooding her eyes.
“Rigel!”
Everyone stood in stunned silence. For ten years, Rigel had shown no signs of life, and even the most renowned doctors had failed. Yet, this seemingly powerless woman had stirred a reaction in him.
James’s shock was evident. He had long believed his only grandson had no hope of recovery.
His eyes brightened as he turned to me.
“You… How did you do that?”
I carefully put away the needles and sighed.
“I told you. I’m a doctor. Healing is in my blood.”
I ignored Jaxon’s disbelieving stare, my gaze flicking to the scattered medicine. I then looked meaningfully at Arabelle.
“If you hadn’t barged in and interrupted me, perhaps Rigel would be even closer to waking up now.”
Understanding the mockery in my words, Arabelle screamed in fury.
“You must have used black magic! Mr. Montgomery, don’t trust her!”
But James only looked at me with growing admiration.
“I don’t care whether it’s orthodox or not. If it works, it’s the right way. I’ve brought in countless doctors, and none of them made my grandson move a single inch. You’re the only one who has. If she’s not the hope of our Montgomery family, then who is?”
He then turned to Arabelle with disdain.
“If I hadn’t watched you grow up and owed your father a favor, I would never have agreed to your withdrawal of the engagement. You left as soon as my grandson went into a coma state. If not for that, I wouldn’t let you off so easily!”
He flicked his sleeve. “Men, escort Jaxon and Arabelle out! I need to properly entertain Liora! She is the true guest of honor!”
Without hesitation, the bodyguards turned and marched toward Jaxon and Arabelle.
“Mr. Aldridge, Miss Kingsley, please leave!”
Arabelle wanted to protest but was swiftly pulled away by Jaxon.
I bent down to pick up my medicine box, but James hurried over, blocking my way with a smile that was more flattering than sincere.
“The moment I saw Liora, I knew you weren’t ordinary. My judgment was poor earlier; please, don’t take offense!”
I turned to him, voice steady, asking the question that mattered most to me. “Then, can the wedding between Rigel and me still happen?”
“Of course! Absolutely! If Liora doesn’t mind my grandson being in a coma, once he recovers, our family will treat you with the utmost respect. A proper wedding, no broken promises!”
Relief washed over me as I nodded, finally at ease.
To my surprise, word of my skills spread quickly. Tessa and James announced my success, and overnight, Greenville buzzed with the news that I had brought Rigel back to life.
Everyone was shocked. Wasn’t I the same useless girl who had once trailed behind Jaxon?
The next morning, Jaxon’s phone exploded with calls from his best friends. When he checked, his screen was flooded with unread messages.
One of his closest friends caught his eye. It had a bold headline. [Greenville’s Miracle Doctor! Rigel Revived! Wedding in Three Days! The Entire City Sends Blessings!]
The glaring word wedding struck his eyes like a bolt of lightning. In a fit of rage, he smashed his phone onto the floor, the screen shattering into pieces.
"Good job, Liora! You really grew some guts!"
Trying to win him back with this trick? Not happening.
What divine doctor? It was all a lie!
His gaze fell to his own legs, memories flooding back of the three months at the forest lodge. How did Liora care for him day and night? Could it be possible that his legs had actually healed because of her?
His mind spun in chaos. One moment, he remembered her devotion; the next, he recalled all the sacrifices she had made for him.
How long was she going to keep up this game?
She’d run away before. He remembered how she had smashed a bowl and stormed out after he’d thrown away her carefully brewed medicine for seven days straight. But she always came back to coax him in the end.
It had always been this way. But this time, it had been four whole days. She still hadn’t returned to beg him.
Was she really planning to leave him?
The thought twisted in his chest, a suffocating ache rising as he imagined the possibility.
How could he care about a woman as useless as Liora?
As he looked at the messages from his friends, urging him to call her and check, Jaxon began to hesitate.
Forget it. It had been ten years. Lowering his pride once wouldn’t hurt. He'd give her a small reward, and she’d know how to serve him properly next time instead of constantly irritating him.
He asked the housekeeper for a backup phone, opened the contacts, and dialed the number, but no name was saved.
After a pause, a mechanical voice echoed in his ear.
"Sorry, the number you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please try again later..."
He tried again. Same result.
What did that mean?
Confused, he opened their message thread and sent her a text.
A second later, the chat window blinked with an exclamation mark and a prompt: You have been blocked.
