A few minutes later, Archie's assistant, Liam, hurriedly arrived at the nurses' station. "Excuse me. I wonder how Mrs. Vivian Palmer is doing."
The nurse looked up from a stack of files, glanced at him, and handed over a few reports.
Liam took the documents, glanced at them, and his eyes widened in shock.
He immediately grabbed the report and ran toward Cassie's private room.
Inside the room, the atmosphere was cozy and warm.
Under the bright lights, Archie sat by the bed, head bowed as he carefully peeled an apple for Cassie.
His slender fingers held a silver fruit knife with practiced elegance, the peel falling away, unbroken.
Cassie leaned against the soft pillows, her face pale from her illness, yet wearing a faint, contented smile as she watched his handsome profile.
The hospital room door slammed open with a bang as Liam stormed in.
Archie's hand paused, and the half-peeled apple fell to the floor.
He looked up, his deep eyes full of irritation at Liam's interruption, his voice icy. "What's the rush?"
Cassie was startled, glancing timidly at Liam.
Liam was panting heavily, his lips trembling as he handed the reports to Archie respectfully, his voice sharp and hoarse with fear. "It is Mrs. Palmer..."
Archie's brows furrowed tighter. He had no interest in hearing about Vivian. He looked at Cassie again, his tone instantly soft. "Did I scare you?"
"No..." Cassie replied. But Liam was agitated. He wanted to shout but feared Cassie might hear, so he leaned in close to Archie's ear and whispered anxiously, "Mrs. Palmer... had a miscarriage! Because of the blood drawn! The doctor said she can never have children again!"
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
The gentle expression on Archie's face stiffened as he slowly turned his head to Liam.
Archie's gaze fixed on Liam's face as if he tried to pierce Liam with his gaze.
The fruit knife slipped from his hand and clattered loudly onto the polished floor, the sound unbearably harsh as it echoed through the silent room.
He carefully replayed Liam's words in his mind.
Those words hit him like bullets, mercilessly shattering all his thoughts into pieces.
His mind went blank, and he could only hear a sharp ringing in his ears.
He couldn't believe that Vivian had been carrying his child when he gave the order to draw her blood.
"What's wrong, Archie?" Cassie nervously tugged at his sleeve.
But Archie seemed not to hear.
He shot to his feet and, for the first time, roughly shoved Cassie's hand away with his composure lost, so forcefully that Cassie even gasped.
Without looking back, he crazily rushed out of the ward, heading toward the general ward area where Vivian was.
All he could think about was that he had to see her right now.
Cassie stared blankly at his retreating figure. She had never seen him so panicked and acting so crazily before.
She suddenly felt he had become utterly unfamiliar, even... somewhat terrifying.
