Chapter 453

Sebastian's brows furrowed into a tight knot, his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip.

"It's nothing worth mentioning."

Evelyn's voice was calm, but a flicker of exhaustion passed through her eyes.

That very composure cut into Sebastian like a blade. He would have preferred her anger—even if she threw things in a rage. He had forced her to intervene, and now she bore this humiliation in silence.

"You'll turn into a grumpy old man if you keep frowning like that."

Her cold fingers brushed against his furrowed brow.

The sound of the operating room doors swinging open froze Scarlett in place. The intimate gesture felt like a bucket of ice water drenching her to the bone.

"It must be a misunderstanding..."

She dug her nails into her palms until they left crescent marks. Sebastian only tolerated it out of politeness—that had to be the reason!

Scarlett forced herself forward, stubbornly taking a seat beside Sebastian. The moment she leaned closer, his sharp gaze sliced through her, draining the color from her face.

The three of them sat in silence on the bench. Mrs. Lefèvre paced anxiously by the operating room doors, her footsteps grating against the tense atmosphere.

Scarlett clenched her skirt. Though the distance between them was equal, an invisible barrier separated Sebastian and Evelyn. She felt like an intruder—an audience member who had stumbled onto the wrong stage, where even breathing seemed out of place.

"Dr. Harrison!"

The moment the operating room doors opened again, Scarlett lunged forward. But when she saw the doctor's ashen face, her heart plummeted.

"Where's my grandmother?"

Her trembling hands gripped his lab coat.

Dr. Harrison's temple gleamed with sweat, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. The nightmare in the operating room flashed through his mind—the shrill alarms, the spiking blood pressure, the sudden flatline...

"I'm so sorry."

He bowed deeply, the back of his coat soaked through.

Scarlett staggered back, colliding with the cold wall. Dr. Harrison mechanically recounted the surgery, each word like a dull knife sawing into her flesh.

"Severe rejection reaction..."

"Multiple organ failure..."

"Resuscitation unsuccessful..."

By the end, his voice shook. This surgery should never have been his to lead—yet now, he carried the weight of a life lost.