Howard clenched his phone so hard that his knuckles went white and slammed his fist against the wall. "Evelyn, seriously? You actually blocked me?"

He pulled out his phone and immediately called the house's butler, Sebastian Godfrey. "Where's Evelyn? Get her to Nordia Hospital immediately."

Sebastian froze, then stammered in panic, "M-Mrs. Blackwood just went home to grab a few things and left! Nobody knows where she went!"

Howard's eyes widened as a sharp pain stabbed his chest. He pressed a hand to his heart and staggered toward the exit while dialing Daniel. "No matter what it takes, find Evelyn and get her to the hospital to operate on my dad!"

When Howard arrived at the hospital, Beatrice's face was as pale as death. She barely had the strength to stand.

"Howard, what are we going to do? The hospital director reached out to the best surgeons in the country, but none could help.

Evelyn sat by the window at a private airport somewhere in Nordia, staring out at the scenery with an unreadable expression.

A moment later, a hand appeared, placing a file in front of her.

"This is what I promised you."

Evelyn's eyes widened slightly as she looked at the document, stopping at the 50% equity listed on the first page.

"I thought our deal was supposed to be revenge against Howard!" 

Adrian smirked faintly as he sat down across from Evelyn. "Since we've agreed to work together, we need to show full commitment. After all, you're the one I spent five years trying to recruit."

Five years ago, Adrian Carrington, head of the Carrington family, had approached her with a proposal to collaborate on developing a new anti-cancer drug. However, their lab was overseas, and at the time, Evelyn had no intention of leaving Howard. She had refused him without hesitation.

Evelyn held

When Evelyn returned to the Blackwood residence that night, she came down with a high fever that lasted for days, leaving her barely able to swallow even plain oatmeal.

On this day, she had just finished packing her things when the door was suddenly thrown open. Howard stormed in with a face dark with fury and gripped her hand tightly.

"What did you do with the Abyssal Heartgrass? Why is Anne's mother violently vomiting and suffering even worse than before?"

Evelyn tried to pull her hand free, but she had no strength at all.

"You were the one who took the Abyssal Heartgrass, and now that things have gone wrong, you turn to me?"

Howard shot her a cruel look. "Evelyn, your methods are as filthy as you are. You'd better pray Anne's mother survives, because if she doesn't, I won't spare you."

Evelyn's body went rigid. The disgust in Howard's eyes sliced through her like a thousand knives.

He lifted a hand, and two bodyguards rushed in at once. His cold stare locked onto her.

"If you still refuse to admit your wrongdoing, then go and kneel outside the hospital. You'll stay there until Anne's mother is out of danger."

Evelyn stared at him in disbelief.

"Howard, you want me to kneel to the mother of a murderer?"

Howard's expression was icy. "You need to learn to pay for your own mistakes."

Evelyn clenched her fists tightly. "The biggest mistake I ever made was marrying you!"

Howard paused, then his face darkened. "Take Mrs. Blackwood away. Don't let her stand up without my permission."

Evelyn was dragged to the hospital entrance like a criminal. When she refused to kneel, a bodyguard delivered a sharp kick to her calf.

With a thud, Evelyn sank to her knees at the hospital entrance, under the mocking eyes of everyone around her.

"Isn't this the brilliant Dr. Evelyn Shaw? Why is she kneeling here like a criminal?"

"They say she was secretly meeting a man and abusing her position, leading to serious complications for her patients. She deserves every bit of this!"

The passing crowd's sneers cut into Evelyn like sharpened blades, leaving invisible wounds with every glance.

From morning until evening, Evelyn stayed on her knees until Anne finally emerged from the hospital doors.

"Ms. Shaw, my mother is out of danger. I even begged Howard to let you rest."

At that moment, Evelyn's phone vibrated in her pocket. It was a message from Emmi.

"Ms. Shaw, your divorce from Mr. Blackwood is fully finalized. The certificate has been mailed to you. All shares have been settled, and the funds have been transferred to your account. Please check."

Evelyn exhaled deeply. Finally, she could leave.

Evelyn struggled to her feet and glared at Anne.

"Anne, I can't wait to see how it all plays out for you."

With that, she straightened her back and walked into the night.

After leaving the hospital, Evelyn returned home. She glanced one last time at the house that had trapped her for five years, then walked out of the Blackwood residence without a second thought.

At the front gate, a Maybach pulled up smoothly. The window rolled down, revealing a sharply defined face.

"Evelyn, long time no see."

…

Meanwhile, Howard sat in the hospital corridor as Victoria's attending physician approached, holding a test report.

"Mr. Blackwood, according to the patient's report, Mrs. Prescott developed gastroenteritis because she ignored medical advice and ate too many heavy meals. There's nothing serious, and Dr. Shaw's surgery went perfectly."

Howard's hand froze on the report, and just as he was about to speak, his phone suddenly rang. It was Beatrice.

"Howard, it's bad. Your father was in a car crash, and a piece of glass pierced his heart. He needs emergency surgery, but the injury is in an extremely risky spot. No surgeon in all of Nordia is willing to take the risk."

A flicker of panic crossed Howard's eyes. 

A doctor standing nearby spoke up. "Dr. Shaw is likely the only surgeon in all of Nordia who could attempt this operation. Her hand is ruined, unfortunately, but she could guide the surgery from the sidelines. There might still be a chance."

Howard immediately dialed Evelyn's number, but in the next moment, his face darkened instantly.

He gripped the phone tightly, hearing only a mechanical voice on the line.

Evelyn had blocked him.

Howard clenched his phone so hard that his knuckles went white and slammed his fist against the wall. "Evelyn, seriously? You actually blocked me?"

He pulled out his phone and immediately called the house's butler, Sebastian Godfrey. "Where's Evelyn? Get her to Nordia Hospital immediately."

Sebastian froze, then stammered in panic, "M-Mrs. Blackwood just went home to grab a few things and left! Nobody knows where she went!"

Howard's eyes widened as a sharp pain stabbed his chest. He pressed a hand to his heart and staggered toward the exit while dialing Daniel. "No matter what it takes, find Evelyn and get her to the hospital to operate on my dad!"

When Howard arrived at the hospital, Beatrice's face was as pale as death. She barely had the strength to stand.

"Howard, what are we going to do? The hospital director reached out to the best surgeons in the country, but none could help. They all say only Evelyn can operate on your father!"

Howard grabbed her hand tightly, staring at 

Chapter 9