Chapter 410

Not a beat more, not a beat less. She could tell just by looking? This teenage sister of his was a medical prodigy!
“I’m going to begin the treatment now,” Juniper announced, preparing her instruments as she moved behind Harold. “It might hurt, but don’t move, no matter what. We don’t want any accidents.”
“What kind of accidents?” Harold chuckled, trying to sound relaxed. “Full-body paralysis? Or maybe I’ll end up brain-dead?”
“Nothing that dramatic,” Juniper replied, sterilizing a silver needle. “It might just affect… certain other functions.”
Other functions? Harold froze, not immediately understanding.
Juniper pointedly emphasized a nerve cluster located very close to his lower body. He could figure out the rest.
It took Harold a few seconds, but when realization dawned, he instinctively recoiled.
“Don’t be scared, bro,” Juniper said with a wicked grin. “I’ll be extra careful to protect your wife’s happiness for the rest of her life.”
His wife? At the mention of her, Harold’s face paled slightly. The rest of their lives… there was no “rest of their lives” for them. Once this was all over, they would go their separate ways.
The treatment officially began. Despite her teasing, Harold remained perfectly still. The entire process lasted an hour. Juniper was meticulous with every needle, and Harold felt no significant discomfort.
“All done,” Juniper said, removing the last needle. “Try not to overexert yourself for a while.”
“Thank you, Juniper,” Harold said.
He didn’t know if it would actually work, but he chose to trust her. Just as Juniper went to wash her hands, his phone vibrated. The screen displayed the name “Lorelei.”
“Excuse me,” Harold said, his smile freezing. He answered the call, his tone as cold and distant as if he were speaking to a stranger is something wrong?”
“Mom said—” Lorelei began, but stopped abruptly when she heard a girl’s voice in
the background. “This mango tastes pretty good
The rest of her sentence died in her throat. She hadn’t misheard. It was definitely a girl’s voice, and she sounded very young. She couldn’t
remember him ever having women around. Who was she?
“What is it?” Harold asked when the line went silent, a hint of urgency in his voice.
“Did something happen?”
“It’s nothing,” Lorelei’s voice
weakened. She pretended she hadn’t heard anything and continued, “Mom said you left a file folder here last time. Does she need to send over?”
“No, don’t bother,” Harold replied curtly.
“Okay,” Lorelei answered softly. Neither of them had anything more to say, yet neither of them hung up.
“Who are you on the phone with?” Juniper asked, walking back over while eating a slice of mango. She noticed Harold’s grim expression.
“It’s nothing,” Harold said, lowering his voice. “There’s yogurt in the fridge if you want some.”
“I should go,” Lorelei said, unable to listen any longer, and hung up.
“She was—” Harold instinctively started to explain, but the line was already dead.
“Who was that?” Juniper asked, plopping down next to Shanley. Her clear eyes studied Harold. “My sister-in-law?”
Harold’s brow furrowed. After a few seconds of silence, he slowly let out a single word: “Yes.” For now, she was. But she might not be for much longer.