Chapter 509
“Lie down over there. I need to take a look,” Elias said, gesturing toward the examination table behind him.
Elodie nodded and climbed up, settling herself as Elias came over and met her gaze. “No need to be nervous. You can lift your shirt a little.”
She knew this was just a routine checkup, so she didn’t fuss-she simply unbuttoned her blouse a bit, baring her abdomen.
Elias’s expression turned serious as he worked. His fingertips pressed gently but firmly on her lower belly, expertly feeling for any abnormalities.
From the palpation, he got a general sense of her current condition.
When he glanced up, he saw Elodie lying there with her eyes squeezed shut and her lips pressed tightly together, as if bracing herself for impact.
Almost like she was giving herself a pep talk.
For some reason, Elias suddenly remembered Naylor Whitaker, who used to pester him with stories about Elodie-painting her as capable, fearless, almost invincible. Even with Naylor’s scattered anecdotes, Elias could imagine exactly what Elodie had been like back then.
But now…
He looked again at Elodie, forcing herself to relax, eyes closed tight.
She seemed, for once, like any other young woman her age.
A faint, silent smile tugged at his lips as he shook his head and finally drew his hand back. “That’s it. Everything looks all right for now.”
Elodie let out a sharp breath, relief plain on her face. She pulled her shirt down and sat up.
After all the pain she’d been through, she’d developed a real fear of these exams -half expecting each time the pressure would make her break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, she was learning to cope.
“I have some good news.” Elias took a seat, his tone lightening. “The new medication is doing well in trials. If all goes smoothly, you could start next week. It’s targeted for your type of cancer-should help keep things stable for a while. That means you’ll have more flexibility to plan the surgery on your own terms.”
Elodie’s eyes lit up, genuine surprise flickering across her face.
As long as things could be
stabilized, she would have the
precious time she so desperately
needed. Before, all the doctors could say was “operate as soon as
possible or risk it spreading.”
Elias tapped his fingers on the desk, then added, almost as an afterthought,
“Don’t be afraid. If I tell you I’ll save you, I will.”
It was, in fact, the first time he’d said anything like that.
As a doctor, even when families pressed for guarantees, he’d never promise success-no matter how confident he was. He’d always say, “I’ll do my best.” There were simply too many uncertainties in medicine; it was part of being a responsible physician.
But with Elodie…
He thought maybe, just this once, giving her real hope wasn’t such a bad thing.
Elodie had always kept a quiet panic locked away inside. No one could face death without fear. But now,
with Elias’s quiet certainty now!
it felt like
she finally had something to hold on to.
“Thank you,” she breathed, exhaling softly, and for the first time in a long while, a
smile broke through the cool reserve on her face.
For a moment, she looked as radiant as she was meant to be.
Elias glanced at her and finally murmured, “Mm.”
Elodie picked up her prescription; she could tell Elias was carefully adjusting her medications—he really was dedicated.
She’d already contacted Albin’s office to arrange a meeting. As for the lawsuit, she hadn’t wasted a moment-she’d filed first.
Five days later, Sylvie received notice of the lawsuit.
The moment the papers landed on her office desk, her composure cracked.
It was official?
Now she faced not only the gallery’s demands crippling breach-of-contract penalties that already kept her up at night—but also a legal battle with Elodie.
Sylvie pressed a hand to her chest, struggling to breathe, then turned to look at Jarrod, who was sitting quietly behind her.