Chapter 64

After the gruelling hours in the operating room, Grace couldn't hide the tiredness in her face.

Claire, Carl, and the others followed closely as the nurses wheeled Eliana back to her hospital room.

Only Julia and Rodger stayed behind, their eyes clouded with worry as they watched over their daughter.

"You must be worn out,sweetheart," Julia said softly,steering Grace toward a small break room down the corridor."You were on your feet for hours... I brought some soup and pastries. Come sit. You need to eat something."

The break room was still and quiet-one of those rare moments where time slowed down just enough to breathe.

"Thank you, Mom," Grace murmured, her eyes landing on the food with a flicker of gratitude.

She'd performed countless surgeries before-some that stretched nearly two full days. She'd long grown used to powering through hunger, aches, and the

sharp sting of exhaustion.

But this time, she had family surrounding her with care and warmth.

She took a spoonful of soup. It didn't have the finesse of a five-star kitchen, but it tasted like home-and that meant more than perfection ever could.

"Silly girl, no need to thank me," Julia smiled,her voice brimming with affection. "You're my greatest joy. But even so... I don't want you to stay in this field.It's too draining."

There was no suspicion in her tone-no question about how a girl who'd grown up in an orphanage could master such complex surgical skill. She cared only about one thing: whether her was pushing herself too hard.

To her, Grace was just her beloved daughter-someone to be cherished, looked after, and spoiled.

Rodger agreed with a soft nod. "Your mom's right-you're our pride. But medicine takes a toll. If you ever get tired of this life, you don't have to keep going.I'll take care of everything."

Rodger wasn't blind. Deep down, he knew Grace wasn't just an ordinary girl. Her abilities, her insight-there wvas far more to her than she let on.

And yet, with each day spent in her company, his unease faded. She'd never once let them down-never given him a reason to doubt her intentions.

Especially now, with Julia recovering steadily and even his own health finding a strange sense of balance again-he couldn't deny that Grace had something to do with it. 2

So instead of suspicion, he gave her the one thing she'd rarely known: complete, unwavering trust.1

"Okay," Grace said,a real smile lifting her lips.

After eating a little, she accompanied them back to Eliana's room.

Eliana was awake now, but barely. The surgery had drained her body, and she lay quietly, her eyelids fluttering and lips barely able to move.

Claire,usually sharp-tongued and self-absorbed,now handled her mother with surprising tenderness. She dabbed Eliana's forehead with a damp cloth and tucked the blanket around her shoulders.

"The surgery went well," Kevin explained, standing just behind Grace. His posture was humble, like someone reporting to a senior rather than an equal."There were signs that the cancer had started to spread.The next stage-treatment and recovery-will

be just as important."

"Thankfully, Aunt Eliana had the best of care today,"Gianna added quickly, eager to pull attention away from Grace. "It's all thanks to Master Healer's hands-on effort. No wonder the surgery succeeded."

She tried to steer the spotlight elsewhere-to shift the story,bend the truth.

But Kevin didn't play along. His professional tone didn't waver. "No. I only assisted. Today's success was all due to my mentor. Without her leading,things might have gone differently."

He wasn't exaggerating. Even now, he couldn't stop replaying Grace's precise moves in the operating room.Her skill didn't come from money, fame,or lineage.It came from relentless practice and something harder to define-instinct.

The room fell quiet. Gianna, caught off guard, froze mid-thought. What was wrong with this man? She had handed him the credit-why wouldn't he just take it?

"Grace is amazing. I always knew she was special,"Julia said,glowing with motherly pride as she reached over to squeeze Grace's hand.

Gianna forced a smile. "Dr. Chadwick, you're being too modest." Then, pivoting with fake warmth, she added,"For the follow-up treatments, we'll still need your

expertise,of course."

But Kevin remained clear and blunt. "There's really no need. I didn't do much. I won't be handling her recovery either. She's in the best hands already. My mentor can take care of everything."

Gianna could barely keep her expression in check. Her polite mask threatened to crack. What was going on?Had he lost his mind? Was this Grace's doing? Some kind of manipulation? How could he speak like this-so confidently, so willingly stepping aside?

Meanwhile,Eliana,though pale and visibly worn down,was fully conscious-and her eyes settled on Grace,steady and unreadable, carrying a weight that was hard to name.