The Queen Returns—And She's Unforgiving

Marrying Lucas had never been a choice. It had been a consequence of circumstances beyond her control.

Evelyn had no response to Sebastian's words.

Sebastian stood up. "I'll get you some water. Just wait here."

Evelyn absentmindedly glanced at the nearly empty IV. She thought about calling a nurse to remove the needle, but the emergency room was extremely busy at the moment.

She got out of bed and walked a few steps, but seeing no available nurses, she leaned against the wall to rest.

Nearby, she overheard people chatting.

"Guess who I just saw? Mr. Grant of Grant Group! He was rushing into the hospital just now!"

Evelyn couldn't believe her ears.

Lucas came to the hospital? Could he be here to see her?

Evelyn found that possibility highly unlikely. After all, he had never cared about her.

Soon enough, the two women continued gossiping. "Mr. Grant came with an incredibly beautiful woman! He looked so concerned about her."

It was just as she had thought.

Evelyn had long learned not to expect anything, so there was no room for disappointment.

After all, she and Lucas were already on their way to becoming strangers. One of the women lowered her voice and added, "Don't tell anyone this, but it looked like they were heading for a prenatal checkup..."

Even though Evelyn knew that Lucas was there for Tiffany, hearing the words "prenatal checkup" was enough to make her subconsciously place her hand on her abdomen. She couldn't help but think that she would soon lose the ability to conceive.

Her legs felt like lead.

A dull ache settled in her chest-a reminder that some wounds didn't heal just because she wanted them to.

"Why are you wandering around when you're already sick?"

A familiar voice snapped her out of her daze.

Evelyn turned around and was surprised to see Blake.

He stood there with one hand in his pocket, casually looking at her. She wasn't sure how much of the women's conversation he had overheard.

Evelyn swallowed, trying to moisten her dry throat. "What are you doing here?"

Blake shrugged. "Got a call saying you fainted. They needed your ID and insurance card."

Only then did Evelyn remember that she had been using the same phone number for years. A long time ago, Blake had taken her phone and set himself as her emergency contact.

He had once said that no matter when or where, if she needed him, he would be there in a heartbeat.

However, things were different now.

"Sorry," Evelyn said softly. "My friend didn't know."noveldrama

Blake studied her for a while before stepping forward. He grabbed her wrist with practised ease, deftly removed the IV, and pressed on the injection site. "A cold and fever made you faint? Evie, you're still the same as when we were kids. Always pulling little tricks just to get me to come to you."

Back then, he had many admirers, and she would always get jealous and upset. Every time, she'd come up with an excuse-headache, fever, injury-just to make him rush to her side.

Evelyn lowered her gaze to where he was holding her wrist. She quietly pulled away, deliberately creating some distance between them. "You don't have to come anymore," she whispered.

Blake looked at her, thinking she was just throwing a little tantrum.

"Next time, text me on WhatsApp first instead of calling," he said, leaning against the wall. "Otherwise, Jessica might get jealous."

"Okay, it won't happen again." Evelyn did not bother arguing with him.

Meaningless explanations were better replaced with meaningful actions.

Blake studied her carefully. Her reaction was too calm. If this had been in the past, she would never have tolerated him siding with another woman.

He couldn't tell for sure. Was Evelyn retreating strategically, or did she have other plans?

After a brief moment of thought, he figured that when women were upset, they always needed a little sweetness.

Taking a step forward, Blake reached out and ruffled Evelyn's hair, bending slightly to look at her. "Feeling better now?"

Evelyn met his carefree gaze and instinctively tried to brush his hand away.

But just as she lifted her gaze, she saw two familiar figures standing not too far away. Lucas and Tiffany.

Lucas' expression was unreadable, his gaze lingering on her and Blake with quiet detachment. It was as though he was merely a stranger observing from the sidelines.