Evan was slightly frozen, "You said... Avery was... dead?"

"Yes, Andrew was in the same car back from the cemetery. In the car accident, Andrew died protecting Avery."

Evan felt his shoulders stiff. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't.

The demise of life was just in a second.

He died protecting his woman. Evan didn't know what to say.

The operation took 10 hours from day tonight. The notice was given to Evan. The nurse reminded him gently if the operation couldn't bring Avery back; he had to start arranging the funeral.

There were patients, hospital staff, and visitors coming through the floor. They didn't know who was in the emergency room. But they all saw a man, guarded by a security team, staring at the light of the emergency room like a statue.

Evan stood there, feeling he was in a nightmare from which he would never wake up.

He closed his eyes and frazzled. His body and his heart got cold as time went on.

Please, Avery, don't be so cruel to me.

Please don't leave me alone. I couldn't live without you.

Evan didn't know how long it was, but he heard a noise.

The operation room's light was out.

Evan started moving like the button was pressed.

The doctor went off and recognized the legendary figure in town. The doctor was exhausted, but he showed a humble attitude, "Mr. Howel..."

"I need to know about her situation."

The doctor immediately understood. He was operating the whole time without knowing who she was. He knew who she saw Evan, "Her cranium is traumatized. Shoulder bones are broken and her calf was broken too. She didn't have any danger now. The fetus was stable too. Maybe her mother protected it out of her nature. But she..."

"I'll kill you if I hear another nonsense."

"The grown-up was in a coma because of the head injury. I'm not optimistic."

"How long will she wake up?"

"It's hard to say. The cranium blooding is quite serious. So..." The doctor tried to be delicate in case Evan killed him when he got angry.

"I'm asking you when she will wake up. Don't give me shit!"

The doctor almost cried, "Mr. Howel, show mercy,"

"The baby? What will happen to the baby if she's in a coma?" Evan was still mad. He wanted the doctors to make Avery wake up at this moment.

"If she didn't wake up after the due date, we suggest C-section. But if she gave birth in a coma, she could get in danger..." The doctor's voice was lower and lower, and he added for self-protection, "just maybe".

But he knew it was probable.

Afterward, nurses wheeled Avery out of the operation room. She was wearing an oxygen mask. Evan stared at Avery's pale face and checked her faint breath. He closes his eyes to hold back some emotions.

He suddenly realized something, but he didn't want to believe it.

She was in a poor state like she was gone at any second.

The doctor kept saying it was a miracle that she was still breathing.

But he was soon scared off by Evan's murderous look. The nurses were no better. Evan too over the gurney and wouldn't let anyone touch it. He was so gentle when he pushed her in the elevator. He wanted to make her wake up. But he was worried she would get awful. He was upset and had regrets at the same time.

He was upset because he didn't stay with her all the time and let her get injured.

He pushed the gurney in the VIP ward. He was staring at Avery with a blank look.

Tinder wore a bacteria-proof outfit and pushed the door to come in. He handed Evan over a thing in a white plastic bag, "Sir, this is what they found at the crash site."

Evan saw a button with Howel's emblem...

His own family?

Evan slightly squinted his eyes. No other family had the same emblem. His grandfather did this to avenge Rebecca?

He pressed the button tightly in his hand through the bag, "Phone."

Tinder immediately understood he wanted to phone his grandfather. He dialed the number and heard opera singing on the other side, "You still remember to call me?"

Evan squeezed the phone to hold back his anger. But what he said gave him away, "If anything should happen to her, I don't know what I would do."

Evan's grandfather froze a bit, "What do you want?

"What do I want? Grandpa, you tried to kill Avery multiple times, you're not immune!"

"Kill Avery?"

"Don't talk to me like a fool. I'll make you pay for everything."

"Evan, how dare you talk to me like this?" His grandpa sneered, "find out the truth before you call me again."

Then he hung up without mercy.

The voices were loud. Evan's grandpa was determined. Even Tinder heard everything. He said, "Sir, Mr. Howel would never deny anything he did. Maybe it wasn't him."

"CCTV?"

"There was no surveillance at the road. But Andrew's car was hit repeatedly. The driver of the truck flew the scene. Apart from the button, there was no valuable evidence."

"Keep digging," Evan waved at Tinder to ask him out.

But Tinder didn't leave immediately, "Sir, you should get some rest since Mrs. Howel's not awake. Maybe after you come back, she'll wake up."

"Get out."

Tinder didn't dare to say anything after Evan's order. Besides, he couldn't upset Evan when Avery was like this. So he left in a hurry.

In the ward, Evan sat next to Avery and held her hands. Her hands were soft and cold. He held them in the palms of his hands. He had some stubbles on his chin after he stayed up all night.

He put her soft hands on the stubbles to stimulate her to make her wake up, "Wake up, Avery, wake up for me."

He moves his lips to her hand, palm little by little, and stroked her pale lips, eyes, and nose. He suddenly started singing, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star..."

In his mind was Avery's happy laughter when she heard it...