Chapter 77

The silver moonlight draped the world in a hushed glow.

Only the whispering leaves disturbed the silence outside the hospital. Liam Blackwood slipped into the ward with practiced stealth.

Abigail Foster, Evelyn's caregiver, started to rise from her chair. A subtle gesture from Liam stilled her movements. Understanding immediately, she exited without a sound.

Evelyn lay sleeping, her chest rising and falling in steady rhythm. Liam settled into the chair beside her bed, his watchful gaze tracing her delicate features.

Even in sleep, her beauty shone through - porcelain skin untouched by makeup, long lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. There was an ethereal quality to her resting expression.

Evelyn possessed both remarkable resilience and extraordinary talent.

Liam struggled to reconcile this vision of innocence with the possibility of deception. Was his judgment failing him, or was Evelyn simply that skilled at concealment?

The hours slipped by unnoticed. Liam remained at her bedside until the first hints of dawn colored the sky, finally departing around 4:00 am.

When Abigail returned for the morning shift, she helped Evelyn freshen up and change into clean clothes. Breakfast arrived promptly, along with the day's medication.

Between treatments, Evelyn buried herself in books to pass the time. Yet her thoughts kept circling back to Liam's absence since she'd seen him leave hand-in-hand with Victoria.

She pretended indifference, but the weight of his absence grew heavier with each passing hour.

On the third night, a nightmare jolted Evelyn awake.

Her body trembled, sheets damp with sweat. Gasping for air, she reached blindly for the bedside table. Her fingers brushed against something unexpected - a still-warm coffee cup.

The movement caught Abigail's attention. "Mrs. Blackwood, you're awake! Would you like some water?"

"Whose coffee is this?" Evelyn sat up abruptly, staring at the steaming cup.

"General Blackwood's," Abigail replied softly.

Evelyn's breath hitched. "Liam was here?"

"Mrs. Blackwood, he's come every night since your admission. Arrives around eleven and stays until nearly dawn."

The revelation struck Evelyn like a physical blow.

"General Blackwood never rests during his visits. I worried about his exhaustion, so I started making coffee," Abigail added casually.

Evelyn's pulse raced. Without thinking, she threw back the covers. "Where is he now?"

Abigail gestured toward the window. "It's nearly five. He just left."

Evelyn scrambled for her slippers and bolted for the door. Abigail grabbed a cardigan and hurried after her. "Mrs. Blackwood, please! The morning chill-"

For three days, Evelyn had believed Liam indifferent to her condition. The truth left her reeling.

Emotion overwhelmed her. She needed to see him now, needed to understand. The pre-dawn mist clung to the hospital grounds as she burst outside.

Streetlights cast pale circles on the empty pavement. A cool breeze stirred the fog, but there was no sign of Liam.

Abigail caught up, draping the cardigan over Evelyn's shoulders. "It's too early, and the fog's too thick. You'll catch cold."

Tears welled in Evelyn's eyes. "Abigail... does he really come every night?"

"Without fail," Abigail confirmed. "I've worked every night shift, and he's never missed a visit."

Evelyn's voice dropped to a whisper. "Then why only when I'm asleep? Why not during the day?"