Chapter 29

The long-awaited day had arrived, heavy with consequence. Early that morning, Niran Williams was already at the hospital. Outside, the gates of Niran Kai were crowded with journalists, microphones raised like bayonets. Cameras flashed as she made her way through the mob, Romaric clearing a path with silent determination.

Questions flew like bullets:
— “Dr. Williams, is it true the child was placed in an artificial coma?”
— “Doctor, will the child ever walk again if they wake up?”
— “Doctor! Doctor! One question, please!”

Inside her office, Williams stood by the window, her reflection caught between the glass and the storm outside. The echo of those voices haunted the silence. No one at the hospital had permission to speak to the press. They were hours from the final, critical surgical intervention, followed by a tense observation period. A single misplaced word or a false positive to the public could irreparably damage the institution. Williams, usually unflappable in her surgical confidence, had to admit that this case was far from business as usual; the odds were now terrifyingly slim.

And yet, against Mr. Polo’s sound advice, she insisted on settling Evelyn’s case that very morning.
A private room had been prepared far from the press and staff. Evelyn was expected to arrive discreetly through the patient’s entrance, accompanied by her lawyer. Emilio, a shadow of his former self, remained sequestered in his office, waiting for his part in the deception.

On their way to the hospital, Kannika reviewed the plan one last time, her agitation barely masked. “I hope you gave your lawyer the right address,” she murmured. “And that you’ve explained everything clearly?”

Evelyn sighed. “Please, Kannika, not again. Yes, we talked. First, I’ll take the test. I need to know if I’m pregnant. If I am not, we’ll sign the confidentiality agreement, and it will all be over.”

Kannika hesitated. “And… if you are pregnant?”

Evelyn’s eyes followed the slow crawl of traffic. “If I am… then I can’t force the parents to keep it.” Her voice barely rose above a whisper. “They’ve already made their choice.”

Kannika said nothing as she sensed the depth of her friend’s discomfort. “Listen, I know this happened out of the blue. But if you really want to turn the page, then do what is right for you.” Evelyn offered no reply.

A few minutes later, they arrived. Seeing the chaotic, swarming crowd, they looked on, stunned by the scale of the media circus. Fortunately, agents were on hand to escort them to the discreet passage reserved for patients, a passage Williams had strategically chosen to allow the medical staff a clear path to the main door and their well-deserved media attention.

Inside, the corridors were quiet. The scent of antiseptic filled the air. The world outside disappeared.

Evelyn paused at the elevator doors, her heartbeat quickening. After all this time, she was about to stand before Williams again, the woman she had searched for so long.
Yet it was painfully clear Williams did not recognize her, and she had no intention of revealing her identity. Perhaps that was for the best. Maybe love, Evelyn thought, is knowing when to let someone forget you.

“Evelyn, are you okay?” Kannika whispered, doing her best to project composure, though her own phone was vibrating incessantly with urgent, secret messages.

Evelyn nodded, forcing a slight smile. They announced their arrival at the reception and were escorted to the private meeting room. Each step echoed like a countdown.

Mr. Polo alerted Williams and Emilio, who hurried to the room.

Inside her office, Williams adjusted her surgical cap, the sound of the zipper from her scrubs sharp in the stillness. Polo appeared at the door.
“Dr. Williams, they’re here,” he said.
Behind him, Emilio lingered, silent and distant, his face drawn.

Williams rose, straightened her posture, and, like a mandatory mantra, she affirmed her resolve to herself: “I am Dr. Niran Williams. There is nothing above me, and there is nothing I can’t do.”

Then she walked down the corridor with her usual commanding stride. Even in surgical clothes, her presence drew eyes, that calm, fierce authority that seemed to bend the space around her. Her hair, loose and dark, swung slightly with each step.

In the meeting room, Polo held the door for her. She entered, nodded curtly at Evelyn, and took her seat.
Evelyn’s heart skipped. Williams looked radiant, composed, completely unaware of the storm her mere presence had stirred.

“Miss Evelyn. Miss Kannika,” Polo began formally. “Thank you for being here.”

Evelyn sat opposite them, with Kannika beside her.

“Well, before your lawyer arrives, I would like to re-explain the procedure,” Polo began quickly. “If you are not pregnant, we will simply conclude with a confidentiality clause and offer compensation for our medical error.” He glanced nervously from Kannika to Emilio. “And if you are pregnant…”

“Are you already speaking with my client on my behalf, Mr. Polo?”
Evelyn’s lawyer, Ms. Yada, made a dramatic, powerful entrance: documents in hand, loose hair impeccably styled, tailored suit, and a cloud of strong perfume.

“You’ll have to excuse me for my delay.”

“Oh no, please take a seat,” Mr. Polo managed, struggling to regain control. “We will conclude this quickly.”

Williams was visibly displeased, her expression curdling at having to wait for this “diva lawyer” and her theatrical display.

“Here you have Doctor Emilio, my colleague Piboun, and the CEO, Dr. Niran Williams,” Polo announced. Yada, a shrewd operator, prioritized extending her hand to Dr. Williams, the CEO.

Williams stared at the hand without flinching, her expression a cold stone. “It’s not necessary,” she replied. Her gaze briefly crossed Evelyn’s, under the astonished eyes of everyone present.

Mr. Polo quickly stood to dissolve the tension, offering his hand, followed by Emilio and Piboun. Yada then greeted her client and sat down. Evelyn and Kannika exchanged a brief, knowing look before smiling at the lawyer, who acted as if the snub had never occurred.

“So, I was simply explaining the process of this procedure to your client,” he began, outlining the procedure. “If the test confirms Miss Evelyn is not pregnant, we’ll conclude with a confidentiality agreement and the necessary compensation. However, if she is—”

“Are you speaking for my client now, Mr. Polo?” the lawyer interrupted smoothly, her tone edged with irony.

Williams’ jaw tightened. She didn’t like interruptions.

Polo cleared his throat. “Of course not. I was only explaining.”

The lawyer crossed her legs and continued, “Before we sign anything, I’d like to understand how such an error occurred in the first place. This isn’t a simple administrative mistake — it’s a violation.”

Evelyn made a subtle hand gesture to dissuade her lawyer, but Yada smiled dismissively. “Did they explain to you how you ended up in such a state?” Evelyn looked at Emilio, then Dr. Polo, then Williams, and finally her lawyer. Indeed, since she had seen Williams again, her focus on the potential embryo had faded; the personal connection was stronger than the physical reality.

The room fell into a loaded silence. Williams was clearly irritated; this was the unanswered question that still plagued her.

“That is Miss Evelyn’s private matter,” Emilio replied awkwardly, trying to shut down the line of inquiry. “We are not going to discuss that here.”

The lawyer leaned forward. “But we are here because of it, Doctor. An accidental insemination doesn’t just happen out of thin air.”

Polo shifted uneasily in his seat. Emilio gave him a sharp look, but the lawyer held her ground, her gaze unwavering.

Williams’ voice finally broke the tension, low, composed, deadly calm.
“Then explain it, Dr. Emilio. Since we are all waiting.”

Her tone carried authority, but also a quiet anger, not just professional, but personal. For the first time, Evelyn saw a flicker of humanity behind that perfect composure.

Mr. Polo exchanged a worried glance with Emilio, silently pleading for restraint. But Emilio ignored him.
“Well,” he said, taking a slow breath. “I will explain the medical details, but first, those who are not part of the medical profession and who are not governed by the fundamental principles of medical confidentiality must step outside, meaning your friend Kannika.” He looked at Mr. Polo and Piboun. “Miss Evelyn, only if you wish, she may stay.”

“Well, you will give me a brief report,” Polo instructed Emilio, nervously standing up with Piboun. Polo knew the truth and feared Emilio would fail to conceal his non-involvement. Despite the sharp, dissuasive look Polo gave Emilio, a warning against this risky maneuver, it was too late.

Kannika stood, ready to leave, but Evelyn stopped her. “No, you can stay.”

Kannika smiled, touched by the loyalty, but insisted on leaving. “Don’t worry, you’ll tell me what happened, please.” She walked out. Deep down, she understood: Evelyn had come for a private consultation before all this drama occurred, so she wouldn’t intrude on that intimate space without absolute consent.

Dr. Williams, seated like a silent gang leader at the end of the table, watched the scene unfold. Her presence was only to ensure the agreement was sealed.

Finally, she was going to find out how this disaster occurred, and through the main culprit, her friend and colleague.

“Well,” said Emilio, his voice cracking slightly under the weight of the scrutiny.

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