Chapter 22

The following morning arrived with Emilia sitting in the passenger seat, her phone buzzing insistently.

"Is that guy seriously calling again? What's his deal,ringing you nonstop before the sun's even up?"Sloane muttered, shooting an annoyed look across the dashboard.

Emilia's patience was wearing thin. She swiped to answer and snapped, "Why are you so desperate?I said I'm on my way. Stop blowing up my phone!"

Before Rodger could get a single word in, she ended the call.

Rodger, still battered from the previous night and stuck sulking in the back seat of his own car, was left fuming-his response cut off before it even started.

Sloane caught Emilia's calm as Emilia slipped her phone into her bag. "You mean to tell me you still have his number saved?" asked Sloane. "Not at all. I wiped his number ages ago," Emilia answered, her voice even, gaze never leaving the road ahead.

She'd cleared out every trace of Rodger-his contact, their conversations, every reminder.

Whatever came next, she was determined to move forward. Rodger was nothing more than a footnote in her past.

Without warning, Sloane slammed on the brakes,jolting the car to a sudden halt.

"Looks like there's a pileup up ahead," Sloane muttered, peering out at the gridlocked street. "No way to turn around here. What's the plan?"

Emilia weighed her options quickly. "I'll hop out and grab a cab at the next corner. Just swing by the courthouse to get me after I finish."

"Yeah, that's probably best," Sloane replied with a sigh.

Emilia stepped out of the car and threaded her way forward through the cluster of stalled vehicles. Up ahead, she spotted an old man crouched on the curb, clutching a little girl who couldn't have been more than six. His whole body shook as he sobbed,grief written across his wrinkled face.

"Please... please help my great-granddaughter," the old man pleaded, his voice raw and desperate.

Emilia's eyes landed on the child's bloodied clothes and pale face. In a heartbeat, she sized up the severity of the wounds.

Even if they made it to the hospital, she doubted any regular doctor would dare touch a case this bad-except maybe Landon Green, a legendary surgeon with hands steady enough for miracles.

Emilia knew she could save the girl if she tried. But she was supposed to be at the courthouse, finalizing the end of her marriage.

Normally, she kept to herself and never got involved.But the old man's tears struck a chord, bringing back a rush of memories-Arthur, the grandfather of her husband who had loved her fiercely, more than blood ever could. Her eyes stung with emotion.

Arthur used to say his only real regret was never having a daughter or a granddaughter of his own,but he'd thank Emilia over and over for filling that empty space in his life.

On his deathbed, he'd gripped her hand with everything he had left, pouring out memories, hopes,and quiet wishes-most of all, that he could have lived long enough to meet her future child, the great-grandchild he'd dreamed of holding.

Arthur's illness had struck with brutal speed, offering no time for goodbyes or second chances. Emilia knew there was nothing she could have done to change the outcome. Still, she found some comfort in the thought that he hadn't suffered for long.

Looking at the wounded child in the street, Emilia saw echoes of the love Arthur had given her-this little girl must mean everything to her grandfather.Her resolve melted away.

Without hesitating, Emilia pulled out her phone and dialed a number she hadn't touched in ages. ·..

Inside Oticester's most prestigious hospital.

"Dr. Green, there's someone offering a hefty sum for a meeting with you-"

The hospital director stood respectfully in Landon's office,barely hiding his nerves.

"Not interested. StilI nothing from Asclepius?"Landon cut him off with a wave, irritation etched into every line of his face.

He'd traveled all the way to Oticester chasing whispers that Asclepius had resurfaced here.And he was one of the few people who knew that Asclepius was actually a woman.

But just as quickly as Asclepius had appeared, she vanished-leaving behind nothing but rumors and dead ends. No one had been able to reach her.

A dark worry gnawed at Landon. What if something had happened? What if she was gone for good?

The hospital director adjusted his glasses, clearly at a loss. "I'm sorry, Dr. Green. Asclepius moves like a ghost. We ordinary people don't stand a chance of finding him."

He'd burned through every contact, turned over every stone, and still had nothing to show for it.

Suddenly, Landon's phone started to ring. "HHonestly,these telemarketers are relentless."