Chapter 13

Margaret's medical report arrived swiftly.

Dr. George Whitmore adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses before handing the treatment plan to Sophia Laurent.

"Miss Laurent, the patient has been comatose for too long. We can only attempt multiple therapies, but the outcome remains uncertain."

Sophia accepted the documents, her fingertips trembling slightly.

After two years of hospital visits, she had grown accustomed to doctors' helpless expressions.

"I understand. Thank you."

A weight lifted from Sophia's shoulders once Margaret was settled at Valdemar Sanatorium.

Night fell.

She decided to visit Alexander Valdemar and express her gratitude.

Without the Valdemar family's influence, Dr. Whitmore wouldn't have taken the case so readily.

The process had gone smoother than expected.

At the hospital room entrance, a bodyguard stared at her with hesitation.

"Something wrong?" Sophia arched an eyebrow.

The guard flushed crimson. "N-no."

He silently opened the door.

As Alexander's personal security, he'd never witnessed anyone daring to poke the young master's face.

Could this count as workplace harassment?

But they were legally married...

Sophia squirmed under his peculiar gaze.

Silence enveloped the room.

Moonlight streamed through the curtains, casting fractured patterns across Alexander's pallid features.

"Thank you."

Sophia rested her head beside the bed, her voice feather-soft.

"The Patriarch approved Dr. Whitmore's treatment for Margaret."

She studied the man's sculpted profile and suddenly smiled.

"If this therapeutic marriage actually works, you'd better wake up soon."

The heart monitor beeped rhythmically.

Exhaustion overtook Sophia as she drifted into sleep.

Deep in the night.

A finger twitched on the hospital bed.

Alexander Valdemar's eyelids fluttered open.

Through blurred vision, he glimpsed an unfamiliar sleeping face.

The woman curled beside him, her lashes casting elongated shadows in the moonlight.

He tried to speak, but no sound emerged.

Overwhelming fatigue pulled him back into darkness.

Morning sunlight stung Sophia's eyes.

She jolted awake.