Chapter 438

Evelyn Laurent instantly regretted her words.

Her fingers clenched the hem of her shirt, knuckles turning white.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that." She lowered her lashes, her voice barely audible.

The red light above the operating room burned her eyes.

Liu Changjin stared at the door for a long moment before finally speaking. "Miss Laurent, when Captain Sullivan wakes up—"

He hesitated, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Evelyn's head snapped up.

She caught the flicker of something unreadable in Liu's eyes—a secret too heavy to voice.

The bench outside the OR was cold.

Evelyn curled into herself, staring at the bloodstains on her shoes.

That dark crimson belonged to Ethan Sullivan.

The first light of dawn crept across the horizon.

The sunrise over the ocean should have been beautiful, but no one had the heart to admire it now.

Julian Langley's hand trembled around his phone.

He'd reassured their parents they were safe but said nothing about the man fighting for his life behind those doors.

"Julian..."

Evelyn's voice was feather-light.

Her brother turned to see tear tracks on her pale face.

The OR doors swung open.

Everyone held their breath.

The surgeon removed his mask, eyes bloodshot. "He'll live."

Evelyn's knees buckled.

"The bullet grazed the pulmonary artery. One more centimeter and—" The doctor gestured. "It lodged in the third rib."

Liu suddenly covered his face, shoulders shaking.

"When will he wake up?" Evelyn barely recognized her own trembling voice.

The doctor shook his head. "Severe blood loss. Organ damage. It's up to his willpower now."

Rapid footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Several uniformed men approached, their leader grim-faced. "Status?"

Liu snapped to attention. "Sir, Captain Sullivan is stable!"

Watching their exchanged glances, Evelyn realized—

Ethan Sullivan was far more than the man she thought she knew.

His secrets ran deeper than she could imagine.