Chapter 14

With a steady voice, he called out, "Noah's right here!"

Almost instantly, the reporters crowding around Samantha turned their attention toward him like magnets to a pole.

She was finally able to get free, while Noah found himself surrounded by a mess of flashing cameras and nonstop questions.

Luckily, his tall frame made him stand out even in the chaos. He didn't get swallowed up in the crowd. She saw him raise a hand for silence.

"I'll answer your questions. But please keep it down—this is a hospital!"

His deep, calm tone carried a natural authority that made everyone quiet down without him needing to raise his voice.

"Let's move this to the conference room. I'll talk to each of you there."

After guiding the reporters away, Noah came over to her.

He looked her up and down, frowning slightly. "You okay? Did you get hurt?"

She felt a twinge of guilt. "I'm fine. Sorry for dragging you into this again."

"I called the hospital director. Planning to hold a press conference since all the media's already here," he said coolly.

Samantha blinked, caught a bit off guard.

So... he didn't come just to help her out?

Her face flushed slightly. Thankfully, she hadn't said anything dumb—would've totally embarrassed herself.

"Next time you go out, at least give me a heads-up."

Noah's brows pinched together. Looked like her sudden disappearance really rattled him.

Did he think she ran off somewhere? Or that something bad happened?

Originally, she wanted to tease him for overreacting... but seeing how seriously he was looking at her, she held it in. She just nodded quickly, like a kid being scolded.

"Take care of yourself."

With that, Noah gave her one last look, then turned and walked off with the hospital staff toward the conference room.

Even when he's in the middle of a huge scandal, he's still worrying about her.

Watching him leave, Samantha bit her lip slightly, then headed to Evelyn's room.

Lila wasn't there.

As soon as Evelyn saw her, she barked out, "Go get me some water. I need to wipe my face!"

Talk about bossy—like she was ordering around a maid.

But Evelyn's always been that way.

Samantha looked at her bandaged head and IV drip. Despite the rudeness, she didn't argue.

She fetched the hot water, wrung out the towel, and turned to help her. The moment the towel barely touched Evelyn's face, the woman shrieked.

"Ow! That hurts! Are you doing this on purpose?"

No way you'd guess she just had brain surgery—not with how loud she was yelling.

Samantha froze, looking down at the towel in her hand. She'd barely made contact.

"Uh... I'll try being even gentler?"

She used the lightest touch she could manage, but just as the towel brushed Evelyn's skin again, the woman screamed even louder than before.

"Are you trying to kill me?! It hurts so bad! Murder! Help!"

Her over-the-top shouting stirred things up outside.

"Mom, what's going on?!"

Evan burst through the door, rushing to the bedside.

Grimacing in pain, Evelyn wailed, "Evan, she's trying to kill me!"

Evan's face darkened instantly. He glared at Samantha furiously. "What the hell are you doing? Haven't you done enough to her already?!"The towel in Samantha's hand was still steaming, and honestly, she couldn't wrap her head around what was going on in Evan and his mom's minds. Who the heck thinks someone's trying to kill with a face towel?

Not only did Evan rush in, but even the nurses were stirred up. They hurried over to step in. "Mrs. Avery, what are you doing?"

That one line from Noah — "She's my family" — had obviously left an impression on the hospital staff.

Samantha glanced at the curious crowd gathering around the door. She figured it was probably time to clear the air.

She wasn't just standing up for herself — she was also standing up for Noah's reputation. She didn't want anyone dragging his name through the mud again. He'd been slandered enough already.

"Mrs. Smith, didn't you just ask me to bring some warm water to help freshen you up a bit?" Samantha put the towel down and looked at Evelyn.

Evelyn gave a small nod. "Yeah, I did."

"And wasn't I just helping you wipe your face?" Samantha followed up.

Again, Evelyn nodded. "Yeah, but you rubbed too hard. It hurt like hell!"

Samantha spread her hands and turned toward Evan. "Did you catch that?"

Okay, fine, maybe no one believed her, but surely Evan couldn't ignore something his mom openly admitted?

Evan still twisted the facts. "If you were really just wiping her face, why did she scream like that? Don't act like you weren't trying to hurt her on purpose. Who knows, maybe you were using that as an excuse to kill her!"

Samantha actually admired how far Evan's imagination could stretch. She glanced at the small tub of steaming water on the floor. Without a word, she knelt down, wrung out a towel, and handed it to him.

He blinked in confusion. "What's this supposed to be?"

"If you thought I was being too rough, then you do it. She said wiping her face makes her feel better," Samantha replied, turning back to Evelyn.

Evelyn nodded right away. "Yeah, wipe my face."

"You... Mom, what's going on with you?" Evan found something off but couldn't put his finger on it. The towel was shoved into his hands, and with everyone watching, he couldn't really back down. So, he reluctantly started dabbing her face.

"Ahhh! That hurts! You're killing me! Are you trying to finish me off?!" Evelyn shrieked like someone had stepped on her tail.

Startled, Evan dropped the towel instantly. "Mom, are you okay? I barely even touched you."

"All lies! You didn't touch me? Then why does it hurt so much? Ouch! It stings!" Evelyn cried with her eyes squeezed shut.

Samantha seized the moment. "You all saw that, right? I barely even touched her too, and she screamed just like this."

Nothing beats letting people see the truth with their own eyes.

The doctor came by to check on Evelyn and explained calmly that people take time to recover after surgery and may be extra sensitive to pain, with mood swings being completely normal. What she needed most now was calm, loving care from her family.

"You're all busy with work anyway, so don't bother staying. Let Samantha stay and take care of me," Evelyn suggested quickly, not wanting to become a burden.

Lila gave a polite cough, clearly awkward. "Mom, don't forget, Samantha..."

"I know, she's married now. But she's still like a maid in this family, isn't she? Just because she got married doesn't mean she can't look after me. I'm used to her helping me, and that's what I want!" Evelyn's attitude was even worse than before her surgery.

Being called a "maid" felt like a needle stabbing into her. Samantha's brows tightened, and her chest felt tight with discomfort.

She was beginning to understand: silent dedication doesn't always earn you respect. Sometimes, it just gets you stepped on.

"Samantha's not a maid. She doesn't need to serve anyone."

At the room's doorway, Noah's voice rang out — clear, calm, and unmistakably firm. Each word cut through the noise like a knife.