Chapter 7

"I heard you pissed off my mentor? Now you need his help, huh? You better say something nice," Toby Carlson deadpanned, then added playfully, "That's what the director wants too."

Evan's expression instantly soured, like he'd just swallowed a bug. Bowing his head to Noah felt like slapping himself in the face.

Toby pulled out a CT scan with a faux-serious frown. "See this? The bleeding in your mom's brain is in a really tricky spot. A tiny delay and... well, you get the picture."

Evan's face turned even paler. "Just bring him here, okay? I'll talk to him myself, alright?"

He figured once Noah showed up, Samantha would definitely try to act all caring like the perfect wife. Maybe he could skip the whole groveling part if she took the lead.

"Nope, not how asking for help works," Toby shot him down flat. "Tell you what, I'll record a little apology video for you."

With that, he raised his phone.

Stuck with no way out, Evan had no choice but to lower his head in front of everyone like a criminal. "I'm sorry. I was wrong."

"Who did what wrong?" Toby wasn't satisfied and brought the camera closer.

Evan glared at him, but Toby stood his ground, forcing Evan to mumble again, "I, Evan, messed up. Totally. I'm sorry, really sorry!"

More and more people started gathering around. Evan's face turned an angry purple, the whole scene becoming a freak show.

Samantha just found him more and more pathetic and disgusting. She looked away in silence, but accidentally saw Monica staring at Noah's picture on the wall like she was in a trance.

"What's going on here? Why are the patient's relatives crowding like this?" An old doctor squeezed in, looking baffled at Evan confessing like he was under trial.

Arthur quickly stepped forward. "Did something happen to my wife?"

"No, Evelyn was wheeled into surgery right as Dr. Avery happened to be there. He saw it was urgent and went in without delay. I was just looking for someone to sign the consent form," the doctor explained.

"Dr. Avery's already operating on my mom?" Lila lit up and hurried over.

The old doctor nodded. "He's really got a good heart. You guys hadn't signed anything or paid the surgery fee. Normally, we wouldn't operate at all."

The Smith family finally breathed a sigh of relief. But Evan's face clouded over again. He shot a furious glare at Toby. "You messing with me on purpose?"

Toby smirked and laid the consent form in front of him. "Chop-chop, Mr. Smith. Sign the paper."

"I'm not signing anything. I'm suing all of you. Operating without consent? And don't even think I'm paying a cent! Let's see if Noah has the guts to let my mom die on that table!"

He shouted with all the veins in his neck popping, then stormed out of the office, fuming.

Samantha couldn't help but worry—if things went wrong during surgery, would a good deed turn into a disaster?

"I'll sign it." Arthur stepped up with a calm face. "Evelyn's my wife."

"I'll go pay the bill." Lila gave Samantha a soft tug on the arm. "Don't worry, no matter how the surgery turns out, none of us will blame Noah. He meant well."

Samantha shot her a grateful smile, then stood by Arthur, who had already signed the consent forms, waiting at the surgery room entrance.

Arthur took off his thick black-rimmed glasses and rubbed his tired eyes.

Seeing this, Samantha instantly felt a wave of guilt. She lowered her head slightly and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Smith. I didn't mean to cause you all this stress. I just... I hope she pulls through soon."

Arthur glanced over at her, then shook his head and replied, "I'm guessing what happened between you and Evan had something to do with that Monica woman, right? That's on him, not you. As for Evelyn's stroke, it's because of her high blood pressure, not anything you did. Honestly, you've done more than enough already—don't beat yourself up."

Samantha was a bit caught off guard. Arthur always seemed serious and distant from family matters, yet he somehow nailed the reason for her departure.

She had truly treated the Smiths as her own family over the past three years. She was terrified they'd blame her for leaving the way she did—and even more afraid of losing that emotional connection.

The surgery dragged on until evening before a doctor finally came out and told them it had gone well. Hearing that, Samantha let out a long, relieved breath.

When her eyes met Noah's again, she suddenly felt this surreal sense of them having just fought through a life-or-death battle together. As a team.

Noah didn't notice her at first. He was standing off to the side, head down, completely absorbed in a patient file, a group of younger doctors forming a semicircle around him, clearly waiting for his input.

"Professor, Evelyn's family is here," Toby Carlson spotted her and gave Noah a heads-up.

Noah lifted his gaze, and the moment he saw Samantha, his lips curled into a small smile. Then he turned to Toby and, in a serious tone, corrected him.

"She's not Evelyn's family."

"Huh? Then who is she?" Toby scratched the back of his head, clearly confused.

Noah handed the file to Toby and raised his voice just enough for everyone nearby to hear, announcing firmly, "She's my family."

Then he started walking toward Samantha.

She caught that last part loud and clear, and her heart skipped a beat. It reminded her of something she'd read online once—when a man brings you into his world and proudly introduces you to everyone important to him, it means he sees a future with you. That kind of man is rare—and worth holding onto.

Noah's serious words about commitment to marriage flashed back in her mind, and her cheeks flushed pink. She shyly glanced around, suddenly aware of the surprised stares from those nearby, her head dipping slightly.

"When did you get married, Professor? How come none of us knew?" Toby jogged over, his eyes practically sparkling with curiosity, flickering back and forth between them like some gossip-hungry squirrel.

Noah shot him a stern look. "I expect your research report on my desk tonight."

"What? No way! I haven't even started... Okay, okay! I'm going now!" Toby grumbled under his breath, and before scampering off, he gave Samantha a quick wave as a friendly gesture.

Samantha couldn't help but laugh. Toby's antics eased her nerves and brought a smile to her face. She turned to look at Noah again, and this time, her eyes were soft.

He was still in his deep green scrubs under the white coat, hair slightly tousled, obviously just out of surgery.

"You..."

"You..."

They both started at the same time, then stopped awkwardly, exchanging amused, slightly nervous looks.

Despite being married, they hadn't spent much time truly getting to know each other. That sense of familiarity hadn't fully settled in yet.

Noah made a gentlemanly gesture with his hand. "You go first."

His lips looked a bit pale and dry—probably because he hadn't had a bite to eat after hours in surgery. They were already tired just waiting outside; he had to be absolutely drained, staying so focused for that long.

"I was thinking... I might not be able to make dinner tonight. I want to stay here a little longer with Lila. But if you're really hungry, I could run back and cook first."

Noah frowned slightly when he heard that, his sharp brows drawing together a bit—not exactly thrilled, it seemed.

Samantha looked at him, caught off guard, unsure what he was thinking.

"Samantha, I married you to be my wife, not my live-in chef," he said, a little stern but not harsh.

Wait, what?

She blinked, still not quite catching his meaning.

Noah let out a small sigh, then reached over and gently tapped the top of her head.

"If you don't feel like cooking next time, just tell me. No need for reasons or excuses. Heck, you could even send me a menu—I'll cook."

She froze for a second at the casual affection. They weren't exactly at the "touchy-feely in public" stage yet, right? Wouldn't that draw attention?

Getting flustered, she glanced around. As expected, a few nurses nearby were stealing glances, some even let out soft squeals of envy.

She took a small step back, trying to keep a polite distance—this was his workplace after all, and too much intimacy might not be appropriate.

But Noah didn't give her the chance to retreat. He stepped closer, she stepped back. He moved again, she backed up again. With a helpless chuckle, he grabbed her hand outright.

"Aren't you gonna introduce me to Mr. Smith?"

Her cheeks flushed a little. She tried to pull her hand back, but he just held it tighter. Still firmly holding her hand, he walked with her confidently, heading straight toward Arthur.

"Mr. Smith, right? I'm Noah."

Arthur quickly stood up from the bench and gave a small bow. "Dr. Avery, thank you so much for everything today!"

Noah took a half-step back politely. "You don't need to thank me. Honestly, I should be the one thanking you all for taking care of Samantha."

Arthur gave him a curious look. "Wait, you already knew Samantha before this?"

"She's my wife now. Of course I'm grateful," Noah replied gently, his eyes warm but never directly answering the question.

Arthur studied him briefly with a thoughtful look.

Later, Noah arranged hospital-delivered meals from the cafeteria and had Toby Carlson personally escort Arthur home to rest. He even cleared out his private rest room at the hospital so that Samantha could stay with Lila through the night.

Lila was sincerely touched. Noah just gave a light, "It's my job," and quietly stepped out to let them get some rest.

Since Evelyn was still in the ICU under 24/7 monitoring, they didn't need to do much besides be nearby in case of emergencies or sudden updates.

Just as they were about to wind down, there was a knock at the rest room door. Samantha figured it might be Noah again.

But when she opened it, Toby was standing there holding two bags. He handed her both.

"This one's from Professor Avery for Miss Smith. And this one's for you. Take care, ma'am. Have a good night—see you tomorrow."

He waved and gently pulled the door shut from the outside.

Samantha passed one of the bags to Lila, who peeked inside. "Wow, packed fresh clothes and toiletries. What'd you get in yours?"

Before Samantha could even answer, Lila snatched her bag. "Samantha, where on earth did you find Noah? Who's that considerate nowadays?"

"Spare clothes, pajamas, all the hygiene stuff... and wait, there's sanitary pads, fruits, even snacks!" Lila pulled everything out and laid them neatly across the desk.

Samantha hadn't expected Noah would swing by home just to bring her all this. She had planned to tough it out for the night.

This man's attention to detail always caught her off guard.

Lila gave her a look—part envy, part relief—then stepped up and hugged her. "He's really something."

Yeah, Noah was amazing. And the more Samantha saw just how good he was, the more surreal it all felt. She looked at the worn-out Lila and hugged her tight. "Try to get some sleep. Your mom's going to get better fast."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lila suddenly broke down into tears.

Samantha stayed at her side, quietly listening to her vent again about how Evelyn had always favored her brother. Watching Lila cry and complain, she couldn't help but envy her. At least Lila had memories to hold onto. Samantha had nothing.

She let out a soft sigh, tucked the blanket around the now-sleeping Lila, and glanced at her phone. It was already 11 p.m.

Suddenly, a new WhatsApp message popped up.

"It's me—Noah."

His username matched his real name, just like how he carried himself—serious and no-nonsense.

His profile pic was a young and handsome doctor in a white coat with a stethoscope.

She tapped to enlarge it. Yep, it was definitely Noah—just a cuter, animated version. There was something vaguely familiar about that image.

Where had she seen it before?

"Can't sleep?"

Moments after the message came through, a photo followed—a starry night sky.

She was drawn in immediately and replied, "Wow, it's beautiful."

"Wanna see it for real?"

She blinked. "Where?"

"Rooftop. I'm waiting by the elevator."

Samantha peeked at the sleeping Lila. Honestly, this unfamiliar place wasn't helping her catch any sleep anyway. Might as well go.

"Okay," she replied.

Tiptoeing out, the hospital was silent now. When she passed the nurse's station, one of the nurses called out softly, "Going somewhere this late?"

"Um... something came up."

Samantha had no clue how to explain. If she said her husband wanted to stargaze with her on the roof in the middle of the night, she'd sound crazy.

Would anyone believe that a midnight rooftop rendezvous was actually just some quiet time between a newlywed couple?

That question made her a bit uneasy. Sneaking into the elevator, her heart started to race the closer she got to the top. She was on her way to see her husband, but it felt more like meeting a secret lover.

Ding!

The elevator doors slid open.

And there he was, Noah, standing right at the entrance, just like he said.

He'd ditched the white coat for a light-colored casual outfit, looking fresh and relaxed.

Her pounding heart eased at the sight of him. Strangely enough, she found herself looking forward to spending time alone with him.