Once a legendary healer capable of miracles, she sacrificed her hands to save the man she loved.
Now, as her mother lay dying, that same man offered a cruel bargain-marry him and raise another woman’s child in exchange for the medicine.
With trembling fingers, she typed one final line of code, getting in touch with that mysterious man.
In the darkness, he watched her with restrained longing and asked, “Are you ready for this?”
Unknown to everyone, her mother’s rare medicine came from a project he had secretly begun the day she was injured-and he had been waiting for her ever since.
A Love That Waited In Silence Chapter 1 Pregnant
Today marked the ninth time Evelyn Curtis had stepped into the bridal shop.
On the previous eight occasions, she had arrived by herself to try on the bespoke wedding dress her fiancé, Carsten Ward, had ordered for her.
The shop assistants, once lively and attentive, had slowly grown reserved, and in the end, they could only look at her with quiet sympathy.
“Miss Curtis… will Mr. Ward be joining you today?” the store manager asked carefully, a trace of pity lingering in her gaze.
Evelyn examined the woman in the mirror before her. The white dress embraced her figure flawlessly. Her fingers lightly traced the row of pearls sewn along the edge of the dress.
“He’ll be here,” she replied gently, yet with quiet conviction. “Today is our seventh anniversary. He said he would come.”
The moment the words left her mouth, the door was pushed open.
A sharp burst of light flashed in Evelyn’s eyes as she turned. But the smile resting on her lips stiffened instantly.
Carsten had come, but he was accompanied by Violet White.
Violet was the younger sister of Carsten’s best friend, Kevin White.
Two years ago, Kevin had sacrificed his life to save Carsten. With his final breath, he had entrusted his only sister to Carsten’s care.
After that, Carsten brought Violet into his household and looked after her as if she were part of the family.
From that moment forward, the warmth he had once shown Evelyn gradually faded.
Meanwhile, he showered Violet with attention, treating her like the most treasured person in his life.
“Carsten?” A suffocating pressure tightened in Evelyn’s chest. “Why did you bring Violet with you?”
Carsten approached Evelyn, his eyes barely glancing at the wedding dress before he spoke flatly. “Evie, we have to reschedule the wedding. We need to hold it next month.”
Evelyn stared at him in disbelief. “Next month? Why? The venue is booked, the invitations are sent, and the guest list is finalized. How could we possibly rearrange everything in just one month?”
“Violet is pregnant,” Carsten replied, his tone so steady that it sounded like he was mentioning something trivial. “We can’t afford to wait another two months.”
For a moment, Evelyn thought she had heard him wrong. “Violet is pregnant? But what does that have to do with our wedding?”
She was fully aware of how much he cherished Violet.
Sometimes, he cared for Violet so deeply that even she, his own fiancĂ©e, couldn’t help but feel a sting of jealousy.
Yet regardless of how close they were, Violet’s pregnancy had no connection to their wedding date.
Carsten remained quiet for a brief moment before speaking once more. “The baby she is carrying is mine.”
“What?”
Evelyn’s thoughts erupted into a chaotic hum, and then, her mind went blank.
She stumbled backward a step, barely managing to brace herself by gripping the edge of the vanity.
She stared at Carsten, her entire body shaking. “What did you just say?”
Her voice shot upward, sharp and strained. “Weren’t you the one who always said Violet was nothing more than a friend to you?”
Carsten cast her a detached glance. “Evie, calm down. It was only an accident.”
His voice remained disturbingly composed, as though the matter held no weight at all.
He continued, “That evening, I was out drinking with clients and unknowingly consumed something that had been tampered with. Violet looked after me afterward, and while I was drugged, I mistook her for you.”
Evelyn felt that the explanation was utterly ridiculous. “You mistook her for me? Carsten, do you hear how absurd that sounds? All these years, have you ever even been intimate with me? How could you possibly confuse her with me? You don’t even want to touch me!”
Carsten’s face darkened at that. “Evie, stop being unreasonable. You know perfectly well I never touched you because I wanted our first time to happen on our wedding night.”
A hollow laugh escaped Evelyn as tears streamed uncontrollably down her pale face.
Seeing her distress, Carsten furrowed his brows as he reached out, attempting to soothe her by taking her hand. “Evie, don’t worry. Violet is nothing but a friend to me. You’re the one I plan to spend my life with—”
“Don’t touch me!”
Evelyn yanked her hand away as though stung, retreating two steps.
She looked at Carsten with nothing but revulsion in her eyes.
“So what happens now?” She forced out a bitter laugh. “I came here alone to try on this dress like a complete idiot eight times. And today, the one time you finally show up, it’s just to tell me you’ve betrayed me?”
Carsten turned his gaze aside, yet his voice came out cold and cutting.
“My parents believe that since you can no longer bear children, this might actually resolve the issue…”
He paused briefly before adding, “You should quit your job and concentrate on Violet’s pregnancy for the next eight months. Once the child is born, we’ll register it under your name and raise it as ours—”
Just then, a sharp crack rang through the room.
Evelyn struck Carsten across the face with all her strength.
A familiar spasm of pain twisted through her abdomen.
She clutched her belly, her fingernails biting deeply into her skin.
“Carsten…” she said, “look at me! Say that again.”
Tears poured relentlessly down her face. “I can’t bear children, but that is because of you! I ruined the very hands that could have made me an excellent surgeon also for your sake! I did it to save you!”
Desperation flooded Evelyn’s eyes. “But now, you expect me to raise another woman’s child? What exactly am I to you? Some convenient tool to deal with the consequences of your mistake?”
Carsten went rigid.
The fury from the slap faded little by little, replaced by a dull ache in his chest.
He stepped forward, intending to draw Evelyn into his arms.
But at that moment…
Violet hesitantly moved toward them, reaching out to take Evelyn’s arm, her eyes shimmering with tears.
“Evie, please don’t blame Carsten. This is entirely my fault… I couldn’t stand seeing him suffer from the drug, so I couldn’t bring myself to refuse him. I shouldn’t have become pregnant with his child. But I swear, I never meant to take Carsten away from you. All I want is to give this baby a stable home after it’s born. I’m begging you. Please agree to this.”
As she spoke, she gripped Evelyn’s arm.
Her fingers suddenly pressed hard into the inner side of her arm.
A sharp sting shot through Evelyn. Violet’s nails tore into her skin.
“What are you doing?” Evelyn cried out in pain, instinctively yanking her arm away.
“Ah!”
Violet abruptly shrieked, stumbling backward two steps before slamming into the dresser behind her.
She then collapsed onto the floor, both hands clutching her abdomen.
Her voice trembled with agony. “Evie, why? I only wanted to apologize. Why did you shove me?”
“Violet!” Carsten hurried forward and pulled Violet into his arms.
He examined her anxiously. “Does it hurt? Don’t be afraid. I’m right here.”
Violet shivered against his chest. “My stomach hurts. Our baby… Will the baby be okay?”
“It will be alright!” Carsten murmured gently.
Then, he turned his head abruptly, his eyes sharp as blades aimed at Evelyn. “Evelyn! Apologize to Violet!”
Evelyn remained where she stood, looking at the blood seeping from the wound on her arm.
Then, her gaze shifted to Violet, who looked frail and helpless in Carsten’s embrace.
All at once, Evelyn burst into laughter.
She doubled over from the force of it, tears spilling down without restraint.
“Carsten.” The laughter slowly died away. She raised her tear-stained face. “Back then, when I took that knife for you and nearly died on the operating table, you held me just like that and said you would care for me for the rest of my life…”
Carsten’s eyes wavered briefly, but when his gaze fell on Violet trembling in his arms, the trace of hesitation vanished, replaced by chilling indifference.
“That is a different matter. Right now, you injured Violet. I’ll say it one more time. Apologize! Otherwise—”
“Otherwise what?” Evelyn cut him off, a derisive smile at the corner of her mouth.
She walked closer and stopped directly in front of Carsten, looking straight at the man she had loved for seven years.
She had once memorized every contour of his face in her dreams.
But now, all she felt toward him was icy revulsion.
“Carsten, if you care about her so deeply and want your child to have a proper home…” Evelyn’s voice was soft, every word drawn painfully from her chest. “Then why marry me? Just marry her instead.”
She lifted the veil from her head and flung it onto the floor. “I’ll let you do that.”
Carsten’s eyes narrowed. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying… our engagement is over. I have no desire to marry a man like you.”
Evelyn’s voice was steady. She seized the neckline of the gown and ripped it apart.
The delicate lace tore open. Pearls scattered across the floor.
The costly custom dress was reduced to tattered pieces in her hands.
She then flung the ruined dress at Violet.
“Isn’t this exactly what you want? The dress belongs to you now! And so does he! May the two of you live happily ever after!”
Barefoot, she turned around and walked away without a single glance back.
“Evelyn! Stop right there!” Carsten shouted after her. “If you walk out that door today, don’t even think about coming back to me!”
Evelyn’s steps never slowed.
As Carsten watched her unwavering figure fade from sight, a strange panic surged in his chest, as though something precious was slipping through his grasp.
Without thinking, he wanted to chase after her.
But just then, Violet let out another weak groan in his arms.
When he looked down, Violet forced a fragile smile despite her pale face.
“I’m alright. Go chase after her, Carsten. And the baby… forget about it. I can’t bear the thought of losing our baby. But if she truly can’t accept this child, then maybe I should just end the pregnancy. Even if it hurts… I can’t destroy your relationship.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Carsten immediately gave up the thought of chasing Evelyn and held Violet gently. “Don’t say such foolish things. How could I not want our child? I’ll take you to the hospital for a check-up right away. As for Evie…”
A trace of impatience flickered across his face. “I’ve indulged her far too much. She thinks threatening to call off the engagement will make me give in. It’s about time she learned how to behave properly.”
Carsten softly wiped the tears from Violet’s face, his tone resolute. “Don’t worry; her tantrum won’t last long. She would even sacrifice her life for me; she could never truly leave me!”
A Love That Waited In Silence Chapter 2 Using Her Mother To Threaten Her
Outside the wedding dress shop, Evelyn stepped onto the freezing pavement with bare feet.
The night wind tugged at the thin dress clinging to her body and stole the last trace of warmth from her skin.
She didn’t call for a cab. She simply continued walking.
From the bright, crowded shopping street into the silent residential neighborhood.
Each step stabbed like sharp needles, yet even that pain felt small comparing to the ache tearing through her chest.
At last, she reached the house she had lived in for five years.
The fingerprint scanner recognized her touch, and the door unlocked with a soft electronic chirp.
Darkness waited inside.
No warm lights glowed, and no one stood there to welcome her home.
She flipped the light on and remained in the foyer, looking slowly around the place she had once called home.
Every inch of it held memories of Carsten.
The sofa he always preferred in the living room, the coffee maker she had picked out for him in the dining area, the twin desks placed side by side in the study…
And hanging on the wall, an oversized framed photograph.
In the picture, she laughed heartily while resting against his shoulder, her eyes bright, glowing with happiness.
That brightness was gone now.
Evelyn stepped closer, rose onto the tips of her feet, and pulled the frame off the wall.
She then threw it. It crashed onto the floor with a violent bang.
Glass burst apart and scattered across the tiles.
She looked at the photograph, now split straight through the center, for a long while.
Then, she crouched down, picked up a jagged shard, and dragged it across the photo.
The sharp edge sliced into her fingertip. Drops of blood fell onto the photograph and smeared across Carsten’s face.
She seemed completely unaware of the pain.
With slow care, she removed her half of the damaged picture from the broken fragments and blood.
After that, she tore it into pieces and tossed them into the trash.
When it was done, she turned around and walked upstairs to the bedroom.
As she packed her belongings, memories surged through her like a flood.
From their college years to the engagement, she had given Carsten seven years of love and loyalty.
She remembered the sweetness of those younger days. The vow that they would remain beside each other for a lifetime.
She had once believed they would grow old together.
But now, it all felt like nothing but a bitter joke.
Suddenly, the piercing ring of her phone shattered the silence.
Evelyn answered the call. Her best friend, Nicola Lambert, spoke through a trembling voice thick with tears.
“Evie, the Ward family transferred your mom out of intensive care. They’ve cut off her medication. They’re letting her die…”
Evelyn’s mind went blank instantly.
The phone slipped from her fingers and struck the floor.
After several frozen seconds, she picked it up, grabbed her car keys, and rushed toward the garage.
“Mom, stay strong. Please wait for me…” she muttered.
The car tore down the road toward the hospital.
Evelyn’s hands trembled violently on the steering wheel. Her palms were damp with icy sweat.
Carsten had really crossed the line this time.
That was her mother!
When she had ruined her hands saving him and could never perform surgery again, he had held her while his eyes were red and had sworn countless promises.
“Evie, from today on, I will consider your mother my mother. I’ll care for her for the rest of her life.”
“Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, nothing will happen to her. The Ward family’s best medical care will always be reserved for her.”
“When she wakes up, we’ll bring her home. I’ll hire the finest medical team to stay with her every day.”
“Evie, just trust me.”
For years, Evelyn had believed every word without question.
But now, he had betrayed her with another woman and used her mother’s life as a weapon to pressure her.
A piercing horn screamed behind Evelyn at that time.
She turned the steering wheel abruptly.
Rubber shrieked as the tires scraped hard against the road.
Her car smashed straight into the guardrail at the edge of the street.
The airbags burst open in an instant.
At that exact moment, inside the hospital, the monitor beside her mother’s bed released a single, endless tone.
Meanwhile, Carsten had just carried Violet to the house’s guest room after she cried herself to sleep.
He stood before the tall window in the study and loosened his tie. Irritation lingered in his mood, yet he remained certain everything was under control.
Just then, the butler knocked softly and entered the room. “Mr. Ward, the hospital carried out your orders. Miss Curtis’ mother’s medication has been stopped. The doctor says if the treatment remains cut off for more than forty-eight hours, she likely won’t survi—”
Carsten lifted a hand to silence him, his voice indifferent. “Got it.”
He turned around, his expression calm and icy.
“Has she come back yet?” he asked.
“There has been no news from Miss Curtis so far. Should we send someone to find her?”
“That won’t be necessary.” A confident smile appeared on Carsten’s face. “Where could she possibly go? She’ll just run to those useless friends of hers and cry.”
He walked over to the desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out a freshly drafted prenuptial agreement.
The pages were packed with different clauses.
“When she calls everyone she knows and still fails to get a single dose of the medicine that could save her mother…” Carsten placed the document neatly on the desk. “She’ll understand that the only person capable of saving her mother is me.”
The butler lowered his head slightly. “And if Miss Curtis comes pleading for the medication?”
Carsten paused for a moment. The smile on his lips hardened.
“Then tell her this. If she wants her mother to live, she must bring the signed agreement over and apologize to Violet to get her forgiveness.”
A Love That Waited In Silence Chapter 3 Going To See Elias
The airbags burst open, and the force of the crash threw Evelyn forward.
Something warm ran from her temple and clouded her sight.
Pain spread through her.
Yet it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart right now.
“My mom is still waiting for me…”
Evelyn sucked in a shaky breath, shoved the warped car door aside, and lurched toward the hospital.
Blood and tears ran together down her face, yet she seemed not to feel them at all.
“Evie!”
The moment Nicola saw Evelyn, covered in blood, she rushed forward and caught her. “You’re bleeding!”
“How… how is my mother?” Evelyn asked in a trembling voice.
Nicola bit her lip as tears slid down her face. “The doctors just managed to bring her back from danger, but her condition is still not good. Her vital signs keep dropping. Evie, the Ward family is really killing her.”
Evelyn’s knees went weak, and she nearly fell to the floor.
She staggered to the bedside and reached out to clasp her mother’s cold fingers.
Her hands would not stop shaking.
Once, these hands had brought countless people back from the edge of death.
Now, they struggled with anything slightly complex, let alone hold a scalpel again.
Evelyn’s vision blurred with tears.
She had never despised herself more than she did right now.
Her whole body shook with sobs.
“Mom, I’m sorry. This happened because of me. If I had known it would come to this, I never would have hurt the nerves in my hands just to save Carsten. I used to be the miracle doctor who saved so many people. But now, I can’t even save you… I gave up the ability to save you because of that jerk. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
Nicola wrapped her arms around Evelyn and said, “Evie, don’t say that. There has to be a solution for this…”
A solution?
What could she do?
Carsten had already shut every door.
Evelyn knew he wanted to push her to the edge, to break her spirit and force her to give in.
Just then, she lifted her head, her face covered with blood and tears.
Drops of blood and tears fell onto the floor.
She suddenly raised her hand and slapped herself again and again.
“I was so stupid before. I couldn’t see the truth… Because of a man like that, I lost the power to save my own mother…”
Nicola quickly grabbed her wrist to stop her and shouted, “Evie, Stop! This isn’t your fault!”
“It is…” Evelyn’s eyes were empty. “It’s all because of me…”
Nicola held her tightly. “Evie, your mom still needs you. There must be something we can do… Wait, I remember something!”
Her voice suddenly grew louder. “NS1209. The medicine your mom needs wasn’t developed by the Ward Group!”
Evelyn’s empty eyes shifted slightly. “What are you talking about?”
“The nerve repair drug they used on your mother, NS1209. I thought it came from the Ward Group’s research department. But last month, I saw an internal transfer document. It stated that NS1209 was actually developed by DeepBlue Biotech under the Martin Group. If the Ward family won’t give it to you, you can go to the Martin Group and find Elias Martin.”
Elias Martin.
In the business world of Sreles, that name alone made people uneasy.
He was known as a ruthless man at the top of the corporate world. He was also the founder of DeepBlue Biotech.
“Where can I find him?” A faint light appeared in Evelyn’s eyes.
“I don’t know. He moves like a ghost. And he’s dangerous. He publicly said that NS1209 will only be supplied to the Ward family’s hospital and will never be sold anywhere else—”
“Laptop,” Evelyn suddenly interjected.
“What?”
“Bring me a laptop.”
Understanding her, Nicola quickly brought her one.
Evelyn drew in a slow breath and set her shaking hands over the keyboard.
Her fingers, smeared with blood, began flying over the keys with startling speed.
A black command box opened on the screen. Strings of intricate code soon flooded across the display.
The dim light from the monitor washed over the blood across her face.
Watching this, Nicola held her breath.
She had almost forgotten.
Evelyn was not only brilliant in medicine.
She had another identity.
Seven years ago, she had been the hacker called Eve, the one who made cybersecurity agencies around the world uneasy.
The sound of typing grew faster.
Sweat gathered along Evelyn’s brow while the cut on her head kept bleeding.
The map on the monitor changed as she slipped through layer after layer of firewalls.
Then, she struck the last Enter key.
A surveillance video appeared.
A luxurious building stood beneath golden lights. High-end cars were parked outside. Elegant guests walked in and out of the lobby.
Bright neon letters spelled out a name across the front.
Nocturne, the most exclusive private club in the city.
Nicola drew in a sharp breath. “Last month, Elias’ bodyguard shot three people there simply because they stood too close to him. That’s his domain. Without an invitation, no one is allowed inside. Anyone who ever tried to force their way through the doors never came back out unscathed. And tonight…” Her voice shook. “Tonight is the time no one is allowed to disturb him. Every Wednesday, he shuts down the entire top floor of Nocturne. No outsiders are permitted there. No one knows what he does behind those doors. Anyone who interrupted him vanished.”
Evelyn shut the laptop and rose to her feet.
She brushed the blood and tears from her face and looked at her mother, whose monitor showed her life slowly fading.
“Nicola, lend me some clothes.” Evelyn spoke with an eerie calm. “I need to wash up first.”
“Evie, are you really going there? Elias is—”
“If saving my mom means facing him.” Evelyn cut her off, fierce resolve burning in her eyes. “I’ll do it, no matter the cost.”