Chapter 871

The office door burst open.

A man in a tailored suit stood at the threshold, gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, but they couldn’t mask the fury in his eyes. It was the same patient’s family member who had filed a complaint against Evelyn Carter just days prior.

"You doctors think you can meddle in everything?" He jabbed a finger at Evelyn’s face. "My wife wants a divorce—did you put that idea in her head?"

Olivia Lightfoot immediately stepped between them. "Watch your tone!"

"Who else could it be?" The man gnashed his teeth. "She was fine until after the baby was born, and now she’s dead set on leaving me!"

Evelyn rose slowly, the hem of her white coat swaying. "If she was truly ‘fine’ all along, why would she file for divorce during breastfeeding?"

Olivia scoffed. "Exactly! She survived childbirth, but she can’t stand being married to you. Ever wonder why?"

"I disappointed her?" The man’s face flushed crimson. "I work day and night to provide for this family! She gets to live like a queen at home—what more does she want?"

Evelyn tapped the desk lightly with her fingertips.

She’d heard this self-righteous rhetoric too many times. Men who believed money equated to love, blind to what their wives truly needed.

"Your idea of ‘doing nothing’—does that include suffering her morning sickness for her?" Evelyn met his gaze squarely. "Or were you even there to massage her legs when she had cramps at midnight?"

The man’s face darkened. "How—how could I do those things for her? Besides, I never made her work after marriage!"

Evelyn’s heart sank.

No wonder the new mother had only her elderly mother by her side during that car accident. A housewife’s world often narrowed down to just two anchors: her husband and child.

"You can’t endure her pain for her," Evelyn said softly, each word deliberate, "but you could choose not to come home. Using overtime as an excuse to dump all the responsibility onto her alone."

Humiliation twisted the man’s expression. Suddenly, he raised his arm.

Olivia froze in shock.

Evelyn was prepared, her finger already hovering over the emergency shortcut on her phone. But before she could call security, a shadow moved in front of her.

Alexander Hamilton seized the man’s wrist in an iron grip.

"Ah—ow! Let go!" The man crumpled instantly, sweat beading on his forehead. "I’m sorry, I swear I won’t come back—"

Alexander’s voice was glacial. "You’re apologizing to the wrong person."

The man whirled toward Evelyn. "Dr. Carter, I’m sorry! I promise I’ll never bother you again!"

Evelyn studied this cowardly bully and almost laughed. "Leave."

Alexander released him, and the man scrambled out like a frightened animal. Olivia hurried after him to photograph his retreating figure for documentation. Silence settled over the office.

"From now on, you’ll have bodyguards at the hospital." Alexander’s voice was tight.

Evelyn chuckled. "Are we filming a drama?"

"I’m serious." His brow furrowed. "They can wear plain clothes."

She shook her head. "The hospital has its own security. Besides, men like him are all bark and no bite."

She noticed Alexander’s knuckles had gone white. This titan of the business world now looked like a dragon guarding its last treasure, coiled with tension.

The potted plant on the windowsill thrived, lush and green—rescued by Alexander when he’d last come to water it. A memory surfaced. "You used to wait in the car when you came to the hospital before, didn’t you?"

Alexander said nothing.

He’d heard every word outside the door. Each of Evelyn’s sentences felt like a verdict on his past self.

For those three years, he too had mistaken material provision for love. Only after losing her did he learn: real love meant seeing the other’s needs—even the unspoken ones.