Chapter 949

Alexander Hamilton had always been fiercely independent—until he met Evelyn Carter. She taught him how to step outside his own world.

He listened to her words, wanting to comply, but some principles were non-negotiable.

"Being different isn’t a bad thing," he said, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. "No one will ever lay a finger on our daughter. If anyone dares, they’ll regret it."

The mere thought of his child suffering made him want to eliminate every potential threat before it could even take root.

Evelyn paused, a memory surfacing. "When I was adopted, I lost all my memories. As the new kid in class, everyone thought I was strange."

"In a child’s world, different means isolated. Only Vivian Dempsey and a few others were willing to befriend me."

Their twenty-year friendship had blossomed from those lonely days.

Understanding dawned on Alexander. She feared history repeating itself—a wise man avoids danger. She’d rather be called timid than let their daughter endure hardship. Not every child was lucky enough to find a friend like Vivian.

After a long silence, his voice was low but firm. "I promise our daughter will never experience that. Neither will our future children. Even if they struggle to make friends, they’ll always have each other."

At a red light, he glanced in the rearview mirror at Evelyn’s rounded belly. In four months, their second child would arrive. Their little girl would soon have a sibling.

In the backseat, Baby Chloe carefully cradled an eternal rose glass orb, remembering her last lesson when she’d crushed a rose.

As the light turned green, the car ahead braked abruptly. The glass sphere slipped from her hands, teetering toward the seat’s edge—until Evelyn snatched it mid-fall.

Alexander slammed the brakes, stopping inches from the car ahead. Ignoring the near collision, he turned to his wife and child.

"Are you okay?"

"We’re fine," Evelyn assured him, returning the orb to their daughter with a relieved sigh.

Then a tear-streaked woman burst from the car ahead, darting into traffic. Alexander was about to drive on when Evelyn rolled down her window. "Mrs. Grant?"

The woman froze, turning in shock. "Dr. Carter!"

Alexander recognized her—the woman Evelyn had delivered in an emergency roadside birth.

A bespectacled man stormed toward them. Alexander’s icy glare stopped him cold, recalling how hospital security had once dragged him out.

Evelyn seized the moment. "Get in."

Mrs. Grant scrambled into the backseat beside Chloe, wiping her reddened eyes.

The man erupted. "How long will you keep humiliating me? Our relatives are asking about the baby’s celebration!"

"I’m not coming back," Mrs. Grant said, trembling. "Sign the divorce papers, or I’ll file in court."

As the man lunged, Alexander accelerated, leaving him shouting amidst blaring horns.

Mrs. Grant hung her head. "I’m so sorry, Dr. Carter. First the hospital complaint, now almost causing an accident..."

"Don’t worry," Evelyn handed her a tissue. "The department head dismissed that complaint. Are you... having trouble with the divorce?"

Alexander’s grip on the wheel tightened, veins bulging—but he remained silent.

This wasn’t over.