Holding onto this final shred of hope, Isabella quickly dialed Lucas’s number.

“Lucas, do you know any top cardiac specialists?”

The call ended, and Isabella found herself curled on a cold hospital bench.

Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her surroundings into shapeless smudges.

She barely registered the warm weight of a suit jacket being draped over her shoulders.

Looking up, she saw Lucas standing there, his brow creased with worry.

“You’re here,” Isabella whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “It’s my grandmother. She’s…”

A shadow of sadness crossed Lucas’s face.

He gently patted her head, comforting her like a small, frightened child.

“Everything will be alright,” he assured her, his voice deep and calming. “I brought a doctor with me.”

He stepped aside slightly to reveal the man beside him. “This is Daniel Brooks, a world-renowned cardiologist and a leading expert from Switzerland.”

“He is fully capable of ensuring your grandmother’s safety.”

Startled, Isabella turned her attention to the man Lucas indicated.

At that exact moment, Daniel also glanced her way.

Simultaneously, they both exclaimed, “It’s you?”

Seeing their shock, Lucas looked confused. “You two know each other?”

Daniel began to speak, but Isabella quickly cut in, “We’ve met once, very briefly.” Her tone was detached, showing no desire to elaborate.

Daniel seemed poised to say more, his mouth slightly open.

Yet he simply stated, “I’ll proceed to the sterilization area and then head directly to the operating room. Time is critical. We can talk later.” After receiving a slight nod from Isabella, he turned to leave.

Lucas firmly grasped Daniel’s hand, his expression deadly serious. “Brother, she’s in your care now.”

Daniel wore a complicated expression, a mix of conflicting emotions.

He understood the gravity of Lucas’s gesture.

As he walked toward the sterilization area, Daniel wondered if Ethan, upon realizing the woman he dismissed was cherished by another and nearly claimed, would finally lose his composure.

Watching Daniel leave, Isabella felt a wave of warmth soothe her frayed nerves.

She turned to Lucas, her voice filled with sincere gratitude. “Thank you, Lucas…”

Words felt inadequate to express the depth of her thankfulness.

But before she could continue, Lucas offered her a tissue. “Here, dry your eyes. We wouldn’t want your grandmother to see you upset,” he said gently, yet with an underlying firmness.

Isabella accepted the tissue, dabbing carefully at her eyes.

The relief was so overwhelming it made her momentarily dizzy, causing her to sway.

Lucas moved swiftly to steady her.

His hands were firm and warm, their strength a comforting presence through the fabric of her clothes.

To any observer, their stance might have resembled an embrace.

Just as Isabella was about to step back and collect herself, a sharp voice sliced through the corridor’s silence. “Oh, Isabella, this is a hospital, not a place for romantic rendezvous.”

Isabella froze in place.

She spun toward the voice and saw Sophia and Ethan standing a short distance away.

Sophia, dressed in a delicate white dress, looked ethereal and fragile, as if a mere breeze could break her.

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, a look designed to soften the hardest of hearts.