Axel appeared behind her, his presence steady and reassuring. "Thank you for coming on such short notice, Dave."
"No problem at all," he replied. "Let’s see our young patient."
They moved quickly toward Oliver’s room.
David Hamm checked his temperature, listened to his breathing, and examined him with practiced ease.
Evelyn stood close, her hands clasped tightly, watching every movement.
"It’s a viral fever," the doctor finally said gently. "Nothing serious, but we need to monitor him closely."
Evelyn let out the breath she had been holding, her knees nearly giving way in relief.
A chaotic morning finally passed, leaving the house in an uneasy calm.
Oliver’s fever had begun to subside, but he still was not his usual cheerful self.
He stayed curled up in bed, quietly accepting spoonfuls of breakfast Evelyn fed him. His eyes followed her movements, but his smile never fully appeared.
Even when she brought out his favorite dessert, a small chocolate pudding topped with fresh strawberries, he only took a few bites before turning his face away.
Evelyn did not leave his side. She sat on the edge of the bed, brushing his hair back again and again, whispering soft encouragement.
Axel and David waited in the living room, speaking in low voices, careful not to disturb the fragile peace in the bedroom.
All their plans for the day had changed.
Evelyn would no longer visit Martha at her house.
The short return to this small town ended earlier than expected.
They agreed to go back to the capital immediately, just in case Oliver’s condition worsened again.
"Eve, are you done?" Axel’s voice came from the doorway.
"Yes." She stood and glanced back at the bed. "I just finished helping him change clothes. We can go now. But he seems to be sleeping again."
Axel stepped closer and smiled faintly. "It’s fine. I can carry him."
He lifted Oliver effortlessly, careful not to wake him.
The little boy instinctively leaned into his father’s chest, his small hand gripping Axel’s shirt.
Evelyn watched them with a mix of relief and lingering worry before grabbing her bag.
And just like that, they returned to the capital.
...
The rest of the day passed in a blur, and the only things she could care to remember doing were regularly checking Oliver’s temperature and staying by his side, holding his hand.
By evening, his fever was mostly gone, and his appetite slowly returned.
Evelyn finally allowed herself to breathe, sitting on the edge of the bed while Axel came to ask her to rest; he would stay with Oliver in his room.
Later that night, when the house had fallen quiet, Evelyn sat alone on the sofa with her tablet.
She intended to distract herself with something light, anything to calm her nerves. Instead, a headline flashed across the screen, freezing her in place.
[Evelyn Walters Married by Accident to Axel Knight. She Had a Son Before Marrying Axel Knight.]
Her fingers trembled as she tapped the screen.
"She used an unexpected pregnancy to secure her position beside Axel Knight," one paragraph claimed. "Sources suggest the marriage was rushed to cover up her questionable past."
"So shameless," one comment read. "She already had a child and still dared to marry Axel Knight."
Another followed. "I always knew she was trash. No decent woman would hide something like that."
Someone else wrote, "That poor kid. Born from a mistake and used as a bargaining chip. Disgusting mother."
"She is really a bitch. Axel Knight deserves better than a woman with someone else’s son."
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