After her rebirth

Katniss, still half-asleep, heard Desmond's question but kept her eyes shut and didn't bother to answer.

Whether it was a yes or no, it didn't matter to Desmond anyway.

Desmond waited a few seconds, got no response, snorted, and left with a stern look on his face.

At the hospital entrance, Clara, her face pale and drawn, her thin clothing offering little protection against the chill, stood there, her slender figure shivering uncontrollably.

As soon as Desmond stepped out and saw Clara like that, he frowned, took a few big strides over to her, and draped his coat around her. "Why are you standing here dressed like this?" His tone was a bit harsh.

Wrapped in Desmond's warm coat, Clara felt a bit of warmth seep into her icy body. "I was waiting for you."

"It's freezing out here. Why didn't you wait inside? Are you crazy?" Desmond grabbed her ice-cold hands, cupping them and blowing warm air on them. "Don't do this again."

"You didn't call me when you came. Are you mad at me?" Clara asked timidly, her beautiful eyes looking a bit sad.

Desmond sighed, pulled Clara into his arms, and led her towards the car.

"I'm not mad at you, just pissed that your dad was so impulsive. Why did he have to beat Katniss like that, especially when she was already hurt?" Desmond paused, his eyes flashing. "You were all there, why didn't you stop him?" Clara, nestled in Desmond's arms, wrapped her slender arms around his waist. Hearing this, her eyes immediately reddened. "I wanted to stop him, but I was scared."

"It's my fault, I'm too timid," Clara choked, looking self-reproachful. "My dad was furious, and he didn't hold back. No matter how scared I was, I should have rushed in to help Katniss."

Desmond thought of how Katniss looked when he saw her earlier, feeling a sense of worry.

But Clara's self-reproachful and fragile appearance made Desmond feel pity. He lifted Clara's delicate chin and wiped away the tears hanging at the corners of her eyes.

Clara became even sadder.

Desmond spoke, "Forget it, your dad was angry. What if you got hurt trying to stop him?"

"It's my fault. If it weren't for me, Katniss wouldn't have told Dad she wanted to cut ties with us." Clara threw herself back into Desmond's arms. "If someone has to be sacrificed, I'd rather it be me. I'm the unnecessary one anyway." Clara's kindness made Desmond's heart ache.

The bit of sympathy he had for Katniss was suppressed.

It was Katniss who couldn't handle her relationship with her family and insisted on interfering in his and Clara's relationship.

She even said something as outrageous as cutting ties with the Manners family, no wonder it made Oliver angry.

Reaching the car, Desmond opened the door and let Clara in quickly.

He walked around to the driver's seat, "Don't worry about this anymore. Don't take all the blame on yourself. You're so soft-hearted. What will you do after graduation without me to protect you?" Clara chuckled, sniffled, and nodded lightly, her soft voice carrying a hint of playfulness. "Then you have to protect me forever."

"Of course, soon you'll be my fiancée. Who else would I protect?" Desmond smiled warmly and told Clara that Maximilian would help them convince his grandfather to agree to the marriage.

Clara blinked, then excitedly reached out and hugged Desmond, shyly kissing the corner of his mouth.

Desmond caught her, full of tenderness, and playfully tapped her nose. "I'll take you home. You should rest for a while."

Clara nodded happily, her eyes sparkling with joy.

The biggest hurdle between her and Desmond was Carlton Boleyn. He was all about bloodlines and only recognized the engagement with Katniss. No matter what Clara did, in Carlton's eyes, only Katniss was fit to marry into the Boleyn family. But because of Maximilian's health, Carlton almost always listened to him.

With Maximilian's help this time, there shouldn't be any problem with her and Desmond's marriage.

But why did Maximilian suddenly agree to help?

Inside the hospital room, past midnight, Katniss developed a high fever, her forehead drenched in sweat.

She clutched the sheet, moaning in discomfort, struggling to breathe.

Maximilian put down his heavy notebook, reached out to touch her forehead and face. "She's burning up. Call the doctor."

The nurse nearby quickly agreed and ran out.

Maximilian called her softly, "Katniss, the doctor will be here soon. Where does it hurt?"

Katniss groggily opened her eyes, her body covered in sweat, feeling sticky and uncomfortable. "Maximilian, why are you here?"

She glanced at the clock; it was already past midnight.

"You have a fever. Do you want some water?" Maximilian asked.

Katniss nodded, her throat dry and burning, feeling like it was on fire.

Maximilian poured a glass of water and brought it to her lips. After she drank most of it, he put it down and wrung out a towel from the basin, wiping her sweat.

Soon, the doctor arrived and did a quick check. "She was exposed to the cold earlier and got scared in the evening. It's normal to have a fever at night. Just make sure the fever goes down. Once it does, she'll be fine. I'll prescribe some fever medicine. Give it to her."

After prescribing the medicine, the nurse gave Katniss a few fever pills and let her sleep again.

"Mr. Hamilton, why don't you rest first? I'll take care of Katniss for the rest of the night." The nurse thought their relationship was really good. Maximilian had come over right after work and stayed until now.

But Maximilian was perfect in every way, except for his bad leg. What a pity.

Maximilian rubbed his aching temples, looked at the now sleeping Katniss, and nodded. "Okay, I'll be next door. Call me if anything happens."

The door to the hospital room closed softly.

Katniss slowly opened her eyes, watching his figure disappear through the door crack.

In the past, when she had a few high fevers that wouldn't go down, Aurora, like Maximilian, had been a constant presence during those feverish nights. She would sit by her bedside, gently stroking her hair and telling her stories. Since Aurora's health declined, she was sent back to live in a cramped utility room.

Once, Katniss had a fever so high her mind was almost fried. She wanted to call for help, but her voice was too hoarse to shout.

She fell, crawled to the door, but through the crack, she heard Clara and the others having a great time.

"Is everyone here? We made a lot of money from this deal. I cleared my schedule to spend time with you all. Buy whatever you want!" Oliver laughed.

"Oh yeah, I want to buy the latest phone..." Clara said.

Then, gradually, there was no sound, leaving the whole world empty except for her.

No one remembered Katniss in the utility room.

It wasn't until evening that a servant found her and took her to the hospital.

Maximilian went to the next room, where Felix had set up a light supper.

Felix said, "Sir, eat a little and then rest. You can work tomorrow."

Maximilian, his face cold, wheeled himself to the table, took a couple of bites, and said, "Call the Boleyn family. I'll go over tomorrow night."