The Illegitimate Flame: Bride of Ashes
Chapter 155- risk

Chapter 155: Chapter 155- risk

After the black Bugatti Veyron sped away, Manfred stepped out, walking over to the car. He picked up the items that had just fallen, a bittersweet smile tugging at his lips. To have been able to stay by her side for so many days — that was already enough.

He smoothly propped the car door open and jumped into his modest convertible. Raising his sunglasses, Manfred followed Charles’s car, driving off in pursuit.

"It’s me. I’ll head back to the city first. Keep an eye on the resort area, and once you’re done, bring me the design plans for review. Alright, I’m hanging up!"

Charles put on his Bluetooth headset and made a call. Janet had no idea he was calling Amos, nor that he had already purchased all the land around where she was staying — because everything he promised her, he would make happen.

The journey passed in silence, both of them lost in their own turmoil. Neither spoke until two hours later, when the car finally stopped at A City’s most prestigious private hospital. Janet kept her eyes closed, letting Charles carry her out of the car.

The moment she entered the hospital, the sharp scent of disinfectant immediately hit her senses. Fear compelled her to open her eyes. Even if she couldn’t see anything, keeping them open gave her a small sense of safety.

"Charles, why did you bring me to the hospital? Can we just go home? Please, let me go home with you!" Janet’s wide eyes were filled with anxiety and dread. She sensed he had found out something, but this was not what she wanted.

She didn’t want to stay in the hospital, didn’t want to hear doctors urging her to have surgery immediately. All she wanted was the child growing inside her.

"Put me down, I don’t want to be here!" Janet struggled in his arms, but Charles tightened his grip and carried her up to the third floor. He had already informed the hospital director on the way here, so upon their arrival, the middle-aged director had arranged everything according to Charles’s wishes.

Ignoring Janet’s protests, Charles carried her straight into the neurology department. The hospital — and indeed the whole city of A — had the most authoritative brain specialist summoned by him for further examination.

Janet didn’t understand what was going on. In this unfamiliar place, Charles was her only support, but now even he seemed not to be fully on her side.

She bit her lip, fearful, trying to hold back tears.

"Don’t be afraid. It’s just a checkup. I’ll wait for you." Charles gently laid her on the hospital bed, his hands tightly gripping her sweaty small hands. He knew she was nervous, and he was no different. But he couldn’t wait any longer. He desperately needed to understand her condition. He would never let her go — not even Death could take her away from him.

Janet’s resistance was futile. In the end, Charles stayed by her side through the brainwave examination. Throughout the process, their hands remained clasped tightly together. Janet didn’t know if it was fatigue, fear, or the comfort of his presence, but after closing her eyes, she fell asleep.

Taking the chance, Charles gently released her hand, allowing the doctor to transfer her to the ICU. He remained in the neurology room, quietly listening to the expert’s explanation.

"The situation is very grim. In her condition, even life-sustaining medications cannot be administered. The hemorrhage has spread to the cerebral hemispheres, causing atrophy due to longitudinal fissure damage. In later stages, there will be even more severe rejection reactions."

"How severe?" Charles’s voice trembled, betraying his tension. He had always ruled others with the posture of a king, but never imagined he would feel such fear and anxiety when facing a doctor.

Only because it was Janet was he willing to sacrifice everything.

"She is already experiencing headaches and progressive vision loss. If the condition continues untreated, cognitive impairments may follow, including irritability caused by central nervous system involvement. Worse yet, her memory could gradually fade — in other words, she will lose her sanity."

The doctor’s words were like a ticking time bomb exploding inside Charles’s heart, shaking him to his core. His mind went blank, unable to process any thoughts.

Why must Janet endure such senseless suffering? She was so fragile, so gentle, so beautiful — why would fate be so cruel to punish her so harshly?

"Is there anything we can do to stop it?" Charles lowered his tone, pleading for answers. Nothing mattered more than Janet now. He dared not imagine what would happen if he hadn’t found her — if she continued to deteriorate until she forgot him. That would be the cruelest punishment of all.

"Our recommendation is immediate surgery," the panel of specialists said after their unanimous discussion. "Her condition has been latent for ten years. The longer it is left untreated, the higher the risk of permanent damage."

"What are the chances of success?" Charles barely dared to ask. No matter what happened, as long as she stayed by his side, he would never give up.

"We will do our best. Surgery always carries risks. Cases like Miss Louis’s are unprecedented in our hospital..."

Before they could finish, Charles snapped. Furious and desperate, he rose abruptly, kicked a chair over, and shouted at the doctors, "If you don’t have confidence, why are you even here? Is this hospital just for show?"

The director rushed over, trying to calm him down. The immediate priority was preoperative treatment, especially since she was still pregnant. The hospital would provide all necessary support.

"Is there truly no other way?" Charles slammed the door behind him, his tall frame leaning against the hospital corridor wall. His eyes were fixed deeply on the room where Janet lay. His heart felt as if it were being gnawed on by venomous snakes.

If he could choose, he would bear the torment himself. Why should such a delicate woman suffer so much?

There could be no more delays. Each day posed greater danger. Charles could not imagine what Janet might become if the condition worsened — losing her memories, even forgetting him.

He would never allow that. Never allow her to leave him. Janet — his one and only Janet in this world.

He stood there outside the door, time passing without him finding the courage to enter. To face those empty, lifeless eyes would only remind him of his helplessness. Watching her asleep with her brow furrowed, he knew she was in pain — but there was nothing he could do.

Then, his proud figure straightened. The coldness returned to his face, the hesitation gone. He made a solemn decision.

He kicked open the neurology office door. Standing tall by the doorway, his eyes as icy as ever, he commanded, "Perform the abortion surgery. I want her alive."