Scarlett Nelson seriously never expected to run into Evan Bennett again like this.

She was just taking her six-year-old daughter to the hospital for a routine checkup. Sophie had a congenital heart condition—they had to do regular follow-ups. But the moment Scarlett pushed open the consultation room door, she froze.

There he was, sitting behind the desk, eyes locked on the computer. Slim silver-rimmed glasses perched on his straight nose. That crisp white lab coat made him look distant, almost unapproachable. The kind of guy who screamed: don’t even try to get close.

Scarlett completely blanked. Originally, she had booked with Dr. Holland, but he’d gone out for a consultation. A nurse suggested she switch. “Dr. Bennett’s just as good. Overseas PhD. Dr. Holland’s star student. He’s in Cardio Room 8 today,” the nurse had said.

Now, standing there clutching the doorknob like a lifeline, Scarlett ducked her head and yanked her face mask on. One thought repeated in her mind: Get out. Now. With the kid.

It’s been seven years.

When did he come back?

Scarlett had lived a quiet life these past years. She really hadn’t seen this coming. Her brain felt like it short-circuited, panic bubbling just beneath the surface.

She gripped Sophie’s tiny hand tighter, her palms already slick with sweat. Her back trembled ever so slightly.

Then his voice cut through the silence—low, calm. “Come in.”

Evan looked up, his eyes falling on her. Behind those lenses, his gaze was cold and detached.

The second their eyes met, Scarlett’s breath hitched.

He was twenty-eight now. But in that split second, she saw the university version of him—white shirt, twenty-one, effortlessly attractive. The guy everyone crushed on at S University.

And the guy who once secretly dated a chubby girl weighing nearly 180 pounds.

Scarlett forced herself to stay calm, locked eyes with him, though her clenched jaw betrayed her and her feet were frozen mid-step.

Evan stayed cool, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk. “Sophie Nelson, right? Let me see her medical file.”

Scarlett barely managed to keep a straight face. Her skin had lost all color. She touched her cheek, feeling the fabric of the face mask—it grounded her, something to hold onto.

He hadn’t recognized her.

Of course not. She was “Scarlett Nelson” now, no longer Heather Morris. Not the girl she had been. The chubby teenager was gone. She stood tall now, a little over 170 cm, weighing just over fifty kilos.

Sophie obediently walked over and sat down for the exam.

Now standing closer to him, Scarlett couldn’t ignore that familiar aloofness in the air around him. Her chest felt heavy. Without thinking, she held Sophie’s small shoulder, needing the physical contact.

Her eyes kept stealing glances at his face.

Those rimless glasses. That cool expression. Beneath the lab coat, a sleek white button-up. He looked sharp. Focused. His brows furrowed slightly now and then while he examined her daughter.

“You’ll need to watch her closely,” he told her, voice even. “Surgery should ideally be done within the next couple years. I assume you’re aware of the costs by now.”

He glanced down at her handbag—a black leather tote, scuffed at the handles. Her sneakers were old, the canvas faded from too many washes. Jeans worn thin at the knees. All very basic, nothing fancy. Someone like her… coming up with that kind of surgery money wouldn't be easy.

Evan had seen plenty of families in similar situations.

But this time—for some reason—he couldn’t help taking a closer look.

She was slim, tall, had fair skin and wore her hair pulled back in a low ponytail under her mask. From afar, she looked kind of young. But her kid was already six.Her neck was long and slender, a few loose strands of her dark hair resting gently by her collarbone, giving her a delicate, almost fragile look.

She kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with him completely.

Standing behind the little girl, she looked more like a statue—or maybe a quiet protector.

Most of her face was hidden by a big medical mask, only revealing a pair of downcast eyes.

From the moment she walked in, she barely said a word. Evan Bennett frowned slightly, assuming she probably came here expecting to see Dr. Holland and didn’t trust a younger doctor like him. He spoke up, “If you’re not comfortable with my diagnosis, I can help you transfer to pediatrics. Dr. Roberts should still be around. You could take your daughter to him, see what he says.”

She gave a small nod without lifting her gaze, her bangs falling messily over her forehead.

She murmured softly, “Sorry for the trouble.”

Then she picked up the medical file from the desk and led the little girl out of the room.

Evan watched them leave, his brow furrowing deeper. Once Scarlett and her daughter were out of sight, he adjusted the glasses on his nose and got back to work.

He saw two more patients before finally taking a short break. After boiling some water, he answered a call from his high school classmate Matthew Reed.

“Our class reunion’s on the 20th this month. Everyone who’s around Songcheng said they’re showing up. You’ve been overseas the past few years, but now that you're finally back, there’s no excuse to skip again.”

“Got it,” Evan replied. “I’ll check my schedule once the duty roster’s out.”

“You’re always so damn busy. We’ve organized so many meetups and only you and Heather Morris never show. Do you even remember her? The chubby one from our class? After college, it was like she disappeared. Ring any bells?”

“Hey, Evan? You still there?”

“What’s going on, man? You suddenly stopped talking.”

“Signal issue? I can’t hear you anymore.”

The water on the desk gurgled as it started boiling, overflowing onto the scattered papers.

He didn’t move, frozen there with his phone to his ear. His face looked calm, but behind the glasses, his eyes were anything but.

The exam room door was slightly open when a nurse rushed in, alarmed. “Doctor Bennett! The water’s spilling! Are you okay?”

Evan finally snapped out of it.

Standing up without answering her, he walked to the window, his fingers clenched tightly around his phone, knuckles turning white.

“She never comes to reunions, ever?” he asked, voice quiet but eyes intense.

“Hello? Hello?” Matthew’s voice came loud again. “Yeah, never. No one’s been able to get in touch with her.”

Matthew kept talking, but Evan had tuned out.

The young nurse, cheeks pink, quietly tidied up the desk. She tried to strike up a conversation but noticed he seemed miles away, stuck in his head. She gave up and slipped out of the office.

Evan looked completely lost in his thoughts.

There were still three appointments left that morning. He wasn’t in great shape, had to force himself to refocus just to get through them.

Later, he opened a drawer and took out a long blue velvet box.

Inside it was a black fountain pen.

He had dropped it a few days back. After using it for six or seven years, the pen showed plenty of wear—the paint was chipped from the barrel.

After the fall, it started leaking badly. He’d just gotten it repaired and hadn’t used it since. Now, it sat carefully tucked away in the drawer, untouched.Evan Bennett rubbed his temples, suddenly feeling completely drained.

—

Scarlett Nelson was on the bus with her daughter, Sophie.

Her mind was a mess, and without meaning to, she drifted back to that party seven years ago.

Evan's birthday.

She had shown up with high hopes, standing right outside the private room.

Then the noise inside hit her like a slap.

"Yo, did y’all see what’s on Evan’s neck? Are those hickeys? No way he hooked up with that chubby girl, right?!"

"No kidding, Evan. Is that girl really your girlfriend?"

"Come on, man, lights off, it’s all the same—haha!"

"Are you for real right now? I saw that gossip thread and couldn’t believe it... you actually dating that fat chick?"

"Bet she played dirty, blackmailed Evan with something about Madison. Otherwise, why would he even bother with a pig like that?"

And then came Evan's voice—low, smooth, so familiar.

To this day, Heather Morris could never forget it.

Maybe it was just how distinctive his voice was. No matter how loud the music or how sharp the mockery, his words cut through them all.

"Yeah… just messing around. I’m leaving for abroad next month anyway."

She'd stood there in the hallway, eyes stinging, chest aching like she couldn't breathe.

Evan came from this insanely wealthy family—just a completely different world. Scarlett had always known better than to expect anything lasting.

She knew he was going abroad.

It was his 21st birthday, and she’d planned to give him his gift, then walk away for good.

Their relationship, already shaky, was just burned up by that night’s ridicule.

The gift she gave him? A black fountain pen.

Two months’ worth of part-time wages—two grand gone just like that.

His friends had laughed.

"Where’d this cheap thing come from? Don't tell me the fat chick gave it to you. You'd actually use something like this?"

"Evan’s standards must’ve dropped big time. He doesn’t touch junk brands like that."

"Mom—"

Suddenly, Sophie tugged her hand.

Scarlett snapped out of her spiraling thoughts and pulled her daughter into her arms.

Looking at this little girl’s face, it was getting clearer by the day—she resembled Evan so much.

"Mom, was that doctor today... was he my dad?"

Scarlett hadn’t seen that coming at all.

She stared at those bright, curious eyes, frozen for a second.

And then it hit her—Sophie, this tiny girl fighting heart problems since birth, was already six.

That old line—"Daddy’s far away"—had started to feel like a paper-thin excuse as time passed.

In one of her drawers was a photo of her and Evan.

Sophie had seen it before.

Scarlett never expected a kid that young to remember.

It was from high school, just a shot of the top three students in class. She’d cut out the other guy from the pic.

The idea that one day, she’d have to see Evan again—with their daughter in tow—back in this city?

Unthinkable.

The driver suddenly slammed on the brakes.

Scarlett lurched forward, instinctively shielding her girl, then after a brief pause, said softly, "No."