The instant coffee tasted terrible; after one sip, his only thought was how much he wanted to go home and see Sienna.

With that thought in mind, he stretched his shoulders and dove back into his work.

Outside the office, Yara held Julian’s phone. It was vibrating incessantly, the screen displaying Sienna’s name.

Yara glanced inside to check on Julian, then hung up the call. She unlocked the phone with the passcode and deleted the call notification.

Then, she walked in and placed the phone by Julian’s hand. "You forgot this."

"Thanks," Julian said without looking up, continuing with his task.

Suddenly, the phone rang again, and Jude’s name appeared on the screen.

Julian answered, sounding exhausted. "What is it? I'm busy."

But he heard Jude’s frantic voice: "Julian! Sienna’s been attacked! She’s been rushed to the Magic City Hospital!"

Startled, Julian stood up so abruptly that his vision blacked out for a moment.

He gripped the desk for support. "Sienna was attacked? How?"

"I don't know! I'm heading to the airport now. Get to the hospital first!"

Julian didn't even have time to ask for leave before he sprinted out of the Procuratorate.

On the subway, Julian opened his phone and saw the local news.

The surveillance footage of the attack had been leaked. He watched as Sienna collapsed powerlessly into a crowd; the incident was so sudden that she was even trampled by several people.

Every second of the video felt like a needle piercing his heart, leaving him unable to breathe.

Blood stained the ground, accompanied by numerous red footprints—he closed his eyes in agony, his chest tight with pain.

The incident had a massive impact. As soon as Julian arrived at the hospital and made a brief inquiry, he was rushed to the operating room.

"We need someone to sign these documents."

Julian looked at the papers, his brow furrowing. "I'm not immediate family. Her family just got on a plane; it will take some time for them to arrive."

The doctor looked troubled. "The patient has a rare blood type. We need to transfer blood from other hospitals, and we must have a signature. But in this state..."

Julian knew the hospital regulations well, but there was no time for that now. He signed his name in the family section as a friend.

The corridor of the operating room was cold and empty.

The dim red light illuminated the space, looking just like the blood in the video—painfully red.

Just then, officers from the police station arrived to check on the situation.

They were surprised to see Julian sitting by the door.

"Prosecutor Julian."

They recognized him immediately, having worked with him frequently of late.

Julian nodded and asked, "Did you catch the suspect?"

"Not yet. The suspect was heavily disguised. We are currently tracking them through surveillance footage."

Julian sat back down, drained of all energy.

The officer said with concern, "Prosecutor, you look exhausted. Why don't you go rest? I’ll wait here for you."

Julian shook his head. "I'm fine. I'll just lean here for a bit."

Just then, the operating room doors opened. The doctor walked out with a grim expression. "The blood bank is running low."

Chapter 29

Those words exploded in Julian’s ears like a thunderclap.

He knew Sienna was Rh-negative. Because she had registered with the hospital before, they had been able to transfer blood bags so quickly this time.

The doctor said helplessly, "We had enough initially, but the blade severed a gastric artery..."

The blood loss was excessive; the initial supply was no longer sufficient.

"Doctor! Please, find a way to save her!" Julian lunged forward and grabbed the doctor’s shoulders. His hair was a mess, his eyes were wild, and he was on the verge of a breakdown.

The doctor replied, "We will try to buy some time. We need the police to help find a matching blood type."

The officer nodded and immediately turned to notify his superiors.

Soon, an urgent appeal for blood donations was posted online.

However, Rh-negative types are rare in the country; their hope was slim.

As the minutes ticked by, Julian curled his body inward, looking as though he had aged years in an instant.

"Julian!" Jude arrived in a hurry, followed by someone else.

Julian was stunned to see it was Silas.

"What’s the situation?"

Julian didn't have time to wonder why he was there and explained everything.

Silas let out a sigh of relief. "It looks like I came at the right time. I happen to be Type B, Rh-negative."

"Really?" Julian asked blankly.

Jude explained, "Lawyer Silas’s case was just transferred to our station today. He happened to hear me when I was on the phone."

Julian opened his mouth to say something, but Silas cut him off. "Anyway, let the doctor test my blood first. We’ll talk about everything else later."

The two nodded.

Soon, Silas’s blood was confirmed as a match, and he was taken to the transfusion room.

Jude and Julian waited outside.

Jude looked at his friend and remarked, "This is the first time I've ever seen you like this."

Julian remained silent for a long while before speaking. "Work was too busy."

"Work is one thing, but I suspect there's another reason."

Julian glanced at him and then nodded. "I confessed to Sienna."

Jude wasn't surprised; instead, he sighed. "I knew this day would come. You’re just too unaware. You went in such a big circle—do you regret it?"

Julian replied helplessly, "Don't mock me at a time like this."

Jude gave a short laugh.

He looked up at the fluorescent lights on the ceiling and said softly, "Treat her better from now on, or I’ll punch you again."

"I will."

The rest of the surgery went smoothly. Besides Silas, two other people had rushed over to donate blood.

Finally, the light above the operating room went out.

Sienna was moved to the ICU. It was said that the laceration to her stomach was very severe.

The nurse said, "She’s stable for now, but she’s still unconscious. Leave soon after you’ve seen her."

The three stood at the door, watching Sienna on the ventilator. A faint mist appeared and disappeared on the mask with each breath.

Though the rhythm was slow, it proved she was out of danger.

The tension suddenly snapped, and a wave of exhaustion washed over Julian.

His body, held together only by coffee, went limp, and he collapsed against the wall.

Jude shouted in shock, "Julian!"

Silas also panicked and ran after the nurse who had just left. "Someone’s fainted! Help!"

A doctor quickly brought a gurney and took Julian away.

"Julian! If you dare cause more trouble for my sister, I won't let you off!" Jude shouted at the top of his lungs, ignoring the scolding he got from the doctors.

As the sound echoed, Sienna’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Chapter 30

In a void of nothingness, I couldn't tell which way was which.

I didn't know how long I had been walking. I had no thoughts or emotions; I could only feel a pain in my feet that spread to my abdomen and stomach.

Suddenly, I saw a figure—a man in a black coat.

Overjoyed, I recognized him—"Julian!"

I called his name and stepped forward, grabbing his hand from behind.

But such a forceful movement didn't make him turn around.

I looked at him in confusion.

Suddenly, I felt a warmth in my palm, as if liquid were flowing over it.

I looked down, and a flash of bright red hit my eyes.

Then, a snow-white blade appeared in his palm, its body buried in my flesh.

The red beneath my feet began to spread outward.

I looked up in terror, and Julian’s face appeared before me...

"No! Stop!"

I snapped my eyes open with a scream. I grabbed my own hand but accidentally yanked out the IV line.

The ICU nurse was startled. Before she could reach me, the IV stand crashed to the floor.

The heart monitor numbers climbed rapidly, and the beeping echoed incessantly through the ward.

The head nurse’s heart raced as she saw me nearly crawling off the bed.

She rushed to hold me down and saw blood seeping from my abdomen.

"Bleeding from the stomach! Restrain the patient!"

"Quick! Sedative!"

"The wound has reopened! Be careful!"

With the injection of the sedative, I finally went quiet, my eyes closing as I fell back into a deep sleep.

The nurses breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is this a post-traumatic stress reaction?"

"Doesn't look like it. Contact the family and check her medical history."

...

Julian had already woken up. He had fainted due to prolonged exhaustion from work combined with sudden, extreme emotional turmoil.

Jude was busy caring for two patients in the hospital. He had just finished paying the fees when he received a call from Sienna’s lead surgeon.

He didn't hide it from Julian.

"Medical history?"

Jude looked up at Julian, who also appeared tense.