"Why?" Vivian broke free from his grip, "This is just a routine physical..."

"Because today is our fifth wedding anniversary!" Sylvester cut her off, his eyes turning even redder, "And because... I owe you far too much of my presence."

Vivian froze completely.

This was a Sylvester she had never seen before—panicked, anxious, and even... humble.

"Daddy? Mommy?"

A timid voice sounded from the doorway.

Four-year-old Harvey stood at the door wearing his blue preschool uniform, clutching an Ultraman toy in his tiny hand. His eyes lit up when he saw Sylvester, only to dim again instantly.

Sylvester's heart wrenched violently.

He knelt down, bringing himself to eye level with his son, "Harvey, Daddy is here."

Harvey blinked in disbelief, then suddenly burst into loud tears, throwing himself into Sylvester's arms, "Daddy! You finally came to see me! You never used to spend time with me..."

"I'm sorry, Harvey." Sylvester held his son tightly, his voice cracking with emotion, "Daddy was wrong."

"Daddy used to be so consumed by work that I neglected you and your mother. From this day forward, Daddy will never be absent again."

Vivian stood beside them, watching the father and son embrace, a small corner of her heart quietly softening.

Right then, a soft, delicate voice sounded:

"Sylvester, I kept calling you but you didn't answer. I asked your driver, and he said you were here..."

Sienna walked into the room in her high heels, her makeup immaculate. A flash of imperceptible disdain crossed her eyes when she saw Vivian.

"This must be... Sister Vivian, right?" She feigned surprise, "What a coincidence."

Sylvester stood up, shielding Vivian and Harvey behind his back, his gaze turning razor-sharp, "Ms. Vance, the partnership has been terminated. Please leave."

Sienna's face turned white, "Sylvester, our contract is very important..."

"Family is what's important." Sylvester didn't hesitate for a single second, "Now, please get out of my way."

Sienna shot a resentful glare at Vivian before turning around and storming off.

Vivian watched her departure, asking softly, "Did you truly... cancel the partnership for my sake?"

"Not for your sake, but for the sake of us."

Sylvester turned to look at her, his eyes tender yet absolute, "Vivian, I was terrible in the past. From this day forward, your health is the most important thing in my life."

On the way to the private hospital, Harvey fell asleep in the backseat, his tiny face still stained with tear tracks.

Vivian looked out the window, murmuring, "Sylvester Hurst, what on earth happened to you? You are being far too strange today."

Sylvester gripped the steering wheel tightly, remaining silent for a very long time.

"I had an incredibly long and painful dream." His voice was raspy, "I dreamed that I lost you, and I lost Harvey. I dreamed that you were sick but I refused to believe it, hurting you time and time again. I dreamed that in the end... you left me forever."

Vivian's heart gave a violent tremor.

"That dream felt entirely too real."

Sylvester turned his head to look at her, his eyes swimming with red rims, "Vivian, promise me, if you ever feel unwell in the slightest, tell me immediately. Do not hide anything from me."

Vivian looked deep into his eyes.

Those eyes, which had always been cold and detached, were now filled with... a profound treasuring she had never seen before.

"Okay," she spoke softly, "I promise you."

The car arrived at the private hospital.

The medical staff who had been waiting for them stepped forward immediately, "Mr. Hurst, Mrs. Hurst, the whole-body tumor screening and abdominal enhanced CT scan have already been arranged."

Vivian looked at Sylvester in absolute shock.

When on earth did he arrange all of this?

Sylvester squeezed her hand tightly, "From this day forward, your health is the absolute priority of my life."

The evening sun poured through the glass windows of the hospital, casting their three shadows long against the floor.

For the very first time, they looked like a real family.

Chapter 12

The results of the examination came out.

Inside the VIP consulting room, the doctor's expression was grave, "The CA199 value is at 38 U/mL, right on the borderline. Crucially, the abdominal CT shows a 3mm hypoechoic area at the head of the pancreas."

Vivian's face drained of color.

"We cannot determine its nature at the moment; it could be a benign cyst, or it could be an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm."

"This is a precancerous lesion." The doctor paused before continuing, "But if it is the latter, a laparoscopic resection right now yields a one hundred percent cure rate."

"An operation?" Vivian's voice trembled slightly, "But next week is the high school mock exam, and I am the head teacher. I can't just leave..."

"Vivian, listen to the doctor." Sylvester immediately placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Leave the students to me."

Vivian stared at him in utter disbelief, "How are you going to manage? You don't even know how to teach."

Sylvester dialed the principal's number directly, switching it onto speakerphone:

"Principal, this is Sylvester Hurst. Mrs. Hurst requires surgery and will be unable to attend school for a month post-operation. I will step in to cover her classes for this month."

Silence stretched for three seconds on the other end, "Mr. Hurst, you must be joking. You are an entrepreneur, how can you teach literature?"

"While I may not know the traditional methods of teaching literature, I am a Tsinghua MBA graduate, and I excel in data analysis and efficiency management."

Sylvester's tone was resolute, "I can help the students optimize their review schedules and organize core exam predictions. Combined with Mrs. Hurst's lesson plans, I guarantee their grades will not be affected."

"If Mrs. Hurst's class scores within the top three of their grade during next week's mock exam, you will grant me permission to cover her classes. Deal?"

The principal pondered for a long moment, "...Very well. It's a deal."

Hanging up the phone, Vivian looked at him, her eyes turning red around the rims, "Why are you doing this? Covering classes is exhausting, this isn't something you should be doing."

"This is exactly what I should be doing."

Sylvester gazed at her, "During these five years, I have missed entirely too much. Your work, your life, your health... I failed to properly participate in any of it. Now, I want to make it up to you."

"Just because of that dream?"

"Because that dream made me realize that without you, I am absolutely nothing."

Vivian turned her head away, her tears falling silently.

The surgery was scheduled for three days later.

During these three days, Sylvester executed three major tasks:

First, he completely severed all ties with the Vance family.

He had his lawyers file a lawsuit against Sienna for contractual fraud, auditing every single dollar she had funneled out of the Hurst Group over the past five years.

A grand total of 8.7 million USD. Every cent was successfully recovered.

Second, he took over Senior Class One.

He stayed up through the nights studying Vivian’s thirty years of lesson plans, committing every single core concept and common mistake to memory until he knew them inside out.

He even had his secretary compile the college entrance exam questions from the past decade to create a comprehensive core exam prediction sheet.

Third, he spent time with his son.

He participated in the preschool’s parent-child activity, learning for the first time that his son loved Ultraman, was terrified of thunder, and needed to hug a teddy bear to fall asleep.

During the activity that day, Harvey kept a tight grip on his hand, his eyes shining brightly as if holding a cluster of stars.

While tucking his son into bed that evening, the little guy suddenly asked, "Daddy, will you stay with Mommy and me forever?"

Sylvester sank onto one knee, extending his pinky finger, "Daddy swears he will stay by your side for the rest of his life. Pinky swear?"

"Pinky swear, cross my heart, hope to die, a hundred years no changing!" Harvey locked his finger tightly around his father's, and then stamped his thumb down with a loud slap.

Later into the night, Sylvester was still preparing lessons in the study.

Vivian carefully pushed the door open, setting down a mug of warm milk, "Don't overwork yourself."

Sylvester raised his head, looking at her gentle face, before suddenly speaking, "Vivian, I know Sienna approached you long ago."

Vivian's movements froze completely.

"She told you that she was the one I loved, and that I only married you because you were suitable."

Sylvester reached out to hold her hand, "Those were completely lies. I admit I was terrible in the past, but I have never loved her. The one I love is you, I was just... too foolish, so foolish that I assumed you would never leave."

Vivian remained silent for a very long time.

"Sylvester," she spoke softly, "I originally intended to quietly file for divorce if this medical checkup turned out poorly, just to avoid becoming a burden to you."