The pit was filled with corpses, some of which had been reduced to stark white bones.

"Kaden!"

Wren Wynter leaped down and hoisted Kaden Xavier’s large frame out of the pit.

She checked for his breath. Just as the young officer had said.

He wasn’t breathing.

But in traditional Chinese medicine, the ultimate test of whether a person is truly dead is to check if their pulse is still beating.

If there’s a pulse, it means the person isn’t dead and can still be saved.

If not, they can be pronounced dead.

Wren’s hand trembled as she reached for Kaden Xavier’s wrist.

The moment her fingertips brushed against his skin, she froze.

Ice-cold. No sign of a pulse.

Instantly, Wren’s heart seized. Uncontrollable tears streamed down her face, landing on Kaden Xavier’s wrist.

No!

’I don’t believe it!’

’Kaden has to be alive!’

"Kaden, wake up! I’m here!" Wren sobbed, her voice hoarse. She pressed her fingertips down again, trying to find the pulse that had to be there.

"Kaden, please!"

’Even when she hated him, she’d never wanted him to die.’

’She couldn’t bear to think about the guilt that would consume her for the rest of her life if he was gone.’

Just as Wren was succumbing to despair, an incredibly faint, weak beat thrummed against her fingertip.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

...

Wren held her breath, not daring to make a sound, terrified it was just her imagination.

The moment she confirmed it was Kaden’s pulse, Wren’s pent-up emotions finally broke through.

Tears of shock and joy streamed down her face, and her whole body trembled.

"Kaden, thank you for being alive," Wren said, her voice filled with the ecstatic relief of getting him back from the brink.

Not daring to waste a second, Wren shouldered Kaden and struggled out of the pit.

Her hands were covered in blood. Filthy mud ground into her own wounds, sending waves of stinging pain through her.

"Kaden, wake up! Don’t fall asleep!"

Kaden was just too heavy. Wren’s small frame couldn’t possibly carry him all the way back.

She had to keep stopping to rest.

Wren had no idea how long she’d been walking.

Her consciousness began to fade, her vision flickering, as sleepiness washed over her like a tide.

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed.

The pain shocked her back to her senses. She staggered to her feet, shouldered Kaden again, and continued toward the camp.

The sky was beginning to pale with the first light of dawn when Wren finally stumbled back into her camp.

Shaun Quinn hadn’t slept all night.

If Director Archer hadn’t stopped him, he would’ve gone out searching for her long ago.

When Wren saw Shaun Quinn, a weak smile touched her lips. "Shaun..."

Before she could finish, her vision went black. All strength left her body, and she collapsed, bringing Kaden down with her.

"Wren!"

Shaun Quinn rushed forward to catch Wren as she fell. Seeing her hands, caked in blood and mud, his eyes filled with pain.

’He couldn’t imagine what the two of them had been through all night.’

After Wren fainted, she felt herself fall into a long dream.

It was just like the last time she’d lost consciousness.

Only this time, Kaden’s face was much clearer.

"Kaden..." Wren murmured.

Sitting beside her, Shaun Quinn flinched. He looked at the unconscious Wren, his expression complex.

’Is he really that unforgettable to you?’

"Dr. Quinn, they need you in surgery for Mr. Xavier. Could you please head over?"

Shaun Quinn remained seated, unmoving. Director Archer, who had rushed in, looked embarrassed.

He knew Dr. Quinn could be eccentric, but he never thought he’d be so disrespectful to Kaden Xavier.

Then again, considering their relationship with Wren, it all made a certain kind of sense.

"Dr. Quinn, about Mr. Xavier..."

Director Archer was apprehensive. After all, the man was the CEO of the Xavier Group and had donated a great deal to their branch. They had to maintain appearances.

Shaun Quinn suddenly shot to his feet, bypassed Director Archer without a word, and walked out.

Wren slowly regained consciousness. She thought she heard Director Archer saying Shaun’s and Kaden’s names.

’Did something happen to Kaden?’

A jolt of alarm shot through her. Forgetting her shoes, she ran outside barefoot.

Wren threw open the tent flap and ran right into Catherine.

"Oof, that hurt! Wren, what are you doing?"

Wren grabbed Catherine’s arm, her face etched with concern. "Catherine, how’s Kaden?"

Catherine let out a hearty laugh. "Wren, and you claim you don’t like Kaden. Look how worried you are."

"It has nothing to do with whether I like him. He saved my life, so of course I’m concerned."

But Catherine didn’t buy it. She was convinced Wren had feelings for Kaden; otherwise, she never would have gone looking for him on her own.

"Don’t worry, Wren. After Kaden was brought back today, he was taken to another tent. Shaun is performing the surgery himself."

Hearing that Shaun Quinn was the one operating, Wren finally felt a sense of relief.

It wasn’t that she had any particular faith in Kaden’s constitution, but she had absolute faith in Shaun’s skill.

’With Shaun on the case, Kaden won’t die!’

She let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, and a wave of dizziness washed over her.

Catherine quickly grabbed Wren’s arm to steady her.

"Wren, Shaun said you’re extremely weak right now and can’t handle any more strain. You need to get some rest."

"I know. By the way, I brought the herbs back. Did anyone get them?"

"Yep. The patient’s condition improved today. Everyone is singing your praises, saying what a wonderful person you are!" Catherine gave Wren a thumbs-up.

Wren just shook her head with a wry smile.

’If she could do it over, she never would have brought Kaden along.’

’Then he wouldn’t have gotten hurt protecting her.’

Just then, Shaun Quinn pushed aside the tent flap and entered.

He glanced at Catherine before his gaze settled on Wren.

Taking the hint, Catherine slipped out, leaving the two of them alone.

"Feeling any better?"

"Much better. Shaun, is Kaden out of danger...?"

"Wren," Shaun Quinn cut her off, his gaze serious. "You’re badly injured, too. All ten of your fingers are mangled."

Wren looked down and saw, for the first time, that all ten of her fingers were wrapped in bandages.

"They’re just minor injuries..."

"You almost lost the ability to hold a scalpel! Are those still ’minor injuries’?" Shaun nearly roared.

’She hadn’t realized it was that serious.’

’But at the time, she’d had no other choice.’

’She couldn’t just stand by and watch Kaden die in front of her.’

’If it weren’t for Kaden, she would’ve been dead long ago, never mind holding a scalpel again.’

"Is he... still alive?" Wren asked, her lips trembling.

Shaun was silent for a long moment. His lips parted. "He’s dead."

The moment those two words hit her, Wren felt as if all the sound had been drained from the world.

She stood there, stunned, unable to process anything for a long time. It felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing her heart, leaving her unable to breathe, unable to speak.

"Shaun, you’re joking, right?"

’She knew Kaden’s condition was critical, but Shaun was the one treating him!’