A Replacement Bride

admitted to the hospital due to an injury. Nevertheless, the reason we called you was that

your number was the only contact we could find in her call log. So, could you please come

over?" A man's voice was heard from the other side of the phone, instead of the usual

skittish voice Joaquin was expecting.

Upon hearing the news, Joaquin responded with a cold voice, his face darkening a little.

"What? She is hurt? What happened?"

"She was caught in an accident, and it appears that she's been severely wounded. Right

now, we're trying our best to stabilize her condition, but at the same time, we'll need her

family members to sign some papers," the person on the other side of the phone honestly

answered.

"I'll be on my way now." Joaquin hung up the call right away.

Meanwhile, Katherine could roughly tell what was going on, judging from the words that

came out of Joaquin's mouth. The next second, the man stepped on the gas pedal and

sped off on the road without even bothering to ask Katherine whether she wanted to tag

along with him. However, Katherine only responded by curling her lips upward while

looking outside the window. As he kept his foot steady on the gas pedal, the car traveled

on the highway at lightning speed for the next two hours until they arrived at Hovington

Hospital. It wasn't until Joaquin parked his car that he realized Katherine had been sitting

next to him all the time. While he appeared to be hesitant about that, Katherine sensibly

stepped out of the vehicle upon noticing his reaction. She then smiled and replied, "Don't

worry about me. I'll find my way back."

"Alright." Joaquin looked at the lady in silence and responded with a grunt before dashing

into the hospital.

When Joaquin arrived at the emergency ward, he saw the door closed with a young nurse

standing outside. As soon as she saw Joaquin, she quickly walked up to him and asked,

"Are you Beatrice Muller's next of kin?"

"How is she now?" Joaquin radiated a cold aura, his face showing an intimidating

expression.

"Her condition is pretty serious because the nerves around her legs have been severely

damaged." The nurse proceeded to hand over a document to Joaquin. "We need your

signature on the paper as confirmation before we proceed further."

Joaquin took the document and began to skim through the lines quickly before a

concerned look appeared on his face. Beatrice's condition is pretty serious, and

amputation seems to be the best way, but she is too young to lose her legs. Isn't this a

little too harsh for her? At the thought of that, he knitted his eyebrows, his eyes glued to

the words on the papers without saying a single word at all. A few moments later, he

asked, "Is there no other way?"

"Well, you could contact some of the most well-known neurosurgeons from abroad and see

if any of them could treat a damaged nervous system because I'm afraid that's not

something we're capable of at the moment," the nurse replied.

Joaquin's heart sank when he heard that because he reckoned Hovington Hospital was just

as good as the ones in Bellerium. Therefore, the doctors would likely not be able to help if

Beatrice's doctor couldn't. Nevertheless, he insisted that the doctors from Cechirus were

just as good as those abroad. Thus, he had no intention of seeking help from abroad.

"Alright, I get you. Please have the operation postponed." Joaquin returned the document

to the nurse.

The nurse paused for a second and took it. "Sure, as you wish, Sir." She turned around and

returned to the emergency ward upon finishing her sentence.

Two hours later, Beatrice was finally taken out of the emergency ward. While she was still

unconscious, the bruises on her face were apparently noticeable. "Her condition is stable

for the time being, but like I suggested, I think it's better for her to go through an

amputation. You might want to make up your mind in no more than a week because if you

fail to do so, she could suffer from necrosis that may spread to the rest of her body. By

then, it'll only get worse." The doctor, who seemed to be in his forties, made his point in a

serious manner. After offering Joaquin his word of advice, he turned around and walked

away.

On the other hand, Joaquin sat beside the bed, having his eyes glued to Beatrice, who was

unconscious with a darkened expression. A few moments later, he reached for his phone

and gave Ben a call. "I want to know the truth behind Beatrice's accident. Find out what

happened and let me know. Besides, I'll need you to contact and bring the best

neurosurgeon in the country to Hovington Hospital."

"What's going on, Mr. Levisay?" Ben was stunned, as if he could see Joaquin's stern look

even though he could only hear his serious tone.

"Beatrice is caught in an accident, and she may need to have her legs amputated,"

Joaquin answered his question directly.

"What? An amputation? That's serious. Why didn't you ask Miss Cornell for help? She is an

impressive doctor, and maybe she has a way to…" Ben paused mid-sentence and said, "I'll

get on with the investigation right away, Mr. Levisay!" He hung up the call as soon as he

finished his words.

In the meantime, Joaquin furrowed his eyebrows, with Ben's words repeatedly echoing in

his mind. If Katherine agrees to treat Beatrice, there is a chance that Beatrice could keep

her legs. Despite the thought of that, he immediately gave it up because he was aware of

the bitter rivalry between Beatrice and Katherine, knowing it wouldn't be appropriate to

approach Katherine for help in that regard. Therefore, he gave up the idea of asking for

Katherine's help, thinking he should wait until Beatrice came around while trying to figure

out who the culprit was.