Chapter 893

The celebration was both a party and a chance for everyone to unwind. Drinks flowed freely, and the atmosphere was lively and boisterous. Nate also drank, but only sparingly, just like Lena. Both were merely lightly tipsy. For people like them, who wielded scalpels, indulgence was rare—they knew too much alcohol could numb their nerves.

“Are you feeling okay?” Nate finally found an opportunity to speak to Lena. They had been side-by-side most of the evening, receiving toasts and well-wishes, but had not exchanged a word until now.

“Mm,” Lena replied, mimicking the curt tone she had just been silently criticizing Aaron for earlier. It wasn’t intentional—her mood dictated her words. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her, and now, with a bit of alcohol in her system, even keeping her eyes open felt like a monumental task.

“You seem really tired. How about I take you home to rest?” Nate suggested, concern etched on his face.

Lena did want to leave. “I’ll head out myself. Let the others know for me.”

“You’ve had quite a bit to drink—it’s not safe for you to go alone,” Nate started to say, but the words “I don’t feel at ease” got stuck in his throat. He knew that Lena wasn’t receptive to his care anymore. If he pushed too hard, he’d only drive her further away.

“It’s not safe for you to go alone,” he rephrased cautiously.

“I’ll have my uncle pick me up,” Lena replied without hesitation, pulling out her phone.

Nate’s brows furrowed instinctively as he looked at her. She seemed so at ease, so trusting when she spoke of Aaron.

“Why are you living with him now? You used to say you preferred living alone because it’s quieter,” he finally voiced a question that had been bothering him.

While typing a message to Aaron, Lena answered casually, “My parents forced me to move back home, but I didn’t want to, so I went to stay with my uncle instead.”

The knot in Nate’s heart unraveled. So that’s why… He had been worried about something else entirely. The alcohol softened his mood, and suddenly, he felt a touch of relief. “Will you be staying there for long?”

“I hadn’t thought about it before, but now…” Lena trailed off, glancing at the message she had just finished typing.

As she stared at her phone, it dawned on her how much she had come to rely on Aaron. Nate waited, his eyes fixed on her, eager for her answer. Lena hit “Send” and looked up at him. “Now I think I’ll stay for good.”

She wasn’t lying. Before moving in, she had worried that living with Aaron might be awkward or uncomfortable. But after settling in, she realized those fears were unfounded. On the contrary, with Aaron looking after her daily needs, she felt she could finally let her guard down and truly relax.

But for Nate, her words hit like a hammer. Her decision to “stay for good” carried another implication: she enjoyed living with Aaron. Though Aaron was her uncle by title, they were unrelated by blood—a fact Lena had shared with Nate before.

“Lena…” Nate called her name softly, as though he wanted to persuade her, to stop her. But before he could continue, Lena’s phone buzzed.

She opened the message: [I’m waiting for you at the entrance.]

Her heart skipped a beat. It had only been a minute since she’d sent her message, but Aaron was already at the door. That could only mean one thing—he’d arrived earlier, waiting silently for her.

Back when she was with Nate, she was always the one waiting for him, always the one looking forward to his arrival. But now, there was someone quietly doing the same for her. Even if that person was just her uncle, it still made her happy.

She stood abruptly, grabbed her coat, and dashed for the door, forgetting even her bag in her haste. The others in the room looked at each other in confusion. “What happened to Dr. Lane?”

“She wasn’t feeling well, so she left. I’ll take her bag to her,” Nate explained, grabbing her purse and following her out.

But by the time Nate made it downstairs, he was already too late. He saw Lena running toward Aaron. Under the bright lights of the hotel lobby, she ran so fast, so urgently.

Chapter 893

Aaron stood at the entrance, half-hidden in the shadows, his face caught between light and dark. As Lena approached, he extended a hand toward her. In that moment, he didn’t look like an uncle. He looked like a man waiting for the person he cherished most.