Chapter 161
“Katrina, please don’t bring him up again. And stop trying to get involved with him,” Ivy said suddenly, her tone turning serious as she looked at her best friend.
Katrina blinked in surprise, confused. “Why not?”
Ivy hesitated for a moment, then said, “I think… he might have a son. And there’s a woman, too. Maybe someone he’s been keeping secret—the public doesn’t know about her.”
“What?” Katrina’s eyes went wide in disbelief. “Who told you that? That can’t be right! Dr. Ludwig is single—he doesn’t even have any rumored girlfriends.”
“I saw it with my own eyes.”
“With your own eyes?” Katrina's voice shot up. “Where did you see this? Did you ask him? Did he admit it?”
Ivy turned away, frowning slightly at her friend, about to speak—then paused, second-guessing herself. She wasn’t sure if she should say more.
Katrina, seeing her hesitate, grew anxious. “Come on, spit it out. Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
“Well… Yesterday, when I went to the hospital for my follow-up, I brought him some clothes. When I got there, I saw him holding a little boy. Then… the boy’s mother showed up, and the three of them seemed really close, like a family.”
After a brief pause, Ivy finally described what she’d witnessed the day before.
Katrina shook her head. “No way. Maybe that was a relative’s kid or something!”
Ivy didn’t answer, just stared at her in silence.
Katrina thought for a moment, then suddenly snapped her fingers. “Wait! I remember now—the Ludwig family’s oldest, Thad, has three kids. Oldest is a boy, then a girl, then another boy. How old was the little boy you saw? Are you sure it wasn’t Thad’s youngest son?”
Ivy’s expression froze. Could she have misunderstood everything?
Katrina saw the look on her face and nodded knowingly. “See? You definitely got it wrong. No one in our circle has ever said Dr. Ludwig has a secret child. Actually, I’ve only ever heard that his mother, Adela, is desperate for her youngest son to get married—she’s always fixing him up with women, but he never cooperates.”
Ivy muttered, “Never cooperates? Didn’t we walk in on him at a blind date once?”
That time, she’d even paid the bill for him, just to help out.
Katrina remembered. “Well, sometimes he probably can’t refuse. But I’m sure—Dr. Ludwig is single. No way he has a kid!”
Ivy fell silent. Looking back, yesterday’s scene probably didn’t mean anything.
“Forget it. Whether he has a kid or not, it’s none of my business.” Ivy was eager to drop the subject.
Katrina wanted to say more, but Ivy had already gotten up and headed for the stairs. “I’m tired. I’m going to lie down for a bit. You do your thing.”
Back in her bedroom, Ivy curled up in the hanging chair on her balcony, phone in hand, torn. She felt a little guilty about her coldness the day before—totally uncalled for. But calling just to explain would seem too deliberate.
After some internal debate, Ivy settled on a more casual approach and sent a text.
[After I got home, Katrina told me Micah was dragged away by a bunch of men in black. Are you sure that’s a good way to treat your own nephew? Won’t it cause trouble in the family?]
It was a reasonable concern. What if Micah complained to his mom, and she took his side? She’d definitely scold her own brother for that.
After she hit send, Ivy waited for a reply. And waited.
Nothing.
At first, she felt a little anxious. But as the minutes ticked by and her phone stayed silent, she couldn’t help but laugh at herself. Maybe he saw right through her—maybe he realized she was just looking for an excuse to talk, and decided to ignore her. He was always so distant, after all.
Ivy started to regret it, feeling foolish for sending that text—like she’d just embarrassed herself for no reason.
But the truth was, Jamison wasn’t ignoring her. He was just overwhelmed with work. His schedule was packed with surgeries all day, and by the time he finally got out of his scrubs, it was well past nine in the evening.