Though Mrs. Ludwig was getting on in years, she loved browsing the internet and kept up with every new trend; sometimes, online slang slipped right into her conversations without a second thought.

Thad couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. “Mom, you really shouldn’t talk about young women like that.”

“I’m only telling the truth. Why shouldn’t I say it? Clearly, I underestimated her abilities.”

He fell silent for a moment, then spoke sincerely, “Mom, what happened between me and Davina all those years ago really hurt Jamison. You’ve seen how he’s lived–a monk’s life ever since. I honestly thought he’d never get married. Now that he’s finally found someone he wants to spend his life with, isn’t that what we all hoped for? Why worry so much about Ivy’s past? As long as Jamison is happy, that’s what matters.”

Of course Adela Ludwig understood this, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to accept it wholeheartedly. “I just think… they rushed into marriage. There’s probably no real foundation there. She must have her reasons.”

Thad chuckled. “What you’re really worried about is Jamison getting played. But think about it, Mom–your youngest son is sharp as a tack and twice as cunning. Who could possibly outsmart him? If he doesn’t set a trap for someone else, we should count ourselves lucky.”

Adela shot her eldest a look, momentarily speechless. “Is that really your brother you’re talking about? You make him sound awful.”

Thad just smiled and said nothing more.

Inside the emergency room, Ivy was stuck–Jamison had a firm grip on her wrist, making it impossible to leave, so she crouched down to meet him face-to-face.

“How are you feeling? You’ve been in here three times for the same injury. Why did you have to get involved and end up hurt yourself? Was it really worth it?” Though she sounded like she was scolding him, her words were full of concern.

Jamison gritted his teeth against the pain and looked up at her. “What was he doing when he grabbed you earlier?”

“Nothing, really. Hal and I were looking at those two golden tortoises, and then he suddenly came over and sent Hal off. I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm–and that’s when you showed up.”

Jamison’s expression darkened. He clenched his jaw, then muttered, “If it gets worse, we’ll just have to find a way to send him abroad.”

Ivy raised an eyebrow. “You mean like how you ‘recovered‘ back then?”

He could hear the teasing in her voice and straightened, a bit indignant. “Not the same! I chose to go abroad. Turned grief into motivation, dedicated myself to my studies, worked harder than ever–he’d be getting sent away because nobody wants him around.”

Ivy stared at him, utterly speechless.

He really was full of himself; he never ran out of ways to praise himself.

She thought back to his online handle-"Dr. Handsome." The first time she saw it, she figured he must’ve been compensating for something, probably not much to look at.

Now, though, she had to admit–he had been telling the truth.

Mr. Jamison Ludwig, by any standard, more than lived up to the title “heartthrob.”

After his wound was dressed again, Jamison slowly managed to sit up, sweat beading on his forehead from the pain.

Ivy took a clean piece of sterile gauze from the nurse and gently wiped the sweat from his brow.

“Professor Ludwig, keep your wound dry for the next few days. Don’t strain your arm, and try to sleep on your stomach if you can. Since it’s at risk of infection, you’ll need to keep up with the antibiotics–and remember, come in every day to get the wound checked and disinfected.”

Though Jamison himself was a surgeon and knew all this by heart, the attending doctor still ran through the list of instructions.

Ivy memorized every word, determined to make sure Jamison didn’t get reckless again–this time, she was going to see him through his recovery, no matter what.

The two of them walked out of the ER together, where Mrs. Ludwig was waiting anxiously just outside.

“Well? Is everything taken care of? Will he need to be admitted? Should we head to a room or… what’s next?” she fired off one question after another.

Jamison’s expression was calm. “I’m going back to my apartment, Mom. You should head home and get some rest, too.”