The Day Our Promise Breaks

Chapter 560

Eighteen hours. That was how long the surgery lasted.

The surgeons removed the charred, necrotic tissue from Charles's thigh, managing, for now, to save his left leg.

But from the very top of his thigh, much of the muscle had to be excised to stave off infection.

What had once been a powerful, sculpted leg was now pitted and disfigured, stripped of its former strength.

This was the conservative treatment plan Charles had chosen himself.

He knew the odds of saving his leg this way were vanishingly slim.

He knew, too, that for the next months he would endure a pain few could even imagine.

Months of agony, only to likely lose the leg in the end. Amputation would probably be inevitable.

But still, Charles chose to try.

He wasn't afraid of pain. What terrified him was being left incomplete-becoming someone unworthy of saying he loved Evelyn, unworthy of her.

One month later.

Hospital room.

The doctor came in to clean Charles's wound.

Layer by layer, the gauze was peeled away, exposing the raw, bloody flesh of his thigh.

So much muscle had been lost, the wound needed daily cleansing and

sterilization to prevent infection and give what little hope there was for muscle regrowth.

Every cleaning was a kind of torture.

Just as he had every day for the last month, Charles's hospital gown was drenched in cold sweat.

he bit down on his lip, enduring in

was slow-the muscle loss was simply

at least, there was

expressionless, let the orderly help

Evelyn's hair streaked with gray. After Ms. Josephine's words to him, the light in Charles's eyes had gone

now, he'd seemed hollow, as if

I'll tell her it was you who saved her and Ms.

believed, once, Evelyn

had risked his life for her and Josephine-exactly the

always hoped for-maybe her heart

even if only to sit by Charles's side for a

Mr. Jenkins wanted

Charles wouldn't seem so lifeless every

Charles shot Aiden a cold, forbidding

Absolutely not.

one was to contact

simply what I ought to do,"

would never use the debt of a life saved to trap Evelyn

one last time, Aiden. Don't go

"Yes, Mr. Jenkins."

dared not

Jenkins, these are

for today," Aiden

today,"

as he over a thick

papers.

of them required

Charles worked through

video conference call that lasted

was done, Aiden returned to

back against the pillows and pulled his tablet

one daily ritual