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.

time, he bit down on his

was slow-the muscle loss was simply

there was

the orderly help him

Ms. Evelyn's hair streaked with gray. After Ms. Josephine's

as if all the life had been

go to Ms. Evelyn. I'll tell her it was you who saved her and Ms. Josephine..."

believed, once, Evelyn

Charles had risked his life

for-maybe her

if only to sit by

Jenkins

perhaps Charles wouldn't seem so lifeless

Aiden a cold,

Absolutely not.

was

Josephine was simply what I

the debt of a life saved to trap Evelyn into

time, Aiden.

"Yes, Mr. Jenkins."

dared not

Jenkins, these are

for today," Aiden

for today,"

he over

papers.

of them required

Charles worked through

conference

it was done, Aiden returned

leaned back against the pillows and pulled his tablet

had one daily ritual