“Come visit your uncle,” Danielle said, avoiding his gaze and turning her eyes on Jason. Her tone held a hint of uncertainty she didn’t even notice herself. “Dr. Gable, thank you… for helping me.”
Jason paused, catching her meaning. He glanced knowingly at Alexander, then turned back with a gentle smile. “It was nothing, really.”
Rebecca glanced between the two, reading the tension in the air. Gathering up her files, she stood and announced, “I’ll go deliver the pre-op notes to the family. You three talk.” As she passed Danielle, she gave her shoulder a reassuring pat, her eyes full of words she didn’t say.
With the door closing softly behind Rebecca, the office settled into a quieter atmosphere. Only Danielle, Alexander, and Jason remained.
Alexander leaned back in his chair, idly tracing the rim of his coffee mug. He didn’t speak, as if deliberately giving Danielle and Jason space.
Jason was the first to break the silence, his voice more solemn than before. “Danielle, there are things Alexander hasn’t told you. But I think you deserve to know.”
Danielle’s heart hammered in her chest. She clutched the hem of her sweater, waiting for Jason to continue.
“It’s about your uncle’s illness,” Jason said. “We actually found a suitable donor three months ago. But at the last minute, they changed their mind. Alexander traveled out of state three times, called in every favor he could, and eventually convinced the donor to agree again.”
“He didn’t want you to worry, so he kept it from you.”
Each word landed in Danielle’s heart like a stone, sending ripples of shock, guilt, and an aching, indescribable sorrow.
She turned to Alexander. He was still leaning back, his gaze lowered, long lashes casting faint shadows under his eyes, making it hard to read his expression.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Danielle’s voice was hoarse. “I… I should have known—”
She should have known, even after all the resentment she’d felt toward him.
He always did things that made her furious, only to turn around and do everything for her sake behind her back.
Jason sighed. “He didn’t want you under more pressure.”
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