Chapter 452

Celeste’s face darkened, her eyes sharpening with a seriousness she hadn’t expected. She’d never have guessed that the woman in front of her—so beautiful, so composed—could be such a force to be reckoned with.

The tension between them was palpable, a silent storm brewing in the narrow space. Neither woman spoke, but the air crackled; it was as if a single word would set off an explosion.

Meanwhile, Jamison pulled up outside Ivy’s dorm. The first day of classes was over, and the dorm matron had already propped up a sign at the entrance: “No Men Beyond This Point.”

Jamison had no choice but to wait outside. He stepped out of the car, pulling out his phone to call his wife.

Just then, a polite voice interrupted him. “Excuse me, are you here for Ivy?”

Jamison turned and paused, recognizing the girl as Ivy’s roommate.

“Hello.” He nodded, his tone courteous but distant.

Roberta eyed him, concern etched on her face. “Why are you only coming to get Ivy now? She was in a bad way earlier—her cramps were so bad she could barely stand, and her face was as pale as a sheet. I told her to go to the campus clinic, but she wouldn’t listen…”

Jamison’s expression changed instantly.

So she had been hiding how bad she felt from him. No wonder she’d changed her mind so suddenly.

“How is she now? Is she in her room?” Jamison’s voice was low and tense.

“I just got back to our dorm, but she wasn’t there. Maybe she went out for dinner?” Roberta glanced at the phone in his hand, frowning. “Didn’t you try calling her?”

Jamison didn’t bother to answer. He immediately dialed Ivy’s number.

Back at the hospital, Ivy had just finished putting Celeste in her place. Seeing Celeste left speechless, Ivy decided she’d wasted enough time. She pulled out her phone and started to walk away, intending to call Jamison.

But she barely took two steps before her heart began to race, a relentless buzzing filling her head. The world tilted violently. She reached out, hoping to steady herself on the wall, but her vision went black and she collapsed in a heap.

Luckily, Celeste caught the sudden sway in Ivy’s body. Her years as a doctor kicked in, and she lunged forward, just in time to grab Ivy before she hit the ground.

“Hey! Ivy, can you hear me?” Celeste tried to hold her up, then crouched beside her, calling her name again and again, but there was no response.

“Averil, get over here! I need a gurney!” Celeste called down the hall to a passing colleague.

Within moments, a team of nurses had Ivy on a stretcher and rushed her into the ER.

Just then, Ivy’s phone started to ring.

Celeste glanced at the caller ID, hesitated only briefly, and answered. “Jamison? This is Celeste. Your wife just fainted. We’re treating her now.”

Jamison heard Celeste’s voice and instinctively pulled his phone away, checking the screen. He hadn’t dialed the wrong number—this was real.

“Jamison, are you there? Ivy just came to the department to see you and suddenly passed out!” Celeste repeated when she got no reply.

It finally sank in—so Ivy had gone to the hospital to find him.

“I understand. She’s on her period and suffers from adenomyosis—the cramps are severe. Please check her with that in mind. I’m coming back to the hospital right now.”

His doctor’s instincts took over. Jamison relayed Ivy’s condition immediately, hoping his colleagues would save precious time and get her the right treatment.

He ended the call, barely remembering to apologize to Roberta before jumping into his car and speeding off.

Ivy had fainted from a combination of low blood sugar and anemia.

Celeste, wasting no time after hanging up, started an IV to get Ivy’s glucose levels up.

About ten minutes later, Ivy slowly regained consciousness.

She opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by nurses and doctors. The attention was almost overwhelming.

She’d been to this department with Jamison before, so many of the staff recognized her. Now, seeing her awake, everyone seemed relieved.

“You need to keep your blood sugar steady, Ivy. Skipping meals isn’t an option for you—it’s dangerous,” a young doctor cautioned her.

Ivy nodded, giving a grateful smile. “I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Professor Ludwig’s on his way, but he’s stuck in traffic. It’ll probably be another half hour,” another colleague explained.

“He already left for the day?” Ivy frowned.

“Yeah.”

Ivy sighed inwardly. Every time she tried to plan a surprise, it always seemed to backfire.

And today, it wasn’t just a surprise—it was a full-blown disaster, right in front of all Jamison’s colleagues.

“You should call Jamison now that you’re awake. He’s been worried sick,” Celeste said coolly, then turned and walked away.

Jamison knows? Panic shot through Ivy. She grabbed her phone and dialed his number at once.

Stuck in rush hour traffic, Jamison saw her number flash on his screen and immediately answered. “Ivy?”

“Jamison, don’t worry. I’m okay now. It was just low blood sugar, nothing serious,” Ivy said quickly, trying to reassure him.

“Nothing serious? Ivy, how old are you? You still can’t take care of yourself? How many times have you passed out like this? How am I supposed to let you stay on campus if you keep scaring me like this?” Jamison’s worry spilled over into frustration, his words tumbling out faster and sharper than usual.