Catherine returned to Wren Wynter’s side, dejected. She opened her mouth, wanting to talk about what had just happened, but she didn’t know where to begin.

She snatched the gauze from Wren Wynter’s hands. "Dr. Wynter, go get some rest! Let me take over!"

Wren Wynter was confused. "What’s wrong?"

While bandaging the patient in front of her, Catherine told her everything that had just happened.

Just as Wren Wynter opened her mouth to speak, a panicked shout suddenly erupted nearby.

"Dr. Wynter, Dr. Wynter!"

"Quick, save him!"

"Hurry!"

The patient on the stretcher was severely injured. The gauze on his head was soaked through with blood, his right sleeve was empty and torn in half, and his pants were drenched with blood from a leg wound.

Wren Wynter had them carry him inside immediately to prepare for emergency surgery.

Shaun Quinn also noticed the severity of the patient’s condition. He handed off his work to another doctor and walked over.

"I’ll assist you."

The operating room was crude, little more than an open-air space with extremely poor sanitary conditions.

They found an anesthetic and injected it directly into the patient, then began treating the wound with intense focus.

Soon, Shaun Quinn discovered a serious problem. "There’s a lot of shrapnel left in his severed arm. We’ll have to amputate higher up."

Wren Wynter closed her eyes. It was a miracle the patient had even survived this long.

’If a life can be saved, then we must save it.’

In a war zone, life was also the cheapest commodity.

"Amputate," she said, her voice heavy.

After a volunteer prepared the necessary tools, they worked quickly, debriding the wound and then suturing it meticulously.

By the time the surgery was over, the sky above the war zone was pitch-black, without a single star in sight.

It seemed to foreshadow that this war would not end so easily.

「The next morning.」

Wren Wynter was jolted from her sleep by the sound of artillery. She scrambled out of her tent to see the medical staff busy moving the wounded.

Shaun Quinn and Kaden Xavier both came looking for her at the same time. They only relaxed slightly after seeing she was unharmed.

Wren Wynter and Kaden Xavier’s eyes met. An unspeakable silence hung between them.

Kaden Xavier glanced at Shaun Quinn beside him, then took a step back as if making a major concession. "You two should get back to it," he said. "The patients need you."

Wren Wynter’s heart skipped a beat.

’This is the Kaden Xavier I know—so arrogant—yet he’s showing me respect and acknowledgment in a way I never expected.’

’This was the kind of gesture I once longed for but could never attain.’

Wren Wynter suppressed the turmoil in her chest and nodded at Kaden Xavier. Then, she and Shaun Quinn threw themselves back into their work.

The main medical camp packed up and began to relocate.

But they hadn’t gotten far before bombers flew in from behind them.

A single bomb was dropped, and in an instant, their previous location was obliterated.

They finally finished setting up camp in a new location just before nightfall.

The doctors began checking the patients’ wounds one by one.

Many had their injuries worsen from the strain of the move. Some hadn’t survived it at all.

Among them was the patient Wren Wynter and Shaun Quinn had operated on together. He had just pulled one foot back from death’s door, only to be dragged back in an instant.

Wren Wynter stared grimly at the body.

Shaun Quinn patted her shoulder and had a nearby volunteer take the body away.

"Once you’ve been a doctor long enough, you learn to take life and death in stride. Do your best and leave the rest to fate."

Understanding Shaun Quinn’s attempt to comfort and his concern for her, Wren Wynter quickly composed herself and returned to the work that still needed to be done.

Catherine went to find Kaden Xavier, the "tail" that was following the main camp.

Although she never got a warm reception, she had discovered that as long as she mentioned Wren, Kaden Xavier was willing to exchange a few more words with her.

And she was happy to do it.

"Dr. Wynter is a wonderful person. A lot of people in the war zone really like her! She’s a noble person, dedicated to healing the sick and saving lives. A doctor like that deserves everyone’s respect, not to be interfered with or disturbed."

Catherine looked at Kaden Xavier earnestly.

Even though he was the man she was most attracted to, she didn’t want Kaden Xavier to ruin Wren Wynter’s current life.

She could see that Wren Wynter was serious and hardworking. She genuinely wanted the people in the war zone to survive.

"Mm."

When Catherine saw the agreement in Kaden Xavier’s eyes, she felt as if she had found a kindred spirit.

She told him many stories about the Dr. Wynter she had seen, and Kaden Xavier listened intently. This was a completely different Wren Wynter, one he had never encountered, never known.

Kaden Xavier looked up at the sky, his eyes dark and profound.

’In the past, I knew so little about Wren.’

’I was wrong. I admit it.’

’I want to change.’

’And then get Wren back by my side.’

「Noon, at the war zone hospital camp.」

Wren Wynter sat on the ground, resting and drinking water.

’The world is vast, and human affairs are unpredictable.’

She was grateful to still be alive, to still be able to do her best to save those in need.

’My old self was so confined, trapped within a single household, unable to see the wider world.’

Her thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to the time before her divorce from Kaden Xavier.

After the fall of the Wynter Family and the death of her parents, Helen Sawyer had become increasingly harsh with her.

She not only demanded that Wren uphold her image as Mrs. Xavier of the Xavier Family at all times, but also imposed all sorts of rules on her, as if she were nothing more than a doll on a shelf for people to look at.

But for the sake of love, she had knowingly drunk poison to quench her thirst, enduring the abyss.

’Thankfully, I’ve climbed out of that abyss now.’

"Time to eat!"

A volunteer called out and began distributing supplies.

Kaden Xavier, followed by his bodyguard and carrying a food container filled with an assortment of dishes, spotted Wren Wynter in the crowd and walked over.

"All the nearby restaurants have been bombed out. I brought this from the plane."

Worried she would refuse, he quickly added, "You need a healthy diet to make sure your body can handle the high intensity of your relief work."

He held out the food container.

Wren Wynter wasn’t buying it. "Thank you for the kind thought, but I’m fine with the camp’s rations."

"I had this prepared especially for you." Kaden Xavier, still holding the container, stubbornly pressed it into her hands.

Wren Wynter turned and handed the container to Catherine. "It’s a treat from Mr. Xavier."

Catherine’s eyes lit up as she held the food container.

’Heavens knows how long it’s been since I last had a proper meal!’

She said her thanks, and seeing that Kaden Xavier wasn’t going to stop her, she took the container to a corner and began to enjoy her meal.

Kaden Xavier’s face darkened, a flicker of anger in his eyes.

Remembering what Shaun Quinn had said earlier, he suppressed his anger and turned to leave.

Wren Wynter watched Kaden Xavier walk away, a complicated look in her eyes.

’If Helen Sawyer knew Kaden Xavier ran off to a war zone in Aferia, I can’t imagine how crazy she would go.’

’He must be heading back now!’

But the departing Kaden Xavier didn’t get on a plane to leave as Wren Wynter had thought. Instead, he made a phone call, instructing his assistant to arrange for relevant supplies, medical equipment, and medicine to be sent over.

Over the past few days, through Catherine’s stories, he had not only learned about Wren Wynter’s hardships but also understood the camp’s shortage of resources and medicine.

If he wanted to help Wren Wynter, this was something within his power to do.

After listening to the arrangements, Lucas Lynch added hesitantly, "Mr. Xavier, your mother asked yesterday when you’d be back. I managed to put her off, but I don’t know how long I can keep it up."

"What did she say?"

Lucas Lynch said, "Ma’am said she’s looked into several socialites. She says they have great personalities and looks, and she wants you to meet them."

Kaden Xavier said, "Refuse them all."

Lucas Lynch replied, "Understood. Have you confirmed your return itinerary yet?"

"Just do what I told you to do."

Lucas Lynch sighed. "Alright, I’ll take care of it as soon as possible."