Chapter 483: No, I Can

“As for deliberately luring you here, that’s not quite right. I was just holding on to a sliver of hope.”

“What hope?”

“A lot has changed. Dr. Donovan’s research is progressing much faster than before. It even attracted national attention ahead of schedule, granting him effective protection. When you trace it all back, the one variable in all of this is you. So I was hoping you would discover what happened to me, or that someone would tell you, and that you’d be willing to come see me of your own accord.”

Hearing this, Arabella Donovan couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion. ‘This is what you call an effective rebirth!’

‘Rebirth only allows one to foresee certain events, avoid risks, and make up for regrets. It can’t change a person’s inherent intelligence or nature. The woman before her and Julian Spencer were prime examples.’

At this thought, Arabella Donovan’s gaze filled with pity and sympathy.

‘If not for the plot being dragged down by the fanfiction author’s awful continuation, a person with her skill and drive could have thrived anywhere. Instead, she was here, having lost her chance to work in her dream lab alongside a mentor she revered. She’d lost her freedom and her dreams, destined to live a life under constant surveillance and suspicion, burdened by a stigma she never should have had to carry.’

“I’m here, just as you hoped. What did you want to say to me? Or, do you have an unfulfilled wish you’d like to tell me about?”

Summer Vance wasn’t surprised that Arabella Donovan had guessed as much. She gave a faint smile. “I can give my body to you. I can live my whole life under surveillance and control; you can even take my life. But there is one thing I must ask of you.”

Arabella Donovan’s eyes glinted, having already guessed her intent. “About… your grandmother?”

“Yes. Before I moved against Julian Spencer, I sent my grandmother somewhere relatively safe. After this, I hope you can help protect her. Hide what’s happened to me and let her live peacefully until… she passes away of old age.”

As she finished, Summer Vance lowered her eyes. “I know this is an improper and outrageous request. Right now, I have nothing of value to offer in exchange. But my grandmother is my only family in this world, my only tie. At a time like this, I can only swallow my pride and beg for your mercy.”

Arabella Donovan didn’t find Summer Vance’s request all that offensive. Given her unique situation, asking for protection for her only living relative wasn’t an excessive demand. She was just surprised at the trust and high hopes the woman had placed in her. After all, they had only met once and exchanged a few words.

Thinking this, Arabella voiced her question.

Summer Vance just smiled. “You’re Dr. Donovan’s sister. I trust him, so naturally, I trust you. Besides, you could tell something was wrong with me from our first meeting and even offered to help. Your skills and character are beyond question. And…”

Summer Vance first offered some conventional praise for Arabella Donovan before revealing her true thoughts.

“Aside from you, I can’t think of anyone else I can trust or depend on right now.”

Sincerity, it seems, is the ultimate trump card. Summer Vance’s frankness made Arabella feel an even deeper sense of sorrow and pity for her.

“I can promise you I’ll protect your grandmother and let her live out her golden years in peace.” ‘But the golden years an elderly person hopes for would surely involve having younger family around, spending time with them, laughing and chatting, enjoying that familial bliss. That was something Summer Vance was fated never to provide, and something Arabella couldn’t help her achieve.’

Summer Vance was clearly aware of this as well. She nodded and said gratefully, “Thank you.”

The two then spoke a bit more about “that voice” she had mentioned. Before leaving, Arabella looked into Summer Vance’s soft eyes and couldn’t help but ask probingly, “Do you… regret it?”

‘Regret turning yourself in? Regret throwing away your future for someone so unworthy?’

Summer Vance’s voice was gentle yet firm. “No. Never.”

‘Coming here wasn’t just about refusing to be Julian Spencer’s disgusting accomplice and letting him get what he wanted. Nor was it simply about making him pay for his actions in this life and the last. More importantly, she knew better than anyone the significance of Dr. Donovan and his research.’

‘Protecting him and his work meant protecting a lifeline for countless cancer patients. She would pay any price for that, even if it cost her everything.’

‘It was a personal matter, but it was also for the greater good.’

Arabella Donovan was deeply moved, but ultimately said no more, turning to leave with Aurora Donovan and the others.

The moment she stepped out of the room, a voice dripping with malice suddenly echoed from within. “You can’t change anything, and you can’t save them. Mortals can never defy fate.”

Arabella Donovan stopped in her tracks. She didn’t turn back to look at the person in the room, who had likely transformed yet again. Lowering her gaze, she replied in a voice only she could hear, “No, I can. And so can they.”

Once they were out of the hospital, Arabella Donovan asked one of the staff members assigned to them in a low voice, “Have your superiors said what the arrangements for her will be?”

“Previously, the hospital’s diagnosis was schizophrenia with a second personality. However, based on your conversation with her today, while the official diagnosis might not change, our department’s file on her will be updated, and the arrangements for her care might also be adjusted.”

Arabella Donovan read between the lines. ‘In other words, while a psychiatric hospital might have been awaiting Summer Vance before, now she might be sent somewhere else.’

“I understand. Assign more people here to monitor her every move. If she does anything out of the ordinary, stop her immediately. I’ll speak to your director about this directly. I’ll have to trouble you to pay close attention to her for the time being.”

The “attention” Arabella spoke of wasn’t just about watching to see if Summer Vance would try to harm anyone else; it was also out of concern that she might turn that harm upon herself.

‘After all, based on her descriptions, the entity lurking in her mind—the one trying to brainwash her, capable of temporarily hijacking her body to do its bidding—was extremely goal-oriented.’

‘Who knew if it would fly into a rage, realizing that Summer Vance was now contained and unable to follow its script, and decide to turn on her, manipulating her body to harm itself?’

‘Unlikely, but not impossible.’

“You’re too kind, Miss Donovan. It’s our duty.”

As they were speaking, one of the staff members suddenly answered a phone call, then leaned over to whisper something in the ear of the man who had just been speaking with Arabella.

The man’s expression changed slightly, his eyes flickering toward Arabella Donovan as he listened.

Seeing this, Arabella’s brow furrowed as a sudden sense of foreboding washed over her.

“What happened?”

“Miss Donovan, Cole just received word… Yuri Quincy is dead.”