A Wedding That Never Was Chapter 07
Olivia lay in a coma with a high fever for two whole days before finally regaining consciousness.
Alexander stayed by her bedside. Seeing her open her eyes, he immediately placed his palm on her forehead: “The fever has finally gone down.”
She just stared blankly out the window, keeping her mouth shut, until she heard him say: “I will definitely find a way to heal your legs. I won’t let you lose the ability to stand.”
Olivia jerked her head up and tried to stand up in a panic, but her legs had no feeling, and she fell straight out of bed. Her face was full of anxiety, and her eyes brimmed with tears: “My legs! Save my legs!”
He lifted her back onto the bed, his voice steady: “The nerves in your knees were damaged by the rock wall, causing temporary paralysis. You’ll recover with a minimally invasive surgery, so don’t be afraid.”
His comfort acted like a shot of reassurance, and Olivia finally relaxed.
There was an important performance five days later. Gritting her teeth, she took a pain-blocking injection and forced herself to stand on stage, finishing the entire dance.
The dance troupe surrounded her, clamoring for a celebration, but she smiled and shook her head: “I have surgery tomorrow, so I won’t go.”
Everyone felt it was a pity, but they comforted themselves: “We’ll get together when you recover. There’s plenty of time anyway…”
“I’m leaving.”
She suddenly spoke: “My flight is in three days.”
The noisy crowd instantly quieted down, and someone asked in disbelief: “But your wedding is in four days, and we all received invitations!”
She lowered her eyes, her tone calm: “The wedding is off. Just pretend it never happened.”
Everyone tacitly remained silent; they all knew how much she used to love Alexander.
Olivia suddenly raised her hand and patted the arm of the person next to her: “Why the long faces? Marriage is a cage, and now I’m free. You should be happy for me. Don’t worry, I won’t give up dancing. Right now, it’s all I have left…”
The last few words were so light they almost scattered in the wind.
Seeing Olivia’s relaxed expression, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“Olivia, remember to come back and visit us often. Don’t just disappear without a word!”
Someone suddenly grabbed her wrist, and Alexander’s voice rang out from behind: “Where are you going?”
It was Alexander coming to take her home.
Olivia didn’t answer. She just waved to the dance troupe, and only when she got into the car did she finally speak: “I’m quitting the troupe.”
Alexander’s hands paused on the steering wheel: “Don’t you love dancing the most? Why are you leaving?”
“I find it meaningless.”
Her voice was as still as stagnant water.
He didn’t press further: “I’ve already arranged the surgery. It’ll be done first thing tomorrow morning.”
Olivia thought he would be the chief surgeon, or perhaps a top expert in the field, so she asked no more.
It wasn’t until the next day when she was wheeled into the operating room, in the final moment before the anesthesia took effect, that she clearly saw the chief surgeon’s face.
It was Chloe, and Alexander was actually standing in the assistant’s position.
She would never allow her most precious legs to be handed over to an inexperienced intern for practice.
Panic instantly gripped her heart. She tried to struggle to sit up, but the anesthesia had already flooded her limbs, shattering even her voice into pieces: “Change… change the surgeon… not her… Alexander… you do it…”
Alexander leaned over, coaxing her with a gentle tone: “Be good, Chloe needs clinical practice. She’s top of her class, trust her. Just take a nap, and everything will be fine when you wake up.”
Before she could even finish hearing that sentence, Olivia lost consciousness.
An unknown amount of time passed before the heavy fog of anesthesia gradually dissipated, and Olivia finally opened her eyes.
Her mind was still clouded from the surgery, but her first thoughts immediately rushed back to everything right before the operation.
She desperately tried to move her legs, but her lower body felt as if it were nailed to the hospital bed; no matter how hard she tried, there was no response.
Gritting her teeth, she propped herself up and reached out to grab the bedside cabinet, but her body plummeted uncontrollably, crashing heavily onto the floor.
Panic, like a freezing tide, instantly engulfed her.
The ward door was pushed open, and Alexander walked in with Chloe.
Olivia trembled with fury: “My legs… what exactly happened during the surgery?”
Alexander’s face was full of distress: “It was just a minor accident. Don’t worry, I will definitely find a way to make you stand again.”
If it were truly just a minor accident, he would never have shown such an expression.
Just then, her gaze violently collided with Chloe, who was hiding behind Alexander. That look was filled with undisguised triumph and arrogance.
Before the security footage was retrieved, she had briefly suspected Chloe, but then thought, how could a young girl use such a self-destructive trick just to play the victim?
Only now did she realize that this entire thing had been Chloe’s setup from the very beginning.
Because of her, her father’s ashes were gone, and again because of her, her own legs were ruined.
Fury rushed to her head. Olivia grabbed the ashtray by her pillow and hurled it viciously at Chloe.
Alexander immediately shielded Chloe behind him, his face livid: “Olivia! Are you crazy?”
“She did it on purpose!” Olivia gritted her teeth, her eyes dead-set on Chloe.
Alexander’s face instantly darkened: “Every surgery has risks. Don’t push all the blame onto Chloe, you’re just targeting her too much!”
Olivia froze abruptly. Looking at this familiar yet strange man in front of her, she suddenly let out a self-deprecating laugh.
She should have known earlier—without Alexander’s indulgence and favoritism, how could Chloe dare to be so audacious?
For the following week, she didn’t say a single word, merely cooperating mechanically with various medical examinations. No matter how Alexander solemnly swore every day that he would definitely cure her, she remained silent.
On the evening of the third day, a deposit notification chimed on her phone. It was a sum of money transferred by Arthur, with an attached message: “Olivia, take this money and live well. If you suffer any grievances, come back to Grandpa.”
She hadn’t mentioned her father’s passing to the old man, not wanting to cause him any shock.
Having packed her simple luggage, she was just about to quietly leave the hospital when a message from Alexander popped up on her phone: “Olivia, something urgent came up tonight. The surgery is postponed; we’ll do it after our wedding.”
She didn’t reply.
Not long after, Chloe sent her a photo by mistake. It was Alexander celebrating her birthday at Disneyland.
Olivia took a deep breath, blocking and deleting both of their contacts.
By the time she boarded her flight abroad, dawn was just breaking. The early morning sunlight filtered through the cabin window, gently washing over her face.
She slowly closed her eyes and powered her phone off completely.
When she woke up, she would be ready to embrace a brand-new life.
