After her rebirth
Chapter 81

Lately, Maximilian had been swamped. By the time he made it to the hospital, Katniss was already out cold.

The next morning, when she woke up, nurse Mira mentioned that Maximilian had swung by, hung out for a bit, and then took off. He always left around midnight.

But there was something else bugging her.

Every morning and evening, she got these texts from an unknown number. Just simple greetings and concerns.

While sipping the porridge Felix brought, her phone buzzed on the table.

She glanced at the time. Right on schedule.

Putting down the spoon, Katniss picked up her phone and checked the message. Yep, it was from that unknown number.

[Good morning, it's getting colder today. Keep warm, and remember to close the window to avoid catching a cold.]

She read it and then calmly deleted the message.

She had a pretty good idea who it was-probably Ramon. But who said she had to reply?

If she were still the naive girl from her past life, she might've felt bad, thinking she hurt Ramon's feelings.

But now, after living for decades, Katniss saw through Ramon's little games.

He wasn't putting in any real effort.

Did he think a few sweet words and some concern would win her over?

After finishing breakfast, Katniss rinsed her mouth and looked at herself in the mirror. The wound on her forehead had started to scab and was a bit itchy. She didn't dare scratch it, worried it would leave a scar. She lifted her shirt. The bruises that were once blue and purple had turned reddish-purple and were less swollen.

Thanks to Maximilian, Katniss had a thorough check-up on her arm.

The results showed it was just external injuries, no bone damage, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.

Lying back on the hospital bed, Katniss pulled out the book Juniper had brought her and started reading. She'd been in the hospital for almost a week and had fallen behind in her studies. After studying all morning, her eyes were sore, and she felt a bit foggy.

"Your body's just starting to get better. Rest up; you can catch up on your studies later."

That familiar voice.

It was Dylan.

Katniss closed the book and looked at Dylan, her eyes flickering as she calmly said, "Dylan."

Dylan, wearing a white coat, walked in, pulled up a chair, and sat by the bed, picking up the book on the table to glance at it.

"Pharmacology?" Dylan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "This is something you should be studying in your junior year. You're a bit early."

Katniss tugged at her lips, "Just browsing."

She lowered her eyes and saw Dylan's well-defined fingers, which were very attractive and seemed perfect for holding a scalpel.

When she died, Dylan was at the peak of his career. As the youngest doctor in Luminous City, many people paid a high price to get an appointment with him, and the wealthy and powerful sought him for surgeries. With such a skilled doctor in the family, Elodie was confident that as long as she donated her organs, Dylan could save Clara.

Katniss suddenly wanted to know if, after her death in her past life, Dylan had used her kidney to perform surgery on Clara. But after a second, Katniss laughed.

She was already dead, so how could Dylan possibly give up Clara's life?

The surgery must have happened.

In her past life, she had given everything to the Manners family and Clara, right up until the end.

"What are you laughing at?" Dylan asked.

His eyes locked onto Katniss's self-mocking smile, tinged with disappointment and a hint of cold sarcasm.

Dylan couldn't quite figure it out.

Ever since Clara and Katniss got jumped by those thugs and ended up in the hospital, Katniss had been acting way different than he expected.

In the past, she might've caused some trouble, but she was never this desperate and reckless.

Katniss's long lashes fluttered, and then she looked at Dylan. "Dylan, if Clara and I were both sick and only one could be saved, who would you save?" "You're both my sisters. I'd save both of you," Dylan said earnestly.

Katniss tilted her head slightly. "But if you could only save one? Saving Clara means I die, and saving me means Clara can't survive."

Dylan instinctively frowned and then suddenly smiled, "Don't joke about stuff like that. It's bad luck to talk about it. You're too old to be competing with Clara."

A surge of mixed emotions welled up in Katniss's heart, and she finally found herself ridiculous.

All along, she had thought Dylan was the most good-tempered one, the only one who treated her kindly and cared for her.

But in this life, she realized that many things were not as she had thought.

Dylan's kindness was mostly a means to keep the peace.

She had thought Dylan was good to her, but he had never explicitly said he would side with her.

It was all her wishful thinking.

"It's my fault for not being there to stop Dad," Dylan said, placing a hand on Katniss's frail shoulder and sighing. "Please forgive Dad, okay? I heard about what happened. Dad was just angry, and you really have a knack for making him that mad."

"Dylan, if you're here to talk about that, you can leave," Katniss said calmly, reopening her book. "It's better for you without me. You won't have to face the dilemma of choosing between saving me or Clara."

"Alright, I won't push you. Think about it yourself." Dylan was very good-tempered.

Then he glanced at the door and said cautiously, "Let's talk about something happy. Clara is outside and has some good news to share with you." Clara had called him, saying she couldn't get into Katniss's room because there were bodyguards at the door, following Maximilian's orders. Katniss blinked. So it was still about Clara.

"Dylan, if it weren't for Clara, would you have come to see me today?" Katniss's eyes were cold, her voice as if carried by the wind, cool and ethereal. "What?" Dylan was confused.

Katniss smiled slightly, "Nothing, let Clara in."

She was also curious to hear what good news Clara was so eager to share.

With Katniss's permission, the people outside finally let Clara in.

Clara was dressed elegantly today, wearing a suit and white boots, with her long hair falling to her shoulders, making her look both charming and pure.

"Katniss," Clara called out, then took an invitation from her bag and said happily, "You're my sister, and I wanted to tell you this good news first. Carlton has agreed to my marriage with Desmond, and the engagement is set for next month." "Get well soon and be my bridesmaid, okay?" she asked.