Mr. Burton let out a heavy sigh. "Alright."


    Strictly speaking, the news about Ste shouldn''t be told to her first—it should go


    to her family. But in the room, everyone present was a friend. As for Haynes...


    well, he was more of an ex-husband now, hardly family anymore.


    To keep it from Ste, in front of all her friends, felt almost disrespectful. He


    sighed again. "Alright," he said.


    If Mr. Burton said he could save someone, he could. If he said there was no hope,


    then there really was none.


    He turned to Ste, his voice gentle but grave. "Ste, the best I can promise is


    that your hands will look normal again—the bones will set properly, and you


    shouldn''t feel pain when it rains. In your daily life, no one will even notice


    anything''s wrong. You''ll be able to work and live as usual. But..."


    He paused, exhaling deeply, the weight of it all clear on his face.


    "Your fingers won''t be as nimble as they once were. ying music will be very


    difficult. Even painting will be affected. Especially... your left hand."


    Ste had smashed her own right hand—she''d stopped short of destroying it


    crushed by Leonard himself. The damage was so severe it was nearly beyond


    repair. If it hadn''t been for Mr. Burton performing the surgery himself, she might


    have been left with permanent, crippling damage.


    Abby''s tears started falling again. Star was so gifted, a prodigy with the violin—


    more talented than even Harry, the celebrated violinist, and perhaps even more


    gifted than the legendary Nora had been in her prime. Ste was born for music.


    And now, her future—her lifelong passion—had been destroyed. It was a loss


    worse than death.


    Abby looked instinctively at Ste.


    Ste seemed stunned, her face pale, but she managed to keep herposure.


    She turned to Mr. Burton. "Thank you, Mr. Burton. I''ll leave it to you."


    Mr. Burton looked at her with deep regret. Such a tragedy.


    "The sooner your surgery, the better," he said atst. "I''ll have everything


    prepared so we can operate first thing in the morning."


    A surgery like Ste''s required


    careful nning and a lot of


    preparation. Tomorrow morning


    was the earliest possible.


    With another sigh, Mr. Burton left the room, unable to bear staying any longer.


    After he was gone, Ste turned to Haynes and the others. "Could you all give


    Abby and me a moment alone?"


    They quietly filed out.


    Abby leaned over the bed, voice trembling. "Star, I—"


    "Abby, don''t me yourself." Ste


    cut her off gently. "None of this is


    your fault. If we need to me


    someone, it should be the person


    who did this to me, not another


    victim."


    She tried for a wry smile. "Honestly, I was worried I''d never be able to take care of


    myself again."


    Abby wiped her tears. "Then I''ll take care of you for the rest of your life!"


    Ste reached out and squeezed


    Abby''s hand. "Come on now, you


    need to stop crying. You''re still


    recovering from nearly drowning,


    remember? You should rest too."


    Abby shook her head. "I''m fine, I''m not tired."


    Ste knew Abby was wracked with guilt and didn''t push her to leave. Instead,


    she changed the subject.


    "By the way, where are Joshua and Foreman? Did they head home?"


    Abby sniffed. "I think Foreman''s still handling some things. As for Joshua..."


    She hesitated, her expression a little odd.