Last night, the nurses'' station had been buzzing with talk about him. But today,


    she was witnessing the unbelievable reality: the man''s hair had turned partly gray overnight for the woman in the hospital bed.


    The gray strands stood out against his thick, dark hair. While it didn''t detract from his handsome features, it was a heart-wrenching sight.


    The nurse quietly finished her work and left. When she told her colleagues, they were all astonished. Working in a hospital, they had seen their share of human tragedy, but something as dramatic as hair turning white from stress overnight was rare.


    "Are you serious?"


    "Completely. He''s so handsome, I took a few extra looks at himst night. His hair was all ck then. But this morning, there are patches of gray. If he gets any more stressed, he might end up with a full head of white hair."


    "That Dr. Sutton is his ex-wife, right? You all saw the news. He gave her eightpanies as part of the divorce settlement. It was a huge story!"


    While the nurses whispered at their station, the hospital room remained silent.


    It was three in the afternoon.


    Eleanor''s eyshes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.


    The first thing she saw was the sterile white ceiling of the hospital room. A few seconds after her consciousness returned, a low, gentle voice asked, "You''re awake?" It wasn.


    Eleanor turned her head slightly, and her gaze met a pair of eyes shot through with blood-red veins. Her eyes then traveled past his face andnded on the silver threads that now streaked through his dark hair.


    She froze for a moment, her eyes fixed on his hair.


    "Does your heart feel strange? Should I call the doctor?"n asked, his voice hoarse as he studied her expression.


    Eleanor shook her head, but she


    couldn''t tear her gaze away from the gray in his hair. She opened her


    mouth to ask something, but no words came out.


    She remembered him from yesterday morning. His hair had beenpletely ck.


    What had happened to him? Had some tragedy struck? While she was unconscious, did something happen to his mother? Or was she... gone?


    The thought wasn''t unreasonable. Such a sudden change was almost always triggered by a profound shock.


    Fel


    "The doctor said it was extreme fatigue that caused an arrhythmia. You need to stop all your work immediately. The man''s tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.


    Eleanor pushed herself up into a sitting position. "How long was I asleep? Where''s Evelyn?"


    "I had Joslyn keep Evelyn home from school. She''s taking care of her. You''ve been asleep for ten hours."


    "Your mother..." Eleanor asked softly.


    "My mother''s condition is stable. Serena is also stable. Dr. Smith is monitoring everything, so you don''t have to worry,"n answered immediately.


    Eleanor''s eyes once again fell on the gray in his hair. If his mother and sister were fine, why had his hair turned gray overnight?


    A strange tightness gripped her chest. She didn''t know what it was, but she


    instinctively shied away from probing any deeper.


    Eleanor assessed her own condition


    and felt mostly recovered. "I''m fine now. You can go," she told him


    Then seeing his rmingly red eyes,


    she looked away. "Or maybe you should go home and get some rest."


    "You''re overthinking it," Eleanor replied coolly.