Malvina paused for a moment, her mind racing.


    Did she like Ulrich?


    Tucking a curl behind her ear, Malvina''sughter wasced with allure. "You don''t get it, sometimes


    liking someone just isn''t enough. And besides, I like you too, Dr. Lowry."


    Malvina was the kind of stunning, bold beauty one would expect to see on the silver screen, not in


    real life. Her vivacious personality and exotic charm were irresistible.


    Dr. Lowry blushed a deep shade of crimson at her teasing promation – something she’d only


    seen in movies!


    "If Dr. Schnabel and I were in school, he''d be the teacher''s pet, and I''d be the teacher''s headache.


    We''re not exactlypatible." Malvina''s fleeting sadness was quickly masked. "Besides, he


    deserves better, certainly not me."


    After all, she was the rebel with a cause, and Ulrich, with his gleaming reputation as a medical


    prodigy, was out of her league!


    Patting Dr. Lowry''s head, Malvina smirked, "I''ll see you around. Next time, dinner''s on me."


    "Weren''t you supposed to invite Dr. Schnabel for dinner?"


    "I did say that, but he doesn’t know. What’s wrong with us beautiful women being a bit


    unpredictable?."


    Malvina''s whole body ached, and she had no desire to wait here for Ulrich. What if catching sight of


    Ulrich''s face triggered some inappropriate thoughts again?


    Sienna, Noe, and ra had been nothing but kind to her.


    "I need to be grateful," she murmured, her voice bitter.


    The Schnabel family had been so good to her, yet she contemted pulling Ulrich into her chaos.


    That was too cruel!


    Frustrated, Malvina decisively brushed her hair back. "No more visits to this hospital. I''ll find


    another. Take care, I''ll treat you next time!"


    "Ms. Gruber... Goodbye."


    With her bag in tow, Malvina stormed out as if being chased by shadows.


    ...


    In Calvin''s office, the atmosphere was different.


    Lavinia Richardson, dressed in a vintagece-trimmed dress with a string of pearls around her


    neck, exuded a timeless grace, as soothing as a gentle spring breeze.


    Calvin greeted her with a warm smile. "Ms. Richardson, wee back. No need to be nervous. Ms.


    Schnabel has been shadowing me in medical training; think of her as my intern."


    Under the table, Noe''s foot found Calvin''s with a swift kick. He really thought of himself as her


    mentor.


    The pretext was a convenient one, albeit Calvin''s skills were hardly a match for Noe''s.


    Lavinia''s eyes softened as she looked at Noe, radiating maternal warmth. "If I had a daughter as


    smart and beautiful as Ms. Schnabel, I''d be the happiest woman alive. Though, I do have a lovely


    daughter."


    Noe was taken aback. "You have a daughter?"


    Lavinia nodded, her voice tender, her brows knitted with faint sorrow. "Yes, but I don''t know where


    she is. I''ve looked everywhere at home. I fear they''ll think she''s a figment of my imagination. Ms.


    Schnabel, my mental health isn''t great; I don''t want to worry my father."


    Noe looked at Lavinia and suddenly asked, "Lavinia, do you remember what my sister ate when


    west visited?"


    "Last time? Ms. ra had a walnut pastry. That was our first meeting."


    Noe nodded, her expressionplex.


    "Do you remember Jacob?" Noe asked, veering the conversation.


    Lavinia, surprised, pondered before responding. "Yes, but it''s been years since we parted. Ms.


    Schnabel, you’re engaged to Palmer Pock, so you might have met Jacob. Is he well?"


    "He''s fine."


    "That''s good to hear," Lavinia sighed, a shadow of mncholy crossing her features.


    "Previously, you showed me pictures of Grandpa Lucian in his youth. He looked quite dashing."


    "Did I? I seem to have forgotten."


    The first time Noe and ra visited the Richardson Manor, ra didn''t eat walnut pastry. It was


    evident that Lavinia had forgotten about it.


    Noe decided not to press further, handing Calvin a special request for medical tests.


    "Just follow this list for the examination, Lavinia. Goodbye."


    Lavinia expressed her gratitude politely, took the list, draped ace shawl over her shoulders, and


    departed the office with elegance.


    Calvin asked, "Why did you request a special examination?"


    "We need to run these tests for dissociative phenomena."


    Calvin was momentarily astonished, and eximed, "You suspect... she has dissociative identity


    disorder? But after all these years, I haven''t noticed anything!"


    Noe spoke with seriousness, "Her two personalities are very simr, but their ents and


    cognitive abilities arepletely different, showing significant disparities."


    Noe recollected every encounter she had with Lavinia.


    She produced a piece of paper, "Let’s temporarily assume she has two personalities. One speaks


    with a southern ent, while the other has an Imperial City ent. One prefers tailored business


    wear, while the other favors vintage dresses. Their personalities are so simr that it''s


    understandable you haven''t noticed."


    Lavinia''s memory showed discrepancies.


    "The medical records state that she suffers from severe forgetfulness, dizziness, and ringing in the


    ears, with instances of fainting and hospitalization during severe episodes. But she always recovers


    after a few days in the hospital. I believe it''s because one personality falls ill while the other remains


    unaffected."


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Calvin remained somewhat shocked.


    "Dissociative Identity Disorder, it usually kicks in after some heavy trauma, right? Ms. Richardson


    didn''t have a shot at something like that!"


    From what Calvin knew about Lavinia, the Richardson family kept her under such tight wraps that


    something so drastic couldn’t possibly have happened to cause a split personality.


    Noe spoke up, her tone light, "There was something. She mentioned she had a daughter."


    "And what''s that supposed to prove? Couldn''t that just be a figment of one of her alternate


    personalities?"


    "No, she actually had a daughter. So, it''s likely that the trauma urred during childbirth, leading to


    the split."


    Noe let out a sigh.


    "I suppose her primary personality is aware she had a child but lost her. That''s probably why there''s


    a second personality telling her to forget it all."


    Calvin was all questions.


    "You''re saying she really has a daughter? Howe I never knew about this!"


    Noe shot back, "Well, you''re not her dad, why would you know?"


    Calvin''s eyes widened. "And you''re not either! How do you know about it?"


    "Is it so strange I know more than you?"


    Noe packed up her things and walked away, with Calvin calling after her.


    "Hey, make sure you fill me in on the treatment n, alright? Where are you off to?"


    There was a hint of cheer in Noe''s voice. "Off to grab a bite with a friend, and to check if Lorne is


    really gone for good."


    Calvin was even more puzzled. Wasn''t Palmer Noe''s fiancé? How did he be just a friend?


    "Is that what the young folks are calling their significant others these days?"