Love's Prescription: The Small-Town Girl Is An Extraordinary Healer

By the time March rolled around, Shoildon was buzzing with one jaw-dropping news after another.

Word spread first that Isaac Bennett-the eldest son of the city's wealthiest and most influential family-had been in a devastating car crash, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

Another shock followed quickly: the prestigious Bennett family had chosen to bind themselves to the newly risen Willis family through marriage.

The biggest stir came from the pairing itself-the groom, none other than the now-disabled Isaac, and the bride, the Willis family's eldest daughter, a young woman raised far from the city's refinement in an isolated rural backwater.

Miles away from the glittering skyline, Verena Willis, the name on everyone's lips, remained in Trisas, the rural place she'd always known.

The chime of an incoming message broke the silence of the modest living room where she sat.

One glance at the screen showed a message from her assistant.

The text read, "Evelyn, I've got a patient with an extremely rare case. They've been waiting for you for six months. When can you come take a look?"

The screen dimmed as Verena pressed the power button, her delicate fingers lingering over the device. In her clear eyes, sorrow flickered.

Around the world, people knew her as Evelyn Rowe-the miracle-working healer-but fame meant nothing when she couldn't save the person she loved most. Her grandmother had slipped away the moment she picked up her scalpel, unable to wait any longer.

From behind her came the muffled edge of her parents' voices, their quarrel leaking through the thin walls of the house.

"Laura, have you no sense of timing? My mother's barely in the ground, and you're already talking about leaving!"

"Alec, the company is drowning in unfinished business, and Kaia's eighteenth birthday party is right around the corner. Tell me, which is more important-a pile of work and a major family celebration, or a dead person? Besides, we need Verena back in the city so she can learn proper manners. If she acts like some country hick girl after joining the Bennett family, it'll be the Willis name everyone laughs at!"

"Stop calling her a country hick girl. She's your daughter!"

"If she weren't my daughter, do you think I'd bother making the trip to fetch her?"

Verena stifled a small laugh as their bickering went on.

The two people arguing in the room were not strangers but her own parents, Alec Willis and Laura Willis.

Once, they had been ordinary employees, clawing their way up inch by inch until success finally came.

Back in those early years of scraping by, they had no time for a child, so her grandmother, Shawna Willis, had taken her in when she was only a month old.

Even with their hectic schedules, her parents had still managed to think of her now and then, sending word or a token of affection when they could.

The change in their priorities began the moment their business took off and they launched their own company. At seven years old, Verena gained a younger sister, Kaia Willis, and from that day forward, her parents' interest in her began to fade. As the Willis fortune grew, they slid seamlessly into the ranks of high society.

Laura would call from time to time, but her conversations were never about Verena's schooling or health. Instead, she would go on about Kaia, the younger sister she called the family's lucky charm, as if Laura's only mission was to brag about the child who supposedly brought them prosperity.

When Kaia turned three, her parents came back to Trisas for a visit.

Alec spoke of moving her and Shawna to Shoildon, yet Verena caught the stiffness in Laura's smile. Later, whatever Laura whispered to Alec was enough to make him drop the idea altogether.

Not long after returning to Shoildon, Laura became pregnant again and gave birth to a son. From that point on, all of their attention went to Kaia and the boy. Money arrived regularly, but they themselves stayed away for fifteen years.

If Shawna hadn't passed away, Verena was certain her parents would have gone on ignoring them entirely.

...

Only after the funeral rites were done did Verena agree to travel to Shoildon with them.

They spoke warmly, as though eager to have her close, but she understood what was really at play. After all, it was easy enough to learn the news in Shoildon with a quick search online.

Laura broke the silence as they neared the Shoildon residence.

"Verena, keep in mind-if anyone asks about your education, you tell them you graduated from Acorith College of Medicine with a master's degree and that you're about to start your internship..."

In her mind, Laura had never pictured Verena as anything more than a small-town clinic doctor. Trisas, after all, was nothing but a secluded mountain town in her eyes.

Since Verena had never attended college-or so she believed-Laura assumed she'd only picked up a few simple skills from the local medics.

The few comments she'd overheard from Shawna about Verena studying medicine had been enough for her to settle on that assumption.

Acorith's medicine program was ranked first in the country, and Laura had no qualms about using its name to prop up her own image. Heaven forbid anyone discover that her eldest daughter's practice was in some rural backwater. That, she thought, would be humiliating.

Verena sneered at Laura's vanity, knowing Laura had never cared to truly understand her.

Ironically, just last month, Acorith College of Medicine had invited Verena herself to deliver a lecture to its students.

In all her life, Laura had never once asked about her education. Once, Verena missed two of the exams due to illness, resulting in low scores. When Laura later learned her scores were low, she had concluded her daughter was unfit for higher learning.

Even when Shawna tried to tell them the good news of Verena's admission to a top-tier university, both parents brushed it aside, mentioning work matters before abruptly ending the call.

After that, Verena and Shawna stopped trying to share anything meaningful with them.

Verena looked Laura in the eye and said evenly, "I never studied at Acorith College of Medicine."

The bluntness made Laura's lips press together. In her eyes, Verena's refusal to play along wasn't strength-it was stubbornness.

Of course she knew Verena had never been a student there; that was the whole point of telling her to lie. Compared to Kaia, who might not match Verena's beauty but had achievements to show for herself, Verena was nothing but an embarrassment.

Before she could scold her, Alec's pointed cough from the front seat forced her to bite back the words.

Letting the matter drop, Laura shifted her focus with a softened tone, the indulgence in it clear.

"Anyway, your sister's used to being spoiled. Try not to provoke her, alright? She gets upset easily and refuses to eat when she's in a mood."

Verena couldn't help finding it all a little ridiculous. Almost eighteen and still carrying herself like a pampered child, Kaia was the very picture of being spoiled.

Their exchange ended as the car rolled to a stop in front of a lavish villa that all but flaunted its wealth.

Verena stepped out first, taking in the grand facade.

From the entrance, a girl in a cute T-shirt and short skirt came dashing toward them-Kaia, in all her youthful eagerness.

"Dad, Mom, you're finally back!" Kaia's voice rang out, bright and eager.

The brightness dimmed when her gaze landed on Verena. Her eyes lingered, scanning Verena from head to toe.

Clad in a plain cream hoodie and pale yellow pants with clean white sneakers, Verena's look was ordinary at first glance. Yet her delicate features, flawless skin, and calm, distant aura gave her a beauty that couldn't be ignored. Nothing about her spoke of years spent in some remote countryside.

Kaia knew exactly who she was looking at-her full-blood sister-but the two had never shared a home.

Life in Shoildon had made Kaia the untouchable little princess of the Willis family, the jewel in their parents' eyes. This sudden reappearance of an elder sister left her with a subtle, uneasy knot in her chest.

"Oh, Kaia, honestly. How can you come outside wearing so little? Aren't you freezing?"

Laura's eyes went straight to the thin fabric Kaia wore before she quickly slipped off her own coat and draped it over her.

With a giggle, Kaia leaned against her mother. "Ha-ha, Mom, it's really not cold at all."

It was a scene warm enough to melt the chill from the air-but Verena had never been part of such moments.

Laughing together, Kaia and Laura headed inside, leaving Verena standing where she was, as though her arrival had already been forgotten.

As she walked, Kaia's eyes found Verena for a brief moment, casting a lingering, unreadable look over her shoulder.

At the sight of his younger daughter, Alec's expression softened, and he turned to bridge the gap.

"That's your sister, Kaia. She's done very well for herself. Scored high marks on her college entrance exams and already secured her spot at Acorith College of Medicine..."