The Ugly Healer: The Only Prescription Is Her Comeback

"Coat, hat, mask..." Eleanor Lloyd whispered the checklist under her breath after she slipped into the blind spot of the security camera. Once she was certain she was ready, she stepped up and knocked on the door of Room 1619.

"Hello, I'm the golden-"

The rest of her introduction vanished as a rough hand seized her shoulder and dragged her inside.

Her bag slipped free and hit the floor, its contents scattering in every direction.

The sudden movement made her head spin, and before she could regain her balance, she was forced down.

Austin Carter shoved her onto the bed, his weight trapping her there while his hands moved with reckless urgency. His breath burned against her skin, heavy and uncontrolled.

Shock snapped Eleanor back to herself. She grabbed his wrist, anger cutting through the panic. "What do you think you're doing? Stop it!"

She had come to negotiate the sale of her Rh null blood, also known as golden blood, to the Murray family's heiress. She was not here for this.

With one hand, Austin caught her wrists and forced them above her head. Then he leaned down and bit into her shoulder, hard enough to break skin.

A cry tore from Eleanor as she fought back, her voice shaking. "Let go of me, or I'm calling the police!"

A bitter mix of chemicals and blood filled her senses, and dread settled deep in her chest. Something was very wrong. This man's movements were erratic, his strength unfocused. Could he be under the influence of drugs?

Austin's breathing grew rough and uneven as he gripped her shoulders, holding her down with brute force to stop her from resisting.

Pain shot through Eleanor's shoulders, sharp enough to make her teeth clench. She shoved at him with everything she had, but her strength meant nothing against his weight.

Austin paid no attention to her resistance. His hands were rough and frantic as he tore at her clothes, his mouth leaving a trail of disordered, unwanted kisses.

Panic drove her instincts. Her fingers swept the space beside her until they closed around something solid. A vase.

Without hesitation, she swung it as hard as she could and struck his forehead.

A low grunt escaped him as his body lurched sideways and collapsed.

Eleanor did not waste a second. She scrambled off the bed, stuffed her scattered belongings back into her bag with shaking hands, and ran from the hotel without looking back.

-

Nearly an hour later, Austin, who had already woken up, sat on a sofa, his expression dark and unreadable.

One long finger tapped steadily against the tabletop, each beat carrying a quiet sense of menace.

Standing nearby, Braeden Owen, his trusted subordinate, glanced at the fresh bandage wrapped around Austin's head before saying, "The woman who came in earlier was wearing a hat and a mask. We never got a clear look at her face."

He held out his phone and played the surveillance footage.

The figure on the screen was tall and slim, dressed in a trench coat and jeans.

A black hat shadowed her features, while a mask concealed the lower half of her face completely.

Austin's eyes hardened as he watched. Anyone with instincts sharp enough to avoid the cameras like that was no ordinary passerby. Whoever she was, she knew exactly what she was doing.

For the past twenty years, ever since he had been poisoned, the episodes never truly stopped.

When they struck, agony tore through him as if his bones were cracking one by one, dragging him toward madness and a violent urge he barely kept contained.

Each episode usually stretched on for five or six hours, which was why he always shut himself away before it could spiral out of control.

This time, though, it ended far too soon.

The blow to his head might have snapped him back to awareness earlier than expected.

Even so, the fact remained that she had come to his room and seen him at his worst, and he had no intention of letting her walk away without consequences.

A cold crease formed between Austin's brows as he tossed the phone back to Braeden. "Track her down using her height and what she was wearing."

Braeden straightened at once. "Understood, sir."

Austin's tone dropped even lower. "Someone tampered with my drink to trigger the episode. Find whoever served it to me tonight. Break their hands and bring them to the Carter Estate."

"Yes, sir."

Austin adjusted his clothes and checked his pockets, his expression darkening further. "My pocket watch is gone."

Shock flashed across Braeden's face. "That was your mother's keepsake. I'll have everyone in the hotel search for it immediately."

"Do it," Austin replied.

A memory surfaced, sharp and sudden. "Before I completely lost control, she mentioned the word Golden. Maybe that's her surname."

"Golden?" Braeden repeated. "Don't worry, sir. I'll find her."

Eleanor had no idea that she had caught the attention of someone as dangerous as Austin Carter.

After making it home, she immediately locked herself in the bathroom, letting the water run scorching hot in hopes that it would wash away the panic still buzzing beneath her skin.

But every time she closed her eyes, flashes of the hotel room haunted her. Fear and humiliation welled up until she couldn't hold it in-tears spilled freely down her cheeks.

Common sense told her she should march straight to the police and expose what the Murray family had orchestrated.

Her hand reached for her phone, but she stopped cold. Archie Andrews, her boyfriend, lay in a hospital bed waiting for a kidney transplant-the only thing keeping him alive was the hope that she could find a way to pay for his surgery.

Fighting the Murray family in court simply wasn't an option.

Even gathering evidence and pushing a case forward would eat up months she couldn't spare and money she didn't have.

All that effort would only slow down the real mission-raising enough for Archie's operation.

The thought made Eleanor bite down on her lip, swallowing the anger and heartbreak that threatened to rise up again.

After forcing herself to calm down, she set out for the hospital.

At the entrance of the hospital, she felt the sting of defeat all over again. Her desperate gamble to sell a rare blood type had fallen apart, and now she was back at square one.

Three years with Archie had been nothing but a string of hardships.

It started with a brutal car accident. Eleanor had poured every last cent of her parents' accident settlement into his care-over seven hundred thousand dollars spent, every bit of it for Archie's survival.

The second blow had come when Archie's business collapsed. To bail him out, Eleanor sold the only thing she had left from her parents-the family home-just to settle a two-million-dollar debt.

Now, with his life hanging on a kidney transplant, she had run out of options and hope.

She lingered at the hospital entrance, torn between pride and desperation as she debated whether to ask her scheming adoptive father for money.

As she hovered outside Archie's hospital room, hand still inches from the door, a teasing male voice floated out.

"Archie, how long are you going to keep up the act with Eleanor? The Andrews family's heir pretending to be broke-doesn't it ever get old?"

Eleanor stopped cold, disbelief rooting her to the spot. Pretending to be broke? The Andrews family's heir? What were they talking about?

Eleanor's legs nearly gave out as she glanced into the hospital room.

With a careless lift of his shoulders, Archie spoke up. "You tried to win Eleanor over and failed. That was why I played the poor guy to earn her pity. Wasn't the deal that if I managed to get into bed with her, that meant I won? You're only trying to back out now because you can tell I'm close to getting her, right?"

Greg Mills, Archie's friend, waved off the idea before answering, "Fine, I won't back out. But you can't keep spinning lies just to milk Eleanor's sympathy. First a car accident, then a failed company, and now you're saying you need a kidney transplant. How do you even bring yourself to say that?"

There was a sharp edge in Greg's voice as he continued. "Eleanor is juggling three jobs every single day just to scrape together money for your so called surgery. She's running herself into the ground. She may not be pretty, but she's handed you everything she has. Are you really fine treating her this way?"

Archie answered without hesitation, though a trace of discomfort flickered in his eyes before he forced it away, "Why wouldn't I be? That huge mark on her face makes her hard to look at. I told her I cared about her, and she swallowed it whole. She's just stupid."

With a dismissive tone, Greg responded, "Sure. The Andrews family is worth billions, so you can have any beautiful woman you want. Eleanor really is foolish. Getting tricked like this is what she deserves."

Annoyance showed as Archie opened his mouth, then dragged his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Greg reached out, giving Archie a friendly pat on the shoulder as he spoke with thinly veiled excitement. "You've been with Eleanor for a while now. Don't you feel bored? Let me take a turn. She might not stand out, but there's something about her that interests me. I bet she'd be fun."

Without warning, Archie lashed out and kicked him, his voice low and furious. "Get the hell out of here. Eleanor is dead set on saving herself for her wedding night. I haven't even gotten what I want yet!"

Lowering his voice, he added a final warning. "Even if I do sleep with her, you're never touching her. Stop entertaining that idea."

Greg reacted with clear surprise as he spoke. "Archie, don't tell me you're actually starting to like Eleanor."

An uneasy look crossed Archie's face before he retorted with forced confidence, "Don't be ridiculous. How could I fall for someone so ugly?"

Greg responded slowly, "Is that so?"

Without hesitation, Archie jabbed a finger toward Greg's face and said, "Watch what you say. I'm not letting Eleanor find out who I really am yet!"

Just outside the hospital room, Eleanor froze in place as though thunder had crashed directly through her chest.

Shock spread through her as every word sank in. A bet. Getting into bed with her. Just stupid.

Each phrase pierced her heart, sharp and cruel, as if poison were being pushed straight into her veins.

Her entire body shook while she clenched her teeth, until the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

Eleanor was only twenty-one and still a junior majoring in pharmacy at Eplosdon Medical University. She had no steady income to rely on. To raise money for Archie's so called surgery, she took on three exhausting jobs around her classes. She worked mornings at a breakfast shop, spent her afternoons doing manual labor under the blazing sun, and delivered food late into the night. With summer break underway, she pushed herself until midnight and dragged herself back up again at five every morning.

She'd gone so far as to beg for cash from shady lenders. She even secretly sold blood-and for that, she was almost assaulted by a complete stranger! Through it all, Eleanor poured her whole heart into Archie, never suspecting she was nothing but a pawn in his twisted competition. Archie had fooled her completely. He'd promised her that the birthmark on her face didn't matter, insisting he loved her for who she was. Every word was a lie.

Lightheaded and barely able to see straight, Eleanor staggered away from the hallway, her steps unsteady.

As soon as she stepped into the daylight outside, a flood of memories crashed over her and the tears she'd been holding back finally spilled out. It had been three years since that day when danger found her out of nowhere, and Archie stepped in like some sort of hero. That hospital stay brought them together, and from then on, they were inseparable. Archie's sob stories started soon after, and she had fallen for every single one, doing whatever she could to help him cover his debts. She'd always believed Archie was fighting for their shared dreams, never once considering that he could be hiding something so cruel.

Recalling all those moments when Archie pretended to care for her left Eleanor feeling nauseous.

Her phone rang, Archie's name flashing across the screen.

She pressed answer, her features settling into a mask of cold resolve.

With practiced sweetness, Archie greeted her. "Hey, honey, where are you right now? I miss you."

At first, Eleanor wanted to unleash every bit of her anger, to demand the truth from him, to scream and curse until he confessed. But as she listened, her urge faded. No matter what he said, everyone already saw her as a fool.

"Babe, are you there? Still busy working? I'm sorry, it's all my fault. If it wasn't for my sickness, you wouldn't be pushing yourself so much for me..."

"Archie, we're done." She cut him off in a clear, steady tone. "I want to break up."

Archie hesitated for a beat before his voice came through, tight with panic. "Babe, what's going on? Why do you want to break up all of a sudden? If I messed up, I'll make it right. Please, just tell me what I did."

Without another word, Eleanor ended the call.

She quickly erased every trace of him from her phone-his number, every message, everything. Then she headed straight for home in a taxi.

Stepping inside, she didn't waste a second. Every one of Archie's things went straight into the trash.

She stopped at her dresser and yanked open the drawer, staring down at the so-called gifts he'd given her over the years-a pile of origami hearts he'd folded on her birthday, a ring made out of grass from a Valentine's Day that felt hollow now, and a handful of cheap plastic snowflakes from a Christmas Eve walk that was supposed to be romantic.

Once, these little tokens had felt precious to her. Now they seemed almost cruel in how little they meant.

A three-year relationship, and Archie never gave her anything real-just cheap souvenirs.

Meanwhile, she'd spent nearly three million just to bail him out over and over again.

Laughing softly, Eleanor swept the whole lot into the garbage can, not a trace of regret on her face.

Suddenly, her phone blared, the ringtone shattering the silence.

Eleanor fixed her gaze on the glowing screen, knuckles blanching as she gripped the device.

A moment passed before she finally answered the call.

Her adoptive father, Hank Harris, wasted no time, his voice harsh and commanding. "How much longer are you planning to sulk? Get yourself home right this instant!"

"Go home so I can be your precious daughter's stand-in bride?" A bitter smile played on Eleanor's lips. "That brute from the Carter family can tear me apart if he snaps. Do you really think I'm that gullible, Mr. Harris?"

The line crackled as Hank exploded, saying, "Eleanor! Watch your tone! I'm still your father!"

"Father? That's funny." Her voice dripped with disdain. "You're only a father to Jordyn, not me. The day you tossed me out, you made that perfectly clear."

Hank's frustration boiled over. "You never stopped fighting with Jordyn! If you didn't keep making trouble for her, maybe we wouldn't resent you so much!"

Cold resolve colored Eleanor's answer. "I wasn't the one picking fights. Jordyn just couldn't stand having me around. Now that I'm out of your house, you can stop blaming me for everything she does."

She knew all too well how Jordyn Harris twisted every situation to her advantage, while the rest of the Harris family turned a blind eye, choosing to believe whatever lies Jordyn spun.

Hank cut in, sharp and unyielding, "That's enough! We took you in and raised you. Don't think you can just walk away whenever it suits you. You ungrateful woman!"

"You didn't take me in out of kindness. You only adopted me because Jordyn and I share the rare golden blood type." Eleanor's tone turned steely as she spoke. "From the time I was thirteen, every time she needed blood, you just took it from me. I lost count of how many times I blacked out from all the transfusions. Not once did anyone bother to check if I was all right. I owe your family nothing. I refuse to be branded ungrateful."

A derisive huff sounded from Hank. "If you weren't useful, we never would've brought you in. Enough of this-three days, that's all you have. Come back and marry into the Carter family for Jordyn. That's final."

She didn't waste time arguing about the past. "If you want me to take Jordyn's place at the altar, I want twenty percent of Harris Group's shares or one hundred million in cash. That's my price."

He yelled, "A hundred million? Why not just ask for the whole world while you're at it?"

Eleanor's answer was flat, unwavering. "I won't be a stand-in for Jordyn unless you pay for it. Mr. Harris, if you can't spare the money, let Jordyn marry into the Carter family herself."

With no hint of hesitation, Eleanor ended the call and turned her attention back to sorting through her belongings.

Her gaze brightened as she glanced over her collection of pharmacology notes, toxicology references, music scores, and jewelry sketches spread across the desk.

All those years in the Harris family's house, every formula for skincare and scar removal, every piece of jewelry she dreamed up, and every melody she wrote-all of it had been stolen and handed over to Jordyn as if it was never hers at all.

Free from the chains of the Harris family and no longer obligated to sacrifice for Archie, Eleanor finally felt ready to let her true self shine and take charge of her future.

She took a deep breath, collected her thoughts, and began packing. As she rummaged through her bag, her fingers brushed against something unexpected-a pocket watch.

"A pocket watch? How did this get in here? I don't remember picking it up."

Right then, her phone rang with a call from the hotel reception. "Hello, ma'am. A highly esteemed guest of our hotel lost a pocket watch somewhere on the premises. There's a reward of one million for whoever returns it or provides information."

The mention of the reward made Eleanor's eyes widen, especially with the burden of her debts looming. "One million?" She stared at the pocket watch, hope rising in her chest. "I did find a pocket watch. I'll be right there to return it."

After ending the call, she slipped on a mask, grabbed her bag, and caught a cab straight to the hotel. At the front desk, she offered up the pocket watch.

"I found this earlier today and thought-"

Suddenly, a strong hand reached out, wrapping around both her wrist and the pocket watch.

Startled, Eleanor looked up, meeting the cold, penetrating stare of a man.

Austin's gaze was cold as he gripped her hand tighter. "Where did you get this? Did you sneak into my suite?"

Before she could protest, he reached up and pulled down her mask.

In a rush of panic, Eleanor turned her face away, desperate to hide the birthmark she was sure would disgust him.

Austin gripped her chin and tilted her face toward him, eyes narrowed with suspicion. The lighting in the hotel room last night had been too dim for him to recognize her clearly, leaving him uncertain if this was the same woman.

As he leaned in, Eleanor's senses were overwhelmed by the sharp scent of chemicals on his clothes and the sight of a fresh bandage across his brow. Her blood ran cold. Was this the same man from Room 1619-the one who had nearly assaulted her? Had she taken his pocket watch by mistake, slipping it into her bag without realizing?

Pain shot through her jaw and she flinched, struggling to pull away. "Please, you're hurting me. Let go of my face. I-I only picked up the watch from the hotel lobby. That's all."

Austin's stare hardened. Without loosening his grip, he shouted at the receptionist, "Show me the lobby footage. Now."