Chapter 782

Henry and Isabella finally exhaled in relief. "Thank you, doctor."

As the physician departed, the couple remained seated beside the bed, watching over Harrison who had collapsed from sheer exhaustion.

Isabella reached out, her fingers brushing lightly against Harrison's porcelain cheek. "She spent two full hours administering my acupuncture treatment. She pushed herself beyond limits for a stranger. We've only just met, yet she's shown me such kindness. How can I ever repay this debt?"

Henry squeezed his wife's shoulder. "She'll recover."

"There's something inexplicable," Isabella murmured, her gaze lingering on Harrison's peaceful face. "I feel this... profound connection to her. As if I want to keep her close forever."

Henry nodded silently. The sentiment resonated deeply within him too.

Isabella's thoughts drifted to Eleanor. "Our daughter is completely under that woman's control now. Watching Eleanor become a pawn in her schemes... it shatters my heart. Why couldn't she be more like Harrison?"

Truthfully, Henry had recognized Eleanor's manipulative nature long before Isabella. But as parents, they'd clung to hope. This time, however, Eleanor had crossed an unforgivable line by aligning with their enemy.

He pulled Isabella closer, feeling her tremble. "We'll get through this."

Isabella studied Harrison's sleeping form with sudden determination. "Let's adopt her."

Henry blinked. "Adopt?"

"Yes. I want her as our goddaughter. She's parentless, isn't she? We could give her the family she deserves."

Before Henry could respond, Harrison's long lashes fluttered open, revealing those striking emerald eyes.

Isabella immediately brightened. "You're awake!"

Harrison sat up gingerly. "Did I faint?"

"You gave us quite the scare," Isabella chided gently.

A tired smile touched Harrison's lips. "Just temporary exhaustion. I know my limits."

Internally, Harrison steeled herself. Brittany's treatment was complete, but Nathaniel still needed her. Every second counted.

Isabella clasped Harrison's slender hands. "We have... an unusual request. You're free to decline."

Harrison tilted her head. "Please, speak freely."

After a hesitant pause, Isabella asked softly, "Is it true you have no living parents?"

A shadow crossed Harrison's normally composed features. "Yes. My father passed when I was young. I never knew my mother."

The raw vulnerability in those words made Henry's chest tighten. For all her strength, in this moment Harrison seemed heartbreakingly young.

Isabella leaned forward urgently. "Would you allow us to be your parents?"

Harrison froze. "I... don't understand."

"We want you as our goddaughter," Henry clarified, his deep voice unusually tender.

Harrison's eyes widened—this was the last thing she'd anticipated from the powerful Lancasters.

"Do you dislike the idea?" Isabella pressed. "We've grown terribly fond of you. You'd want for nothing as our daughter."

The offer hung between them, charged with unspoken emotions. Harrison's medical training had taught her to analyze situations clinically, but this defied logic—why would these strangers offer her such a priceless gift?

Yet when she met Isabella's hopeful gaze, Harrison felt something unfamiliar stir in her chest. A longing she'd buried long ago.