Chapter 23 Beside the azure coastline, Katherine, wearing a life jacket, lounged comfortably on a beach chair with her legs crossed. This was her second year in this city. She still hadn't found her beloved. But she had become a respected lifeguard, well-liked by the local residents. It seemed as if all the pain she had once endured had completely left her life. That day, after being rescued by the staged death team, Katherine was rushed to the largest hospital in Philadelphia for treatment. Morgan hated her to the core and had tried to kill her. Her calf was shattered, several ribs were broken, and she suffered multiple organ hemorrhages... So by the time she was wheeled into the operating room, she was already in shock, and repeated defibrillation at- tempts by the doctors were unsuccessful. She felt herself stepping into a mist, unable to see her own hand in front of her, as if she were entering paradise. It was as if... She was about to die. Dying just as she was about to go find her beloved. Despair gripped Katherine's heart, and she let herself slip away to the sound of the heart monitor's alarm. At that moment, a gentle, large hand rested on her head and stroked her softly. She looked up and met Maverick's gentle eyes and brows. "Kathy, have you been wronged? Don't be afraid, I'm waiting for you on the other side. No one can hurt you any- more." After saying this, he disappeared, but Katherine suddenly found the will to live. That day, she was resuscitated for a full twelve hours. But after the surgery, the doctors were all surprised, because the outcome was far better than they had expected. Afterwards, Katherine stayed in the hospital under her new identity for three months, only being discharged once her condition stabilized. 0.0 % 09:45 During this time, through the after-sales service of the staged death agency, she heard quite a bit about Theodore and the Acrea family. She never would have imagined that Theodore would publicly break with his family and the Acrea family for her. Nor did she expect that Theodore would later hold a wedding with her portrait. She found it utterly disgusting. But fortunately, she was no longer Katherine; she was Mavelle Acherley. Later, after several connecting flights, she finally settled down in Miami. After another year of recovery, her body was fully healed, though she was left with unsightly surgical scars on her leg and body, but she was satisfied. Wearing her wedding ring with Maverick, she called herself "Mrs. Acherley" and opened a seafood restaurant. -This had been her and Maverick's dream: to open a family restaurant and bring all kinds of delicious food to their guests. Back then, Katherine couldn't cook, but Maverick learned all the major cuisines for her. He would hold her and coax her happily: Good Kathy, from now on, you handle the money, and I'll work for you, okay?" Katherine would nod contentedly, and he would affectionately tap her nose: "So greedy!" Now, six years later. Katherine had mastered all the major cuisines and, carrying on his legacy, opened this restaurant. Her cooking was excellent, her ideas innovative, and with the restaurant's prime seaside location and affordable prices, she won the hearts of both locals and tourists. The children in the neighborhood also adored Katherine, always eager to bring her treats and help out in exchange for more rewards. Katherine had truly become the queen of the children. However, Katherine noticed that in this coastal city, incidents of children drowning happened frequently. So she brushed up on the swimming skills Maverick had taught her and obtained a local lifeguard certification. Katherine was neither arrogant nor impatient, always steady in her actions. In just a few months, she had saved sever- al people, but she never overestimated her own abilities. Because of this, she quickly became the top-ranked lifeguard in the area. 45.3 % 09:45