"Although there's no sign of cancer, Ms. Kirk is currently in poor health and severely malnourished," the doctor said, as if sensing Murphy's doubts. He added calmly, "Has she been dieting to lose weight recently? It's normal for young women to want to look their best, but extreme dieting is harmful-especially for someone like Ms. Kirk. Her health is already seriously affected. "Look at how pale her face is. No wonder you mistook it for something as serious as cancer." Murphy's expression darkened immediately. Gemma had not been eating properly recently, which was not surprising. She was sick, after all, and Murphy was cold and dismissive toward her. She felt unwanted. How could she be in the mood to eat well? Yet in Murphy's eyes, this painted a very different picture. "You've gone so far as to destroy your health just to fake an illness and deceive me?" His gaze turned icy, cold enough to freeze the heat of summer. "What's your goal? To make me pity you and agree to be with you? Gemma, wake up!" "That's not true..." Tears slipped uncontrollably down her cheeks. She knew he would not believe her, but she still tried to deny it, saying, "I really didn't do that." Her denial, however, seemed feeble in the face of the evidence. Murphy looked at her with deep disappointment. "How did I raise you to become like this?"