Kevin postponed the question for later. Right now, the most important thing was to remove the poison from her body.
The first needle pierced a point at the base of her skull. The second needle was inserted into her wrist. The third, fourth, and fifth needles were inserted into vital points that controlled blood flow and energy.
Kevin worked with intense concentration, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. His hands moved quickly but precisely, inserting needle after needle into Vivian's body.
After twenty-seven needles were in place, Kevin stopped. He took a deep breath, then began to twist the needles with very gentle movements.
His energy flowed through the needles, entering Vivian's body, seeking out and gathering the toxins scattered throughout her system. Slowly, the toxins began to concentrate in one spot, in her lower abdomen.
The process took almost an hour. When Kevin was finally finished, his face was pale with exhaustion. But his work was not done.
Carefully, he began to remove the needles one by one. Each time he pulled out a needle, a drop of black liquid oozed from the puncture site. Neutralised poison.
The last needle was embedded in a point below Vivian's navel. Kevin reached for it, preparing to pull it out.
At that moment, the door to the room burst open.
"YOUNG SIR! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Kevin turned his head. A middle-aged female servant stood in the doorway, her face red with anger and shock. Her eyes were fixed on the scene before her. Vivian was lying down with her wedding dress slightly exposed. Kevin was sitting beside her with his hand raised, holding a needle.
From the maid's point of view, this scene must have looked very suspicious.
"THIS IS INDECENT! SOMEONE, HELP!"
The maid's scream echoed down the corridor. Kevin frowned but did not move. He remained calm, holding the last needle that was still stuck in Vivian's body.
The sound of footsteps approached. Within seconds, Beni Wibisono appeared at the door, followed by his wife Clara and several bodyguards. Behind them, Kevin could see the pale faces of Albert and Diana.
"What is going on here?!" Beni snapped, his eyes widening at the sight before him.
Kevin stood calmly. "I'm healing my wife."
"Healing?" Beni laughed cynically. "By stripping her naked? By sticking needles into her body?"
"This is acupuncture. A traditional healing technique."
"Nonsense!" Beni stepped forward, his face red with anger. "I've heard about you. Frans Wijaya told me everything. You're a rapist. And now you're trying to do the same thing to my daughter?!"
Clara clutched her husband's arm, her face anxious. Albert and Diana stood frozen behind them, not knowing what to do.
"I didn't rape anyone," Kevin said calmly. "Five years ago or now."
"Liar!" Beni shouted. "Frans told me clearly. You raped his daughter and were punished for it. You should be dead, but somehow you survived and now the Tanjaya family dares to send you to marry my daughter?!" He turned to Albert with a murderous look. "This is an unforgivable insult!"
Albert swallowed hard. "Mr Beni, there is an explanation for this—"
"What explanation?!" Beni interrupted. "You sent a rapist to marry my sick daughter! This—"
"I cured Vivian."
Kevin's voice cut through the argument. All eyes turned to him.
"What did you say?" Beni asked incredulously.
"Vivian wasn't sick because of an accident." Kevin explained calmly. "She was poisoned. A very subtle poison, working slowly over many months. That poison caused her to lose consciousness while driving and caused the accident. All the doctors and healers you brought couldn't find the poison because they were looking for a disease, not poison."
There was a moment of silence. Beni and Clara looked at each other in confusion.
"Poison?" Clara whispered. "But... who would poison Vivian?"
"That's a good question," Kevin replied. "And I don't have the answer. But what I do know is that the poison is almost completely out of her body. There's just one more needle to remove."
"Nonsense," Beni shook his head. "This must be a trick. You're trying to—"
"Ahem... ahem..."
A weak cough came from the bed.
All heads turned towards Vivian.
The girl who had been lying unconscious for a year was now moving. Her eyes blinked slowly, trying to adjust to the light. Her pale lips moved, trying to form words.
"Mum... Mum?"
The voice was weak, almost inaudible. But in the silent room, the word echoed like thunder.
Clara Wibisono froze. Her face changed from confused to disbelief. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Vivian?" Her voice trembled. "Vivian, are you... are you awake?"
Vivian blinked again. Her eyes moved slowly, looking around the room in confusion. Her gaze stopped on her mother's face.
"Mum..." Her voice was a little stronger now. "Why... why are you crying?"
Clara couldn't hold back any longer. She ran to the bed, knelt beside her daughter, and took her thin hand.
"Vivian! My God, Vivian! You're awake! You're really awake!"
Beni Wibisono stood frozen, his mouth open. All the anger that had been burning in his eyes was now replaced by utter shock.
His daughter, who had been in a coma for a year, who had been declared by the world's best doctors to never regain consciousness, was now awake.
And the man who had performed this miracle stood beside the bed with a calm expression, still holding the last needle that had not yet been removed.
"There is still some poison left in her body," Kevin said as he carefully removed the last needle. A drop of black liquid oozed from the puncture site. "She needs rest and nutritious food for a few days. But the greatest danger has passed."
Beni swallowed hard. The words he had wanted to say were stuck in his throat. He looked at Kevin with a completely new gaze.
"You... how did you..."
Kevin did not answer. He put the acupuncture needles back in the sandalwood box, then adjusted Vivian's gown so that it covered her modestly.
"Who... who are you?"
The question came from Vivian herself. The girl looked at Kevin with eyes still misty but curious. Her voice was soft and weak.
Kevin looked back at his wife for the first time since he had regained consciousness. Their eyes met.
"I'm your husband." Kevin answered simply. "Kevin Tanjaya."
---