Gladwin parked his car behind the large supermarket building. He courteously opened the passenger door, allowing Flavia to get out before locking it. His large hand reached for Flavia's hand, deliberately intertwining their fingers. Flavia resisted and attempted to free herself from her uncle's grip, but Gladwin instead stared back at her and tightened his hold.
Gladwin walked ahead of Flavia as she tried to maintain a distance between them. The girl continuously lowered her head, prompting Gladwin to intentionally halt his steps just to make her head bump into his back or the side of his arm.
"Are you really ashamed to walk with me?" Gladwin asked, with a condescending tone, for who knows how many times. Flavia looked up and shook her head. "Why? Am I ugly? Am I too old for you?" he asked again. Flavia shook her head once more. "Then why do you keep avoiding me?"
"It's not like that, Uncle," Flavia replied softly.
"The guy at the bookstore. Why can you smile at him like that? Even without your smile, he's already interested in you. But you captivate him with your beautiful smile." Gladwin expressed it with a hint of annoyance he didn't try to hide. Gladwin was jealous? Of a stranger who introduced himself? Flavia didn't even share her phone number. But Gladwin reacted this way? "And that number eighteen." He continued. Flavia furrowed her brow even more. "Eighteen?" "Yeah. The skinny guy and his chubby friend." Her uncle reminded Flavia of the two men who greeted her in the restaurant, who happened to be her former schoolmates having lunch in the same place they did earlier. But why the number eighteen? Flavia wondered silently. "In my eyes, they look like the numbers one and eight," Gladwin replied, causing Flavia to bite her lip to hold back laughter. Her uncle had returned to
"Should we celebrate it?" Abigail finally broke the silence."N-no!" Flavia quickly responded. "There's nothing to celebrate. What Uncle said is a lie. We have no connection whatsoever." Flavia then released Gladwin's hand from her waist."But, Via?" Gladwin looked at Flavia, puzzled. They had already expressed their feelings for each other, and Flavia had stated that she had no relationship with Eijaz. So why was she still refusing?"I-I have to go. I have things to do on campus," Flavia said nervously.Abigail and Gladwin both knew that Flavia was lying. It was clear she was avoiding Gladwin."I'll drive you," Gladwin said, searching for his car keys, but Flavia shook her head vigorously."No need, Uncle. I can go on my own," Flavia declined softly."But...""Be careful on the road," Gladwin and Abigail said simultaneously. Gladwin looked angrily at Abigail because his niece was hindering his efforts, but Abigail ignored his gaze.Flavia smiled at her friends, silently expressing gr
"I'm just asking for Grandma's opinion, Dad. Is that wrong?" "You can love Flavia, but it doesn't mean you can be disrespectful to your grandmother." "I just want Grandma not to look down on Flavia." Abigail replied again. "Abigail..." Julie Hampton looked at her granddaughter with a puzzled look. Why was Abigail reacting like this? Why were they discussing Flavia? "What really happened with Flavia? What's with five years ago? Can someone explain?" Gladwin looked at his sister, brother-in-law, mother, and also his niece. "Grandma just explained everything to Uncle a moment ago. No matter how much Uncle loves Flavia, your relationship will never get her approval. Flavia is a flawed woman. The likelihood of her giving offspring to Uncle is very small. That's the reason why Flavia rejected Uncle." Abigail's answer left the other three stunned. "What does this mean, Abigail?" Julie Hampton looked at her granddaughter and then at her son. "What do you mean by saying that your uncle l
"It seems like our hangout plan has to be canceled," Flavia whispered. "Can you take me home?" she asked softly. Eijaz looked at Flavia's pale face and assumed that she was still experiencing a headache. He just nodded in response, then guided Flavia to walk towards the parking lot. "Do you want to drop by somewhere first?" Flavia offered when they were getting close to Antony's house. Eijaz shook his head, politely declining. He felt that Flavia needed rest at the moment. If he visited, he would disturb the girl's resting time. "Get some rest. Take your medicine and don't stress too much," he said gently, stroking the top of Flavia's head. Flavia smiled, feeling more grateful because of Eijaz's understanding in rejecting her offer. After thanking him, Flavia got out of the car. Entering through the side door, Flavia found her stepmother breastfeeding her baby brother. Flavia approached, sat
"That will only happen temporarily. Your grandmother is not that wicked, even though it may seem like it now. "As a mother, she just wants the best for her child. Someday, you will understand that feeling. Because that's what I feel for you, for Ignazio, Francisca, and Meizar right now. I know you are the best for Gladwin, and vice versa. There is no greater happiness and comfort than living with someone who loves us and whom we love." "I am confident that even though your grandmother opposes your relationship now, eventually, she will soften. You must believe that God is the ultimate changer of hearts. God Almighty is in control of His creatures. Doctors may give any prognosis, but it is God who determines our fate. "If God wishes for something else, then what He wills shall happen." Claire embraced her daughter again, who was once more immersed in tears. Unbeknownst to Flavia, her father observed her silently.
Gladwin widened his eyes when he saw Antony in a power struggle with Flavia, who was now lying on the floor, in a rebellious position, writhing to release her father's grip. The girl convulsed in pain, and simultaneously, Gladwin saw blood coming from Flavia's nose. "Flavia.." Gladwin's voice sounded like a whisper in his ears. He was frozen, and Flavia seemed to open her eyes for a split second, looking straight at him before then slumping weakly into her father's arms. "Flavia?!" Gladwin shouted loudly, rushing over and grabbing Flavia from her father's lap. Checking her pulse. Gone! Her breath was also absent. "Flavia, my love. Wake up." He ordered while gently patting Flavia's cheek. There was no response, so reluctantly, Gladwin started performing CPR on her. Abigail, who had just arrived, looked shocked at the panic unfolding in her aunt's house. She stood still, watching Gladwin trying to administer first ai
"You want to know Gladwin's feelings for you, right?" Flavia nodded. "In that case, just follow him to the airport. Talk to him face to face," suggested her uncle, instilling courage in Flavia from somewhere. Her uncle and aunt were right; it's better to face rejection directly than to speculate about something that may not be true. Flavia finally decided to go. She declined Altezza's offer to drive her and chose to hail a taxi, asking the driver to hurry. There was still enough time until her uncle's flight took off. However, Flavia remained afraid. Who knows, the flight schedule might suddenly be moved up. The car Flavia boarded entered the road leading to the international airport when, in the opposite direction, a freight truck lost control after a tire blowout. The taxi's speed and the truck's imbalance led to a collision. The truck hit the taxi Flavia was in, dragging them backward for dozens of meters until the car finally came to a stop on the side of
A week after the last attack, Flavia was finally transferred to a regular hospital room. Abigail faithfully stayed by her side, continuously urging Flavia to open her eyes. Two weeks later, Flavia finally woke up. By then, her rib bones had healed, as had her clavicle. Only her left leg remained pinned. Flavia seemed disoriented, gazing at everyone with a puzzled expression. Antony even thought his daughter might be suffering from amnesia, but the doctor stated that her memory was intact, albeit slightly shocked. She remembered who she was, her parents, and the last thing that happened to her. The first thing she asked when her full consciousness returned was, "How is the taxi driver?" She cried when the doctor informed her that the taxi driver had passed away on the spot. Then a new fact struck them. After further observation, Flavia was diagnosed with a spinal cord injury. "It's not permanent. Spinal cord injurie