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
Silence enveloped Gladwin and Abigail as they sat in the quiet hospital corridor. It was approaching dawn when Abigail finished narrating the lengthy tale of Flavia.Anger welled up in Gladwin. Disappointment in himself and shame for Flavia, making the girl he loved struggle alone, surged simultaneously. "Why didn't any of you tell me?" was the only question that escaped Gladwin's lips."Because that's what Flavia wanted," Abigail replied softly."To hell with her wishes!" Gladwin glared at Abigail in anger. "Do you think that's what she truly wanted? Do you think she's afraid I'd pity her?" Gladwin vented his frustration with short breaths. "What she needed at that time was my presence, even if she said otherwise. What she feared wasn't my pity; she knew that. What she feared was that I would fall into despair with her.""Oh God..." Gladwin roughly clasped his head. "What kind of man am I?" he muttered to himself. "I said I loved her, but I wasn't even there during her tough times."
This time, Gladwin looked up, anger in his eyes. Eijaz's insistence on his intentions unsettled him.Anger, guilt, and the desire to make Flavia happy filled his chest simultaneously. Gladwin realized that everything wouldn't be easy. It wasn't about the people around them. He cared little about what was on their minds, as they wouldn't care about his happiness or sadness. But what was difficult was convincing Flavia herself of his seriousness. Convincing the girl that what Gladwin felt now was love, not pity, as she suspected.Gladwin stared at Eijaz with a gaze full of determination. Yes, he had made up his mind. He would fight. He would no longer be a cowardly man."I will fight for her. I won't ask you to step back. It hurts my pride when you say that. As if Flavia is an object that you can transfer ownership of. If you truly love Flavia, let's compete openly."Eijaz shook his head and chuckled. "I'm not that foolish, Gladwin. I'm a man who relies more on reason than emotion. My m
Days passed, and so far, no one outside Antony's household, including Abigail, Gladwin, and Eijaz, was aware of what had happened to Flavia. They took turns checking on her.Gladwin sat in a chair beside Flavia's bed, his entire body wrapped in sterile clothing. It had been six hours since the girl came out of surgery. According to standard operating procedures (SOP), if Flavia didn't regain consciousness within two days, she would be categorized as being in a coma.Gladwin held Flavia's right hand. The girl's index finger was attached to a Pulse Oximeter, while an IV was set up on her left hand. A tube delivered oxygen to her nose, and electrodes were attached to her chest. Her normally rosy skin now appeared pale, and even her lips were starting to dry. Dark circles were forming under her eyes. Flavia had used up two blood bags after her operation, yet she still hadn't opened her eyes."Love, can you hear me?" Gladwin stroked Flavia's temple and occasionally kissed the back of her h
It's burdensome for Gladwin to leave Flavia at the hospital even though he knows she's not alone. You might say Gladwin is dramatic, but that's the reality. If only he didn't have the responsibilities of being a doctor and the need to continue living as a human being, he would want to forget all his duties, ignore everyone who needs him, and choose to keep accompanying Flavia.But he took the doctor's oath. He must not ignore those who need his help. Patients can choose their doctors, but doctors can't choose their patients. It's not that he doesn't trust the medical staff or Abigail. But yes, as Jonas said, Gladwin has become infatuated. Because the fact is, Gladwin is now in a position of falling head over heels for Flavia's charm. Despite Flavia doing nothing but sleeping day and night. But because of that, Gladwin is afraid of missing the moment when Flavia wakes up. What he wants is to be the first person Flavia sees when she opens her eyes. To be the first person Flavia touches
Julie Hampton stared at her son with a reddening face. The elderly woman seemed about to scold Gladwin but restrained herself due to embarrassment in front of her guests."At least appreciate Phoebe's effort because she took the trouble to cook for us," said his brother-in-law, who was also Abigail's father, in a firm tone."I never asked her to trouble herself by cooking for me," he replied, looking at his brother with a cold gaze. He then turned to Phoebe, half of his body turning towards her. "Or did you do all this because you need praise from me?" he asked, one eyebrow raised. The girl's eyes widened, her face turning red, either from embarrassment or anger at Gladwin's rude attitude.Gladwin flipped his plate, spooning Phoebe's cooking onto it bit by bit. He ate quickly, finishing it in less than two minutes. "Done. Still, Flavia's cooking tastes better.""Gladwin!" his mother scolded."Yes, Ma?" Gladwin looked at his mother with a sweet smile on his face."Behave politely.""I
Gladwin knew who Phoebe's husband was. They attended the same university back then. Not a close friend of Gladwin, not even a close friend of Freddie, his friend. Gladwin knew from Freddie that Phoebe married the son of their university's rector while being pregnant out of wedlock a few weeks after Gladwin left America.From Freddie, he also knew that the man, Phoebe's husband, was obsessed with her.Sultan, that was the man's name. Groveling under Phoebe's finger."Lucky I didn't fall in love with her. Like, she and her mom probably looked down on me. What can I do? I'm just the son of a small shop owner. Not comparable to Gladwin, the son of a cement worker. Especially with Sultan, the son of a ruler."A handshake is probably brushed off; if I propose, maybe I'll be hit by a bucket of dung. Every time I see her, her gaze is disgustingly gross." Freddie's voice from across the line made Gladwin want to laugh. This friend of his could be considered absurd.At that time, Freddie was ab
Flavia POVWhose voice is that? Why are you all whispering like that? I can't hear it. Can you come closer? Whoever it is?"When did you wake up? Don't you miss me?"Ah, that's Uncle's voice. Uncle, I can hear you. I miss you too.Is that your hand touching my cheek? I want to open my eyes too, but for some reason, it feels so hard."I'll go now, I'll be back later."Don't go. I don't want to be alone. Why are you leaving me?"Via, the new menu at our restaurant has been launched. The response from the customers is very good, and even today's sales are very high."Abby. That's Abigail's voice, right? Abby, I want to wake up. But I can't. Abby, please. Help me..."Ignazio keeps asking me to cook our new menu. That chubby kid. Seems like he's never full. I'm already kind enough to cook that food for him, and he says your cooking is better than mine. Come on, wake up, Via. Aunty Ada has given birth. It's a boy. Falisha is happy because she remains the prettiest child of Uncle Altezza."F
Gladwin and Antony are now in Eijaz's office. They sit facing each other like a doctor and patient. "There's nothing wrong with the results of her operation," Eijaz displayed the latest test results on the flat screen on his desk."And from my observation, Flavia's brain condition is indeed fine." "What's happening to Flavia right now is a side effect of the head trauma. We call it brain trauma."Actually, the reason for amnesia after the accident cannot be determined yet. Plus, the two factors Flavia experienced—head trauma and coma—are not the first time they've occurred."But what we need to further investigate is whether this is temporary or permanent," Eijaz continued. His eyes kept scrutinizing the man in front of him."I personally hope it's temporary. Meaning it's just a side effect of the trauma and shock she endured. Because in some cases of amnesia, patients experience it due to the patient's own mental issues. So the patient's subconscious suppresses them to forget certain