Somewhere, in a small village downriver from Lanford, an elderly lady had found the unconscious Coco and was caring for her in her simple house.Old Leia was tending to Coco with a cast on her leg, wiping and cleaning her body. A fellow villager saw Leia coming out of the house and asked curiously, "Hey, Leia. How is she doing? Has she woken up yet?" Leia shook her head."Why is she still unconscious? She's been in a coma for more than three months," the villager grunted. "Why did you even take her home? What if she never wakes up? You'll end up taking care of her forever!"Leia let out a heavy sigh. "I'll take it as a sign that God has given me another daughter, and I'll keep her."Everyone in the village knew Leia had lost her husband early in life. She had been living with her only daughter, who later drowned in the river. Her daughter had drowned and left her when she was ten years old, leaving Leia all alone. Since then, Leia often went to the river where her daughter ha
No one could predict what would happen if someone mentioned Coco’s name.Once, a journalist had mentioned Coco's name in front of Lucas and asked if they had broken up. Lucas had beaten up the journalist so badly that they ended up in the hospital. After that, no one in Solaria ever saw that journalist again.Those who witnessed Lucas's frenzied attack were left deeply shaken by his sheer fury and aggression. From that moment, everyone began to realize that Coco’s name was taboo. Nowadays, Minnie was frequently seen with Lucas, leading many to speculate if she was his new love interest. Minnie could only smile helplessly whenever she came across such gossip online.Lucas kept in touch with her because of their shared connection to Coco. During their weekly meetings, Lucas would ask Minnie to recount stories about Coco, whether from their school days or her work life. He was desperately trying to learn everything he could about Coco even though it was too late now.Besides t
That voice sounded familiar. Minnie almost jumped to her feet, her gaze fixed on the bedroom door. Could it be Coco? Was Coco still alive? Had she come back?!Minnie quickly put down the comic, stumbling as she barged into Coco’s bedroom. There, a slender figure was struggling to get up from the floor. Minnie’s eyes started welling up with tears.It was Coco!Even though Coco was much thinner than a year ago and her long hair was now short, it was definitely Coco!"Coco!" Minnie shouted, running to her and hugging her tightly. The touch and the warmth of Coco’s body made Minnie realize this wasn’t a dream.“You’re alive! Why didn’t you call me to tell me you were alive?! Do you know how worried we’ve been? Lucas hasn’t stopped looking for you! He is constantly sending people out to search for you!” Minnie rambled as she burst into tears. “I’m sorry...” Coco murmured.“Do you know how much I’ve cried for you? I thought I’d never see you again.” Minnie was crying happy te
Minnie quickly followed Coco. "How long will it take for your leg to heal? You should tell Lucas so he can take care of you!""Minnie," Coco took a deep breath and said solemnly, “My leg... will never heal.""Wait, what?" Minnie was stunned. She couldn’t comprehend the news. “Your leg will never heal? What do you mean?""I mean, my leg is permanently damaged," Coco said. She would be crippled for the rest of her life.Minnie felt a pang in her chest, making it hard to breathe. “No way! There has to be a way to fix it!” Coco looked at her sadly and forced a smile. "It's too late. I missed the best time for treatment. It’s too late to do anything now.” "So, you’re not seeing Lucas because of your leg?" Minnie asked."I... I will see him. I just haven't figured out how to face him yet," Coco hesitated and continued, "I know he's been looking for me, and I’ve seen photos of him online. I know he's been going through a tough time. I don’t want him to keep suffering because of me. I
"You woke up two months ago?" Minnie was shocked. "So, you were in a coma for 10 months?!""Almost." Coco then explained what had happened after she woke up, including how Leia had saved her. When she first woke up, she had no way to contact the outside world because she was in a very remote village. Even making a phone call required going to a neighboring village.In the beginning, she had experienced aphasia and couldn't speak. Her whole body was so weak that she couldn’t lift her fingers to write anything. Even if she wrote something, Leia, who had saved her, was illiterate and wouldn't have understood anyway.As her condition gradually improved and she regained her ability to speak, she learned that she had been in a coma for a long time.Although her broken leg had been treated with a cast, it hadn't healed properly. Now, it was too late to fix it. She had returned to Solaria yesterday by hitching a ride with a kind stranger, but she hadn’t figured out how to face everyo
Coco had never been confident in herself, and now, her leg would only worsen her insecurities. Rushing things might backfire on Coco. It would be better to let Coco build her confidence before facing Lucas.This time, Lucas's driver drove Minnie to a restaurant and led her to a private room. Lucas was already waiting for her, and he told Minnie to order whatever she wanted when he saw her. Minnie simply ordered something while observing Lucas’s expressionless face. Compared to when they had first met, Lucas was much more aloof now. He only had shifts in his expression when they talked about Coco. Minnie wondered how happy he would be if he knew that Coco was still alive. She was confident that Lucas would definitely help Coco overcome her insecurities."Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?" Lucas suddenly broke the silence.Minnie snapped back to reality and quickly denied it.Then, she quickly lowered her head, afraid that Lucas might see through her.
"What do you mean by that?" Lucas asked in return."Like if she had some incurable disease, or if she... was disabled, or if something was wrong with her body," Minnie said.Lucas looked up and stared at her. "Why are you saying this?"Minnie felt incredibly nervous, and her palms were sweating. She tried hard to calm herself and said, "Just... just like you said earlier, she might have been injured, so she couldn't come back. I was thinking maybe her injury is more serious, making it hard for her to return anytime soon.""She will always be my wife no matter what happens to her. I just want her to be alive and come back to me someday,” Lucas said.As long as that was the case, he would do his utmost best to protect and care for her, ensuring she never faced danger or harm ever again."Great." Minnie sighed in relief. As long as Lucas didn't mind Coco's disability, Coco's insecurities would eventually dissipate, and she would get back together with Lucas.Just then, the restau
Violet's gaze fell on the cloth, and she said, "Hey, your cloth got splashed by my drink. It's a bit torn. How about I replace it with a new silk ribbon? It'll look much better."Although she didn't understand why this man had such a piece of cloth wrapped around his wrist, he was very attractive, and his attire suggested he was wealthy. Most importantly, Violet had made a bet with her friends that she could get something from him.With that thought in mind, she decided to remove the cloth herself. After all, it was still something from the handsome man. However, before she could touch it, Lucas grabbed her wrist violently. Crack! Violet screamed in pain as her wrist broke.Minnie was startled, and Violet's friends were utterly shocked. No one expected Lucas to react so violently."Replace it? Do you know what this is?" His icy voice matched his cold expression as he pressed her head against the wall with a forceful grip.The woman screamed and struggled in pain.Knowing