Thomas' words hit her like rocks. She thought although she was not a perfect sister, she could at least
score 8 out of 10. She is surprised to know that is how he thinks of her.
He is right. She has been repressing her emotions every day. It was painful at first. But over time, she
can't remember what freedom feels like. Therefore, she can't tell if she is free. She is accustomed to
running around the hospital and workplaces every day. She has forgotten she used to be the president
of the student union. She has forgotten the ambition she wrote down in her sophomore year. After
leaving school for two years, she has lost hope for life. For a girl like her who comes from a poor family
and has no connections, only knowledge can change her fate, but she has lost that last straw.
For this family, she has given up her college life. She has tried to numb herself, but Thomas, who is a
bystander, sees everything.
"Sister, I know you've been doing this for me and Mom. I've thought about it. When I have more free
time next semester, I'll work part-time. This way, I can share your burden. I don't want to see you
sacrifice yourself for me."
Eunice chuckles and says, "Thomas, I'm not a good example. You're right."
She feels she was ridiculous when she lectured Thomas. Her life is colorless, and her mind is slave to
all kinds of stereotypes that she sets up herself. Now, she wants Thomas to fall under them, too.
"I'm ridiculous."
"Sister, don't say that!" Thomas says emotionally, "If it weren't for you, this family would have been
finished long ago. I just love you and want to tell you that I'm not what you think. I will be responsible
for what I do, but I want you to be bolder and not so depressed."
"I understand," Eunice stands up from the sofa and says, "I am tired. I should take a rest."
Thomas wants to stop her, but he doesn't when he sees how she drags herself to her room.
The young man clenches his fists and swears in his heart, 'Sister, I will work hard and protect you and
Mom!'
...
In a hospital in Country Y late at night
Karl places the research plan that has just been decided at the meeting in front of Rex, saying, "The
experts have agreed to this after discussion. We have two plans for Lily's burns. One is traditional skin
grafting, where we will remove some tissue from her body and put it on her back. It is a common
treatment. The downside of this is that she will have conspicuous cars after the operation. The second
is that the scar can be treated selectively with different wavelengths of colored light. By controlling the
wavelength of the laser, we can repair different tissue and different degrees of scars without damaging
the skin."
After saying that, he adds, "Although we've tried to control the damage, Lily's wounds are still relatively
large. Therefore, the treatment can be quite painful. However, no anesthetics can be used. Otherwise,
it will not be as effective. On the bright side, the treatment and our special medicine will guarantee she
will be scar-free."
Rex listens quietly until he finishes, and asks, "How painful will it be?"
"The pain level can reach 7 or 8. To tell you the truth, many people, including male patients, did not
manage to persevere till the end. Not a few gave up halfway."
Rex does not hesitate to favor the first treatment. In fact, even if Lily's back will always be like this, he
would not care. However, she cares. Moreover, this scar has brought her stress and depression, so she
has to receive treatment again.
"The first one." He still makes the decision. "I don't want her to suffer so much pain."
Such an answer is not unexpected. Karl thought he would choose Plan A. But he still tries to persuade
him, "Rex, I know your heart aches for Lily, but you should ask her what she wants. After all, if her
scars are not treated now, they will settle down and won't be easy to remove. Moreover, this choice will
be with her for the rest of her life. If she finds out that there is a better way to cure them, she will blame
you."
The man falls into deep thought. His jaw is stubbly because he didn't have the time to shave this
morning. He has been there for Lily in the hospital for such a long time. Even the doctors and nurses
look at him in a new light. It's common to be around for loved ones when they are sick, but it's rare to
barely leave their sides.
Rex is often impatient, but he is not around Lily. Karl joked about it the other day saying that Rex had
never taken care of other people's feelings for more than 30 years, but now he had made up for it all.
Rex only smiled and didn't care at all. He is willing to look after Lily, which also proves his heart.
Noticing that Rex is in a dilemma, Karl can't bear it and makes a decision for him from the doctor's
point of view, "Let's do as I said. No matter what, Lily, as the patient here, has the right to know about
the treatment plans. Talk to her and we'll decide."
...
Early the next morning, Lily opens her eyes and sees a man sleeping on a small bed beside her. He is
so tall that he can't even stretch his legs. He can only curl them up slightly, which looks a little pitiful.
She quietly glances at the alarm clock at the bedside. It is only 5:30. She has been sleeping early
recently, so she would wake up early. Looking at the man's tightly closed eyes, she decides to face him
and places her hands under her cheeks, examining him.
Ever since she saw those scars that day, he hasn't left her side. At first, she wanted to hide herself and
didn't want to face anyone. However, he wouldn't let her have her own space. So, she has to brave her
shyness.
She has been in Country Y for so long, and he has not complained at all. Even though there have been
so many calls coming in every day, he would leave them all to his assistant and secretary.
Every time she sees this man tries his best to help her, she wishes she can remember the past. Why
has a man like him fallen in love with her with all his heart?
The morning light shines through the window and into the room. She looks up and sees a plane flying
in the sky. Suddenly, her sight goes blurry. She frowns. A few seconds later, some pictures flash
through her mind. But they disappear so fast that it is hard to catch them.
'We are back, and we will never leave again.'
'Mom, where are we going?'
Who is whispering in her ear, like a shout from a valley, echoing through time? Lily closes her eyes, but
she can't get the pictures out of her head.
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