Chapter 29
Chapter 29
Slowly, his composure crumbled and Ben began to cry earnestly.
Finally, he couldn’t hold back any longer and looked up at Richard. He pleaded in a small, trembling voice, “I only have one mom. Can you give her back to me?”
Richard was caught off guard. Although Ben’s adorable face could have melted anyone’s heart, the idea of giving up his future wife wasn’t even a consideration.
“You can always find another mom. I wouldn’t mind,” he replied, as he spread his hand and shrugged nonchalantly.
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Ben wiped at his tear–streaked cheeks.
“Then, can you make her love me again? If only she could hug me again… If you can do that, I’ll call you Dad.”
His words stunned Richard. With widened eyes, he stared at the boy for several moments before stammering, “Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“I do,” Ben responded earnestly. “Whoever Mom likes; I’ll like too.”
His bright eyes glistened with hope and a smudge of cake crumbs still clung to the corner of his mouth.
At first, Richard had thought the boy was just a brat. Yet, the child’s innocent words
caught him off guard and made him unsure of
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how to respond.
After dropping Eric and Ben at the hospital, Richard made a quick excuse and left.
The boy’s request lingered in his mind, but he did not answer because it was not an easy answer. After all, Wanda wasn’t a prize to be traded or negotiated. Her heart was her own
and no deal could dictate who she loved.
Ben lay unconscious in the ICU for weeks. When he finally opened his eyes, his parents were at his bedside.
Seeing them, he instinctively looked around for Wanda but she was not there.
Stella, his mother, wiped her tears and said bitterly, “Why did you have to go abroad? Everything was fine here! Now look at you!
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The doctor said you’ll have to use a wheelchair for the rest of your life!”
She did not understand why her son had to suffer when he went abroad.
Hearing her words, Eric finally noticed the numbness in his left leg.
“Mom,” he said hoarsely, “Wanda is still alive. She didn’t die.
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“What?” his mother gasped and her eyes wide with disbelief. “We buried her! She‘ s gone!”
With a bitter smile, Eric recounted everything that had happened. By the time he finished, his mother was crying uncontrollably. She was lamenting how their actions had led to
this.
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“Mom, don’t look for her. To her, we‘ re as good as dead,” Eric said, his voice devoid of hope. “She doesn’t want to see us
anymore.”
Even though she was a woman herself, Stella had been blinded by her obsession with her son’s happiness and their family’s future, which was having many grandchildren.
She had convinced herself, as had Eric, that as long as the truth remained buried, Wanda would live out her life in the fabricated dream they had crafted.
Now that their lies had been exposed, she was too ashamed to speak.
“What will you do now?” his mother asked softly.
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“Go home,” he replied, his tone was hollow. “I’ll never disturb her again.”
Life slowly returned to normal for Wanda. The only difference was how quickly her relationship with Richard deepened.
On Christmas Eve, as she prepared to step out of his car, he confessed, “It’s a little
impulsive, I know,” he began, “Tomorrow is Christmas and I don’t want to spend it alone again.”
Wanda tugged on her seatbelt and replied, “I’ll be by your side.”
In the quiet, confined space of the car, every breath seemed amplified.
What made Wanda blush was the fire in
Richard’s eyes, The intensity of that fire was
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so great that it was ready to consume her if left unchecked.
Outside, the festive cheers of the holiday
crowd filled the air, while inside the car, atmosphere grew thick with ambiguous
emotions.
the
When his warm lips pressed against hers, she didn’t resist. Her mind blanked under the onslaught of sensations. By the time she regained her senses, she found herself gently pushing against Richard’s shoulder.
