Chapter 24
Sophie watched Nathan with a sense of helplessness as he revealed his vulnerable side. Somehow, she couldn’t bear to see him so despondent and heartbroken. After a brief hesitation, she spoke up, “I might be overstepping here, but Nathan, have you considered talking things through with Tia Clark? Could Mia… possibly be your child?”
Nathan let out a bitter chuckle and shook his head. “I wish she were.”
Being so young, Sophie couldn’t grasp the depth of pain and regret that sigh carried. Nathan, for his entire life, would never forgive himself for the mistakes he had made.
“Looks like a fracture,” the doctor initially diagnosed Nathan’s injury, glancing at his pallor. “Are you also running a fever?”
As the doctor reached out to check his temperature, Nathan politely warded him off. He knew his fever was due to his reckless use of medication and standing in the cold wind at dawn. Unconcerned, he nodded.
“I’ll get the cast, but there’s something more important I need to do right now.”
Sophie continued watching Mia as Nathan insisted on returning to the operating room, but he was urged to visit orthopedics first for a proper examination.
His self–diagnosis was almost spot–on. Standing up, he gingerly tested his ankle, which was numbed to some extent, and left the orthopedics department.
The red light outside the operating room was still on. Nathan paused and asked nurse, “Is it not over yet?”
Recognizing him, the nurse shook her head. “They’ve moved the patient to the ICU. This is for the second surgery.”
He exhaled deeply, feeling a wave of dizziness. As he staggered, he accidentally put weight on his injured ankle. There was no moment more embarrassing than this, yet he found himself genuinely smiling for the first time in days.
Sophie’s words echoed in his mind. Nathan knew she was just an outsider offering kind comfort, but he couldn’t help but imagine a scenario where Tia Clark survived, where she was safe, and where he might hear her forgiveness firsthand.
Perhaps deep down, Nathan harbored a hope he dared not admit even to himself–a hope to reconcile with Tia Clark. They had once been so in love, the kind of couple the entire campus knew about, even their professors showered them with blessings. Back then, Tia Clark was the happiest girl in the world.
He still wished he could make her happy.
Nathan rubbed his face with his hands. He knew it was all a futile daydream, but even such fantasies were enough to bring him a sense of contentment. Maybe that’s how the human heart works–once, all Nathan wanted was to see her one more time; now, he hoped to hold her hand forever.
He was being too greedy.
With these secret thoughts, Nathan walked to the ICU. The walls were glass, allowing him a clear view of Simon bending down to gently kiss Tia Clark’s cheek.
“Thank you,” Simon said, his eyes red and voice choked with emotion. “Thank you for waking up, Tia Clark.”
Tia Clark, still a bit disoriented, reached up to touch Simon’s face, her hand connected to various life–sustaining tubes, her lips moving beneath the oxygen mask.
“Thank you,” she whispered with closed eyes, “Simon. If it weren’t for you, I might have died three years ago. I wouldn’t have Mia, such a wonderful child, or a future filled with happiness…”
Simon’s tears fell onto her cheek as Tia Clark chuckled softly. “Thank you for loving me.”
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15.16
Chapter 24
“Silly girl,” Simon couldn’t help but laugh too. “That’s supposed to be my line.”
He leaned over the oxygen mask, giving his beloved a tender kiss.
Nathan stood outside the glass, his hands and feet cold as ice. He was smart enough to understand why Tia Clark chose this moment to declare her feelings to Simon. She was such a kind and considerate woman, knowing her surgery’s success wasn’t guaranteed, so she waited until after to open her heart to him.
No pain was greater than this moment. Compared to the heart–wrenching ache in his chest and stomach, the discomfort of his fractured ankle was insignificant.
Nathan stumbled away, unable to watch the couple embrace any longer. Leaning against a wall, tears flowed freely down his face.
Everyone had silently agreed to keep Mia’s allergy–induced shock a secret from Tia Clark. Her surgery had just ended, and the least they could do was spare her any additional stress.
While Simon pondered how to explain allergies to Mia, she had already devised her own story for her mom. “Mom loves me so much. I’ll just tell her I don’t like peanuts, and she won’t give me any,” Mia said with a clever nod.
Sophie nodded in agreement. “You’re so smart, Mia.”
She didn’t know if her words had any effect until she saw Simon gently kiss Tia Clark’s cheek after feeding her some broth. Sophie was so stunned she couldn’t speak a word.
“Brother, do you like Tia Clark?” she finally managed to ask.
“You just figured that out?” Simon replied with a wry smile. “We’re already together…”
Even as he said it, there was a hint of doubt in his heart. Tia Clark had never rejected his kisses, yet she had never explicitly said the words “I love you” either. He waited in anxious anticipation for her verdict.
Sophie’s mind was in turmoil. It only now dawned on her that her mischievous cousin had been so earnest in caring for someone, and the only possible explanation was love.
“And Mia? Why does she call you Uncle?”
Simon seemed to have a revelation, finally understanding Sophie’s confusion. Discussing Mia’s parentage cast a shadow over his face.
“Do you remember my sister?”
Of course, Sophie remembered.
