Chapter 181 Here’s Your Father
Paulo’s words were highly effective.
Erin began to take deep breaths and silently repeated in her mind. “Ok, calm down! I need to stay calm! I need to stay alive for my child so that I can get him back. I must undergo treatment-”
For a full ten minutes. Erin brainwashed herself, repeatedly reciting these important reasons to give herself courage. Gradually, her
heartbeat slowed down and returned to a normal rhythm.
The red light on the heart rate monitor disappeared, replaced by the green light once more. Although Paulo’s expression didn’t change. much, he silently breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
He pondered for a moment and asked, “Should I inform your family to come to see you first?”
Without hesitation, Erin blurted, “No!”
If she were still her old self, she would want to see her family as soon as possible and reassure them not to worry. But now, in her current state, she didn’t have the courage to face them. At least, she wasn’t mentally prepared for it yet. If her family saw her, it would only add to their sadness and sorrow. If they were upset, she would be upset as well. This would ultimately increase the emotional burden on each
other.
“I don’t want to see them for now,” Erin stated feebly, trying to explain herself.
Paulo remained silent, understanding her concerns. He then changed the subject. “Are you hungry? I’ll have the nurse prepare your
specialized meals.”
Ten seconds went by, and there wasn’t any response from Erin. Just as Paulo was about to ask again, she suddenly looked up at him and sincerely said, “Thank you, Mr. Eastwood. Thank you for saving me.”
For her to be able to return to normal social human speech eased Paulo’s mind by a little. Though it was just a small change, it was
indicative of Erin’s mental condition. She was stronger than he’d imagined.
“I’m glad that you can face your current situation realistically, Erin. I’m not some warm and kind doctor who’s good with words of comfort. But I just want to tell you that if you’re determined and have a strong desire to recover–that’s stronger than anything else. In turn, I’ll be confident in treating your burns too.” Paulo rarely made promises to people, but as each passing minute elapsed, his determination to
heal this woman he’d personally saved grew stronger.
He felt that if he allowed Erin to leave Garden of Eden disfigured beyond recognition, it would mar his career as a plastic surgeon. She was just a woman with a ruined face. Of course, he was more than capable of salvaging her looks.
“Mr. Eastwood, thank you for offering to help me, but I don’t have anything to my name now. I don’t want my family to know about my situation for the time being, so I can’t afford the medical expenses. Will you still be willing to treat me?” Erin’s words were calm and composed. She was just stating the facts without intentionally sounding pitiful or invoking sympathy.
Her words made Paulo laugh out loud. “Haha, you’re funny! Do you think I saved you because I wanted money? You’re really underestimating me. Don’t you know there are people who are willing to spend tens of millions for me to operate on their faces? But I’ve had enough of that when I was young, and I don’t lack money. I haven’t performed plastic surgery for eight years. But for you, I’ll make an
exception.”
His words surprised Erin, and she asked, “Do I need plastic surgery for my face? Will my face be the same as before?”
Paulo replied without hesitation, “Are you kidding? Your face has undergone some serious damage, and you expect it to go back to the way it was? I can only guarantee that your face will be beautiful, but it’ll be completely different from how you used to look. After all, I’m a doctor, not a magician.”
His words were realistic and brutal, but they were also honest and straightforward. Erin understood, but she found it hard to accept at that moment. Waves of overwhelming despair surged through her heart, one more intense than the other. Her broken heart had long shattered into tiny bits and pieces. She thought she would go crazy after experiencing all these things.
But she didn’t lose her mind. She could feel that she was sane. Not only that, she didn’t even have any thoughts of suicide. Although the sweet feeling of regaining freedom was tainted by the pain of disfigurement and losing her child, her survival instincts kicked in and burned brighter than she’d expected.
Even though she didn’t get to see her son after he was born, she knew clearly that she was now a mother. No matter what, she had to find
her son first!
“Mr. Eastwood, can I ask you for a favor?” Erin’s emotions gradually went back to those of a normal person. Her illogical resilience was baffling. Given the circumstances, she had no other choice but to be strong. What didn’t kill her would ultimately turn into a source of strength that would spur her to keep going.
“Sure. But I’ll have to see if it’s within my means.” Paulo no longer held on to his inherent principles rigidly. He decided to help Erin as much as he could and consider it a form of charity.
Erin looked at him sincerely and said, “Could you pretend to be my elementary school classmate? I hope you can call my mom so that I
can find out some things.”
She then mentioned some specific details she wanted to know, and Paulo listened attentively, mentally taking note of all the questions.
*Ok. I’ll let you know once there’s any news.” He prepared to leave to take care of the things Erin mentioned.
Watching Paulo’s departing figure, Erin raised her voice and said. “Thank you!”
Paulo glanced back and smiled charmingly. “You getting better soon would be of greatest help to me.”
At eight in the evening, a humble wedding reception was taking place in lan’s new villa.
The groom was lan, and the bride was Yvette.
Just five months ago, lan and Yvette developed mutual feelings for each other through continuous contact and quickly entered into a romantic relationship. Today was the day of their wedding. Yvette had already reunited with her biological parents, Steven and Cherry.
The events of the past were also clarified by lan, and the truth was finally revealed.
It turned out that when Yvette was born, she’d gone by for nearly a minute without a heartbeat. At that time, Ms. Zinn, who was in charge of delivering the baby, and a young nurse were secretly involved in baby trafficking. Seeing that Yvette had health problems at birth, they thought they’d scored. As soon as they received Steven’s consent, Ms. Zinn had the nurse take her away.
After Yvette was fortunately resuscitated in secret, she was then sold to human traffickers. Yvette was transferred to several different places because she was a female infant and not one that people in rural areas preferred. Eventually, she was sold to Lamar, her adoptive
father.
Lamar was afraid that Yvette would seek out her biological parents when she grew up, so he selfishly raised her in seclusion. It was ultimately through lan’s intervention that Yvette’s true origins came to light. Soon after Yvette and lan started interacting, Lamar discovered lan’s true intentions and vehemently opposed Yvette being with him.
However, love couldn’t be easily hindered, and Yvette’s heart was completely taken over by lan. After she secretly eloped with him a few times, Lamar fell ill due to anger. Not long after, he passed away.
People tended to speak more honestly in the face of impending death. Lamar apologized to Yvette and hoped she would live a good life. advising her to be cautious.
Lamar’s spouse had passed away early, and Lamar himself suffered from infertility, so he didn’t have any children. In the end, all of his substantial family wealth went to Yvette. The amount of wealth Yvette brought into their marriage made lan feel like he’d won the lottery.
Apart from Yvette’s slightly darker complexion due to being exposed to the sun a lot, she looked exactly the same as Erin. During the honeymoon phase of their relationship, Yvette followed lan’s lead obediently.
Soon, lan proposed, and Yvette joyfully accepted. By the time Cherry and Steven found out, it was already too late. Their long–lost daughter had secretly eloped with their former son–in–law. Cherry and Steven hid lan’s past affair with Erin from Yvette, fearing that she
would think too much into it.
If Yvette hadn’t been pregnant for over a month, Cherry would have tried to stop her from pursuing a relationship with lan. There were so many men in the world. Why did she have to choose lan?
“Mom, lan is toasting you!” Yvette reminded Cherry.
Cherry snapped out of her thoughts, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “Sorry, I was lost in thought just now-”
lan looked handsome in his wedding suit and had a radiant complexion. He smiled and said, “Cherry, I know you’ve been staying up late knitting sweaters for our unborn child. Actually, there are plenty of clothes available for babies now. We can just buy them-*
“lan, don’t say that. Mom means well, and we shouldn’t disappoint her kindness.” Yvette said. She wore an exquisite and luxurious wedding gown. Since Cherry was reluctant to see this union coming to fruition, she didn’t want a grand wedding.
Yvette and lan went along with her wishes.
Moreover, because lan was getting remarried, and the woman he was marrying was Erin’s sister, they didn’t want outsiders gossiping. Therefore, the whole family chose a relatively humble approach.
However, lan’s mother, Mary, pretended to have fallen sick and didn’t attend her son’s wedding banquet. The fact that her son married another daughter of the Lane family made Mary feel somewhat exasperated. She wondered if something was wrong with her son. Of all the women he could have chosen as his wife, he just had to choose a substitute.
Steven looked weary. He hadn’t slept well for the past week. His young wife, Tracy, had just given birth to their son.
Having a child in his old age should have been a cause for celebration, but Tracy hardly took care of their child. After giving birth, she often played games online, so Steven had to take turns with the nanny to take care of the baby.
Just as lan and Yvette were toasting Steven, the doorbell rang.
lan put down his glass and went to open the door. As the door opened, he saw Tracy at the doorstep, holding a baby in her arms. He was stunned and couldn’t utter a word.
Tracy wore a bodycon dress and a white leather jacket. Her pink lips curved into a beautiful smile. “Look, my son. Here’s your father!”
