I did not allow Jenny to tell Darius about my eyes. If he found out, he would spread the news, and everyone would come to visit me. Then, Christopher might find out that I was still alive, and all our efforts would have been in vain.
I left Christopher because I did not want him to know anything about me anymore.
Yeringham was very far away from Avenport. One was in the north and the other in the south; the two locations were two thousand kilometers apart. I was very certain that Christopher would not be able to find me here.
Meanwhile, Jenny was very concerned about me stopping my cancer medications. She sat down next to me with my medicine in her hand and asked, “Ms. Tanner, what will happen if you don’t take your medicine? Is recovering your eyesight worth the risk?”
“Jenny, you know as well as I do that my illness has no cure. Why don’t we choose the treatment that will actually heal something?” I touched the bandage on my eyes and smiled. “How wonderful would it be to see again. I can look at the beautiful marigolds blooming in the town, go down to the beach to watch the fishes swim, and gaze at the rising sun. It’s inevitable that I’ll die soon, but it’ll be amazing to be able to enjoy the beauty of this world before I have to leave it behind.”
Jenny fell silent instantly when she heard what I said. I knew that she was upset right then. Besides, I could hear her sniffling to herself quietly at the back.
“Please don’t cry. There are many beautiful things in this world to be enjoyed and explored, like the innocence of young children. You know what? Let’s go to the schoolgrounds! I like to spend time with the kids.”
There was only one school in this small town where children and teenagers of all ages went to. They were there even on Sundays. When I arrived, the children were gathered around a man who was telling them a story. The man had a soft voice, as gentle as the ocean breeze that was caressing my cheeks. He sounded quite familiar. It was like I had heard his voice somewhere before.
“Then, Snow White and her prince lived happily ever after. The moral of the story is that happiness is always right in front of you. You kids must do well in school, alright? Cherish your lives!”
“Mister, tell us another story! I want to hear the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves!”
“Ah, the pretty lady is here too! Tell us a story too, Miss!” One of the children noticed my presence and called out to me.
A group of them ran toward me, laughing happily. The man was surprised to see me and shouted, “Yvonne, why are you here?”
I still could not recognize who this man was. After all, I had attended many parties and met a lot of people throughout my life. Thus, I asked in a rather embarrassed tone, “Sorry, I can’t see. You are?”
When the man heard my question, he smiled bitterly and replied, “It seems like I’m rather forgettable. You really don’t remember me at all?”
“Um… I’ve been in poor health recently, and my memory is not doing too good either. So please forgive me. Can you remind me of your name? I’m sure I’ll be able to recall if you give me your name.” I truly did not expect to run into anyone I knew in such a secluded town.
I could only hope that this man was not Benjamin or anyone close to him. He was the last person I wanted to see in my current state. Thinking of Benjamin suddenly reminded me of Crystal, and I wondered where she had gone. If she did not return, Nathan and Natalie would likely head to the hospital and cause a scene. That would definitely not go down well.
The man sighed, and then, a coughing fit came over him. After a while, he said, “We met before in the hospital when you crashed into my ward…”
“Lucas? I exclaimed in surprise, recalling the scene that he had described.
I had gone to the hospital to visit my grandma on that day and hid in his room to avoid running into Crystal and Lyle. At that time, he had talked to me in such a gentle manner, and his voice had a distinctive melancholic quality to it. It was no wonder that his voice sounded so familiar.
“Yes, so you do remember! I was the Lucas who was kicked out of the house instead of becoming engaged.” Lucas smiled.
Must he bring up this story every single time? It’s a rather awkward thing to say! Did my refusal to marry him affect him so badly? Honestly, I didn’t think it would. After all, he is a son of the Goldstein family, and his father is the chairman of the Goldstein Corporation! Even if he doesn’t have the best reputation, I’m sure there are still plenty of ladies who would want to marry him.
“What happened to your eyes? Were they injured?”
