Chapter 9
Samuel jumped up, rushing out without even putting on his coat.
“Loretta, this time I’ll personally bring them back!”
After he left, Rachel came in clutching her phone.
“Loretta, you had me send that message to trick him away. You’re planning to go into surgery yourself, aren’t you?”
I smiled faintly, pouring the milk laced with sleeping pills into the trash.
Yes, if I hadn’t done this, Samuel would have been the one going into surgery.
I only regretted not being able to properly say goodbye to him.
The moment they wheeled me into the operating room, my heart was surprisingly calm.
Before the anesthesia entered my system, I kissed my son’s forehead one last time.
“Eddie, don’t be afraid. From now on, daddy will be the one to love you.”
Halfway through the surgery, I was amazed to find myself floating in midair.
I heard the doctors issuing urgent commands one after another.
I heard the sharp warnings from various machines.
I even heard Samuel roaring as he tried to force his way into the operating room.
He was indeed clever, discovering something was wrong so quickly.
I heard Rachel screaming herself hoarse trying to stop him.
The operating room door slid open, and the doctor walked out to announce the good news, along with the bad news.
Samuel leaned against the cold wall, sliding to the ground in despair.
That day, he no longer cared about status or dignity as he wailed in grief.
It seemed he was crying out all the sadness of these six years.
+15 Bonus
When they wheeled me out covered with a white sheet, Samuel threw himself on me, deeply kissing my lips that had lost all color.
My son recovered exceptionally well, though he asked for his mother every day.
Samuel gently stroked the little boy’s head with his large hand.
“Your mommy went abroad to get you treatment,” he said.
“Eddie, you need to get well soon, so your mommy can come back.”
He pulled out his phone and played the recording I prepared in advance.
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“Eddie, while I’m away, be good and listen to daddy.”
I had carefully prepared 999 such recordings.
By the time they were all played, my son would likely have grown up.
On the day my son was discharged, he was taken to Samuel’s mansion.
Meanwhile, Samuel sat quietly at my gravestone with a bouquet of flowers.
He took out his phone and played one recording.
It was the thousandth recording.
The one I had specially prepared for Samuel.
In these days, he had listened to it countless times.
Many nights, he could only fall asleep by replaying my voice saying these two sentences.
The moment he pressed play, Samuel opened his mouth.
His voice synchronized perfectly with mine, as if we were making a vow together.
“Life ends in death, just as love ends when it fades away.”
“My life may have an end, but my love for you never will.”
Looking at my nearly transparent soul, I knew I was about to leave completely.
Floating to Samuel’s side, I kissed his lips one last time.
Samuel’s dark eyes suddenly looked toward me, as if sensing my presence.
He said, “Loretta, wait for me.
“My love for you will never die. We’ll meet again in our next life.”