Her sudden action has frightened the child. Only then does Lily regain her senses, she comforts Adair,
"It's fine."
When she looks back, the black car is nowhere to be seen.
Feeling responsible to lend a hand, the security guard runs over and asks, "Miss Lily, is there
something wrong with your car?"
Lily lowers the window and replies, "It's nothing. The engine was down."
"Okay."
Frowning, she starts the car again. Irritated, she wonders if she misses that man so much that she
thinks it was him.
The thought amuses her. How can it be him? He is receiving treatment, right?
These three months should be of help. Truth be told, she has done half the waiting. The finish line is in
sight.
...
Rex sits in the car, his body stiff, because he nearly got caught. Flustered, he pictures how
embarrassing it would be if she finds out about this.
The driver sees his tense expression through the rearview mirror and asks respectfully, "Mr. Rex, do
you want to go back to Dr. Lee's?"
After a moment of silence, Rex answers, "Yes."
The driver heaves a sigh of relief. Dr. Lee has specifically instructed him to drive back when the time is
up, while he is in no position to make that decision. Fortunately, things don't go awry.
The driver drives fast. They manage to arrive at the research institute before 7:30. Rex gets off and
enters the building, whereas the driver doesn't follow. Striding into the ward, Rex feels overwhelmingly
irritated.
His limbs are on fire, blood and bones seeming to be draining away from him. It is all too familiar—an
addiction attack is striking.
The acute pain bends him down. He screams with his arms around his head, "Jesus!"
The cry has to come out. Rex has lost the strength to support himself, and is drawn to the ground,
huddling like a bow.
The paramedics outside walk in with tranquilizers upon hearing his shout. Lee is the first to open the
door. He sees Rex suffering on the ground and quickly squats down to give him a shot.
The stinging pain of the cold needle drowns Rex in endless agony. He is annoyed by the hands that are
touching him and pushes Lee away with his remaining strength.
Having lost his balance, Lee falls backwards, and is lucky enough to be caught by other doctors.
"Lee, are you alright?"
Lee quickly shakes his head, undisturbed. "I am fine. Please give us a few minutes alone."
"But...."
"It's fine. There's nothing to worry about." Lee interrupts him, knowing what he is going to say, "You can
go now."
Footsteps and the sound of the door being opened and shut sporadically sound from behind. After that,
it is silence between the two.
Lee can only watch as the tall body twitches under the claws of addiction, wishing that he can shoulder
some of Rex's anguish.
Ten-odd minutes have passed, and Rex finally calms down. Lee takes out a bag of medical ice from the
box and puts it on Rex's carotid artery. "Is it better?" he inquires.
Rex remains silent, having not recovered from the affliction. His gloomy and pale face suggests the
powerlessness he tries so hard to conquer.
"I got lucky," he suddenly laughs self-deprecatingly, "or she might see this disgusting animal of a man."
Lee frowns at his phrasing, disappointed to hear Rex's poor opinion of himself.
"Rex, sickness is a part of everyone's life, and age and location don't matter. You just run into a more
wretched luck than us. That's all. But mark my words, you will recover, and you are getting better,
because you suffered less this time. Can you see that now?"
Rex is unmoved by Lee's vain comfort, but he pays attention to his last sentence.
"You mean ... I am getting better?"
"Yes, in every way." Lee nods affirmatively, assuring him that his pain bears fruit.
Rex finds it hard to believe, his inky eyes shaking violently. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
This simple answer brings a wave of warm and electrifying pain into his eyes. Through the ice, he can
still feel his veins pounding.
His addiction has tortured him for so long, and Rex believes it has inflicted the same amount of misery
on Lily. Finally, he is told that all of this is not in vain, and is meaningful. Even if it is too soon to call it a
victory, his heavy heart can have a moment of relief now.
"Rex, believe in me and yourself. Sunny days await you. You know I am a man of my word." Lee pats
him on the shoulder, and helps him up from the ground to sit on the sofa.
Rex stares down at the ground, clenching his fists more tightly. Surrender is not an option, and guilt
won't do the trick. He needs to be strong and get better sooner to be worthy of Lily and Adair's waiting.
Closing his eyes in pain, Rex repeats in his heart, "Wait for me, Lily. Please, wait for me."
...
Lily's flower shop opens on schedule. It is meant to be a distraction from her obsession about Rex's
condition. Or else she might fall apart and live in a blur.
To her surprise, the shop attracts a ton of customers. Its high-end goods require high prices, which she
thought is a downside for a large crowd. However, it is that very trait that appeals. Her shop becomes a
sensation within its first month.
She starts to live a full life, and money is not of paramount importance as she dedicates to give every
customer her best service. Abby is worried that Lily might tire herself out, so she recommends a young
girl with experience to help as an assistant.
The girl is 22 years old with a junior college degree, and her name is Gladys Walter. She went to study
floriculture after graduation. She is a local, and is quite straightforward and innocent.
It’s always good to have someone by one’s side. Lily appreciates Abby's good intentions and agrees to
keep the girl.
Unable to leave the shop unattended, Lily has to ask Ryan to pick Adair up from school. Ryan is always
happy to be of help and brings the child to the shop as promised.
"Mom!" Adair runs to Lily, and then politely greets Gladys, "Hello, Gladys!"
"Well, hello to you," Gladys adores children. She answers Adair happily. Then she is amazed by how
handsome and tall Ryan is, asking, "Lily, is this your husband?"
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda