Chapter 637: All Hope Was Gone
Wendy didn’t say anything, but her eyes were filled with hatred for Christian.
"I’m giving you a chance now since you wish to keep your baby, "Christian said coldly.
Wendy kept silent as though she was waiting for Christian to continue what he wanted to say.
"Entertain me for one night. Then I will let your child off," Christian said as he winked.
"Fat hope!" Wendy rejected him straightaway. She didn’t trust Christian at all.
If he didn’t want to let her go, he would continue to find other excuses even if Wendy had agreed to a myriad of his terms and conditions. Just like what had happened with Zen. She would not accede to any of Christian’s demands.
"I do love and hate this personality of yours," Christian then clenched his teeth and asked, "But whether or not you agree isn’t important, the point is, can you stop me?"
Afterward, Christian pulled Wendy’s ankle harshly. This made Wendy fall to Christian’s side. Christian hadn’t planned to do anything to her, but Wendy’s attitude and reaction angered him. So he decided to do what she had thought he was going to do to her.
"Christian! Get lost, don’t touch me!" Wendy hit him repeatedly to keep him away from her.
But Christian had already taken off her jacket.
"Who knows how many times Michael had slept with Yvonne, why are you still faithful to him?" Christian said, "How am I worse than Michael? Why can’t you just love me? Wendy, maybe you should just give me a chance, maybe you’ll realize that I’m better than Michael."
"No way!" Wendy rejected Christian without a second thought as she added, "I can give anyone a chance but I will definitely not give someone like you a chance."
"Someone like me?" This wasn’t the first time Christian had heard something like this from Wendy. He chuckled and asked, "What kind of person am I?"
"Evil, cunning, despicable, cruel, incorrigible, vile, immoral..." Wendy continued, "Any words used to describe villains can be used on you!"
Wendy’s words were like knives stabbing into Christian’s heart. He had also started to exert more strength. At the next moment, he tore off all the clothes that Wendy was wearing.
Wendy knew that Christian wouldn’t let her off. She stopped struggling as she knew that there was no use struggling. So Wendy chose to lie on the bed motionless.
She took a deep breath and said coldly, "Just do whatever you want since I can’t stop you anyway. But Christian Lucas, you’d better kill me because as long as I’m still alive, I will find the chance to kill you."
Christian suddenly slowed down. It took him a huge amount of effort to control his emotions. If it were in the past, Christian wouldn’t pay heed to what Wendy said at all and he would do whatever he wanted to. But now, he didn’t want to continue.
Yes, he was afraid of Wendy hating him. But he knew that Wendy already hated him to the core. Seeing that Christian didn’t continue, Wendy pulled the bedsheets to cover her body as she lowered her gaze and said coldly, "If you have changed your mind, Mr. Christian, don’t disrupt my rest. It’s late."
...
In the end, Christian could not bring himself to do it. He left Wendy’s room without doing anything. He felt like a failure. Like a runaway soldier, he dared not do anything.
It was Wendy who started it. She wanted him dead. So he made up his mind to force her to abort the baby so that she would live in misery for the rest of her life. But when Christian saw the hatred in Wendy’s eyes, he simply could not continue with the torture. So, he left the room instead.
He came downstairs to find his assistant standing in the living room. Clenching his fist, Christian felt indignant and aggrieved. He took a look at his assistant and asked coldly, "Is there any procedure that can wipe out one’s memories?"
His assistant was momentarily stunned by his question. "Wipe out one’s memories?"
After a while, something seemed to come to his mind. "I heard of hypnotism being able to alter one’s memory."
"Go and find out more," Christian commanded before leaving the room. He had done so much. He had even left the organization again. He really couldn’t bear to hurt Wendy again. But he felt aggrieved that Wendy hated him so much.
Since he couldn’t make Wendy fall in love with him, then the next best thing to do was to make her forget her past. As long as she couldn’t remember Michael, perhaps they could start all over again. Even if they had to know each other again, it was good enough for Christian.
...
Lake City.
"No..." Michael was awoken by his nightmare. He was perspiring all over.
"Daddy..."
Opening his eyes, he saw that both Jake and Leah were still by his side.
"Daddy, did you have a bad dream again?" Leah took a piece of napkin, climbed onto the bed and wiped Michael’s brows.
Michael had been having nightmares for the past few days. The nightmares were almost the same everyday. It was a scene where they fell into the water and he had to make a decision on who to save.
He took the medication that the psychiatrist had prescribed him but they seemed to be of no effect. The nightmares just kept coming. The psychiatrist told him that the medication could only help so much. He still had to deal with the underlying issues.
The truth was, there were many things that were unsettled. For Michael to get well completely, he had to accept what happened. Unless there was a turnaround in the situation, he would be stuck.
Michael didn’t want to see the psychiatrist. He knew it was his negligence and incompetence that caused things to turn out this way. He didn’t want to deal with the feelings of fear, self-blame and anxiety. To Michael, what was most important was not the psychological problem he was having. It was the two children and the life and death of Wendy. He couldn’t care less about himself.
"Daddy, what happened was not your fault. Please don’t blame yourself anymore."
The sweet, sensible Leah tried to console Michael.
Michael held on to Leah’s little hand, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He didn’t continue the topic but asked, "Leah, how are you feeling? Is there any part of your body that you feel unwell?"
Leah shook her head and smiled to put Michael at ease. She replied, "Since Uncle Paul came, I haven’t had any fever. I don’t feel any discomfort. Don’t worry, Daddy."
Just as Leah finished her sentence, Paul came into the room.
"Paul," Michael immediately greeted him.
Paul looked solemn. It was as if he had just received some bad news.
"What happened?" Michael asked after noticing his expression.
...
Paul was holding a document in his hand. He couldn’t bear to announce the news when he saw how worried Michael was. He kept quiet for a while and decided to pass the document to Michael.
He sighed as he said, "Take a look."
Michael studied the report carefully. His expression turned grave. Paul sighed again and announced, "Your bone marrow is not compatible with Leah’s."
Michael couldn’t believe it. He read the report again. But no matter how many times he went over it, the result was still the same. His bone marrow was incompatible with Leah’s. Michael was overcome with sadness. He felt helpless, and that all hope was gone.
"Maybe there was a mistake with the result. I shall go for another round of testing," Michael said as he got up in a rush.
But Paul grabbed his arm and stopped him. Paul couldn’t bear to break his heart but he stated plainly, "Michael, the possibility of a mistake in the result is almost zero."
Michael lost his last bit of hope upon hearing Paul. He wrapped his hands around his head and fell to the floor. If you listened carefully, you could hear the sound of weeping. He knew that the report couldn’t be wrong but he just couldn’t bring himself to accept it.
His daughter was depending on him to save her life. If his bone marrow wasn’t compatible with hers, then who else’s would?
Jake heard the news too and he unwittingly clenched his fist.
Leah ran to Michael and patted him on the shoulders. Her voice was tremulous but she wanted to console him. "Don’t worry, Daddy. I will be fine."
But she too, couldn’t hold it in any longer and started crying. She might be young but she knew that her illness was serious. She also understood what an incompatible bone marrow would mean for her.
Michael lifted up his head as he heard Leah’s voice. He stroke her on the head and knew that he couldn’t continue to be in despair. He was Leah’s father. He must be strong for her. If he was devastated by the news, how much worse would Leah feel?
"Daddy is fine. Don’t cry, Leah. Don’t be scared." After comforting Leah, he stood up and took a deep breath to calm himself. He asked Paul, "Besides me, who else has a higher chance of having a compatible bone marrow with Leah?"
Paul replied, "Besides siblings, other family members that are related by blood are possible donors. The possibility might be lower though. You can consider getting Leah’s paternal and maternal grandparents to do the test and see if their bone marrows match hers.
"We will also do our best to find possible donors around the globe. Once we receive news, I will keep you informed immediately."
Paul was not accustomed to consoling people. But looking at Michael now, he couldn’t help but add on a word of encouragement, "Mr. Lucas, don’t be too worried.
The possibility of finding the right bone marrow donor might be low but there is still hope. I am very aware of Leah’s condition. And I will do my best to help her."
"Thank you," Michael nodded in gratitude.
"I’m just doing my job," Paul answered. "I like Leah very much. I hope she can pull through this crisis."
"She will. She will certainly pull through," Michael said as he looked down on Leah’s adorable face. He held her little hand tightly and said, "She survived the last time.
She will survive this time too."
