Chapter 8

• After the sun had completely set, the only sound in the room was the ticking of the instruments.
• Jasper was still sitting in the corner chair, his hands propping up his forehead, exuding an indescribable sense of desolation.
• Ever since Simon mentioned that Audrey could pass away at any time and mentioned the Red Cross coordinator on standby, he had been like this.
• When the nurse came in to change the nutrient solution, she gently reminded him, "Mr. Goldland, do you want to eat something? Your body will collapse if you keep this up."
• He shook his head and answered with a raspy voice, "I'm not hungry. I'll stay with her a little longer."
• The nurse sighed and didn't say anything more. She quietly closed the door as she left.
• The room fell silent again.
• After a long time, he slowly lifted his head, his gaze falling on Audrey’s face with an almost greedy look.
• "Audrey," he spoke softly, his tone full of caution. "Do you remember our first date? At that dessert shop in the south of the city, you ordered a bowl of mung bean soup and said it was your favorite taste from childhood."
• Audrey kept her eyes closed and didn't respond.
• But he seemed oblivious to her detachment and continued. "At that time, I thought, I must buy you mung bean soup every day in the future so you can be happy every day. But later... I forgot all about it."
• As he spoke the last few words, his voice had become choked up.
• Audrey finally opened her eyes, looked at him, and reminded him again, "Don’t you want Vanessa’s child?”
• She had cut off his words, leaving him with no way to avoid the matter.
• After a full half minute of staring blankly, he suddenly stood up from the chair and staggered towards the door, as if he was trying to escape.
• With a loud bang, he pushed the door open. Then the corridor was filled with dull thudding, each one heavier than the last. But every sound carried a barely suppressed frustration and anger.
• Audrey closed her eyes and blocked out the sound.
• After who knows how long, the thudding finally stopped.
• And after a while, the door was gently pushed open, and Jasper walked in.
• The back of his hand was red and swollen, even oozing a bit of blood, but he seemed to feel no pain, walking straight to the bedside.
• Just then, his phone rang with the name "Vanessa" flashing on the screen.
• He looked at the name, his expression complex. For a long while, he hesitated, but he eventually answered. "What's up?"
• On the other end of the phone, who knows what was said? But whatever it was made Jasper frown.
• "The company has been really busy lately. I don't have time to come over. Take care of yourself and stop calling me all the time."
• Without waiting for a response, he ended the call and switched his phone to silent mode.
• After doing all this, he seemed to have made a decision. He walked to the bedside, picked up a cotton swab from the table, dipped it in water, and carefully brought it closer to her mouth. "Audrey, have some water."
• But Audrey turned her head away, avoiding his hand. "I can do it myself."
• His hand holding the cotton swab froze in midair as the disappointment in his eyes seemed to almost overflow. But he heeded her words and handed the water cup to her.
• That afternoon, Audrey had just finished the painkiller injection, making her feel a bit fuzzy.
• Jasper sat by the bed, looking at her hand and hesitating for a few moments before giving in and reaching out to hold it.
• Just as his fingertips were about to touch her hand, Audrey suddenly pulled her hand back as her eyes grew suddenly clear. "Don't touch me. It's dirty."
• The word "dirty" hit Jasper's heart like a heavy hammer.
• He took a step back, leaning against the wall with his face as white as paper.
• "I'm sorry... I know I was wrong, terribly wrong…” Jasper said with a voice that was wracked with regretful sobs. All the while, his hand covered his face.
• But Audrey ignored him. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
• In the following days, Jasper seemed like a different person.
• He no longer brought up those empty memories but instead took care of Audrey with all his heart.
• When Audrey got a moment of clarity, she took advantage of it and had Simon bring her the final confirmation documents for the organ donation.
• "Have you checked the information of the recipient?" Audrey asked with a weak but firm voice as she looked at the documents.
• Simon nodded, his eyes filled with reluctance. "Everything is checked, and the patient who matches you is in critical condition. They’re just waiting for your final confirmation here."
• "Good." She picked up the pen and used what little was left of her strength to sign her name. "Remember, no matter what happens, don't let Jasper know about the donation."
• Simon took the documents, saying solemnly, "I promise you."
• Just as he was about to put away the documents, Jasper pushed the door open.
• Seeing the document bag in Simon's hand, he frowned, obviously wanting to ask about it. But Audrey cut off his chance to do so, saying, "I'm a bit tired. I want to rest."
• His gaze shifted between her and Simon. But in the end, he swallowed his words, gently tucked her in bed, and walked out of the room.
• Through the window, Audrey saw him leaning against the wall, taking out his phone and scrolling to Vanessa's contact information, his finger hovering over the dial button for a long time.