Chapter 19
Reed arrived at the nursing home early the next morning.
Avery had five days left before her assisted suicide.
He hadn’t slept all night, having 999 silk trees flown in overnight from home.
He remembered Avery’s delighted expression when she first saw silk tree flowers.
“Reed, these flowers are so beautiful.” She had stood on tiptoe, reaching up to pick one.
“Then I’ll plant you a whole silk tree forest,” he had looked at her adoringly. “Nine hundred and ninety-nine trees, representing my unwavering love for you.”
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Yet to divorce her and fulfill Victoria’s wishes, he had cut down all those trees he planted with his own hands.
Now, he was planting them again.
When Avery saw the silk tree flowers again, she would surely be happy, maybe even remember their past.
“Sir, these saplings need time to take root, and it’s winter now, so the survival rate…” the gardener cautiously explained.
“I don’t care about survival rates,” Reed said, red-eyed. “Plant them immediately. They just need to last five days…”
He wanted her to see that he was keeping his promise.
But when he rushed into her room, covered in soil, Avery was staring vacantly out the window, her eyes unmoving.
“Avery, look, silk trees,” Reed excitedly approached her. “Just like before, I’ve planted nine hundred and ninety-nine silk trees for you.”
Avery still had no reaction.
Reed waved his hand in front of her eyes, his heart suddenly sinking.
“Avery?”
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He trembled as he took her hand, which was cold as ice.
The nurse walked over and softly said:
“Miss Walsh woke up like this today. She’s completely blind now, and has also lost her ability to speak. She won’t talk anymore.”
Reed’s world crashed down around him.
“Avery, Avery…”
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Reed knelt before the wheelchair, pressing her hand against his face.
“It’s me, it’s Reed! Feel my face, look at me, say something, please?”
Tears dripped onto the back of her hand. “Avery, I was wrong, so wrong. I shouldn’t have pretended to lose my memory, shouldn’t have hurt you. I deserve to die, to burn in hell!”
But she couldn’t see anymore-couldn’t see the silk trees outside the window, couldn’t see him.
And he would never hear her voice again…
Reed held her rigid body, crying heartbrokenly.
He remembered how, five months ago, she had repeatedly asked him: “Reed Bennett, do you really not remember anything?”
But he had pretended not to see, pretended not to remember, coldly pushing her away time after time.
Now, his punishment had come.
Leaving the nursing home, Reed worked like a madman, writing down all their memories through the night-every detail, every word, every
recollection.
As he wrote, his heart bled.
Why had he burned Avery’s diary that recorded their memories?
If he hadn’t committed that foolish act, his Avery might have remembered him through that diary.
Just as he had burned it before, now he painstakingly rewrote it, piece by piece.
Avery couldn’t see or speak? No matter.
He would read it to her.
“Avery, we first met at a café. You wore a white dress, like an angel…”
“Our first kiss was on that snowy night. Your lips were so sweet, like candy…”
“When I proposed to you, I swore…”
He wrote through the entire night.
Until his hand cramped, his eyes bloodshot, but he didn’t dare stop.
Time was running out-only four days left.
The next day, Reed rushed into her room clutching the diary.
“Avery, I’m here.”
He sat beside her, opening the diary. “Today I want to tell you our story.”
“The first time we met…”
But after reading just a few sentences, Reed noticed something was wrong-Avery’s expression seemed more confused.
She frowned occasionally, sometimes shaking her head, appearing to be in pain.
The nurse hurried over to stop Reed.
“Sir, please stop.”
“Why? I’m telling her our story!”
“This morning, we discovered that the patient has developed comprehension difficulties.”
The nurse’s voice carried pity. “She can no longer understand what others are saying. Continuing will only cause her more distress.”
Can’t understand.
These two words completely devastated Reed.
Everything he had carefully prepared, the memories he had written down overnight-she couldn’t understand any of it.
She not only couldn’t see him or speak, but now she couldn’t even comprehend his words.
Chapter 19
Reed collapsed into the chair, the diary slipping from his hands, pages scattering across the floor.
Those densely written words, those beautiful memories they once shared, had become useless paper.
“Avery…”
He reached out with trembling hands to touch her face, tears falling uncontrollably.
This suffering was what he deserved.
Reed laid his head on Avery’s knees, silently weeping.
She had three days left.
And he could only watch helplessly, unable to do anything.
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