When Hector Chaucer asked the question, he had already served a bowl of sea cucumber, lily bulb, and lean at soup for Tiana Linden.
Then, he placed a ceramic spoon in the soup bowl and handed it over.
Tiana Linden, who took the soup bowl, did not react at all.
Hector Chaucer continued:
"The cancer cells in your body will alleviate more than ninety percent within a month."
"With so conventional treatnts, you can fully recover in half a year."
"Is Leo Sutton going to be Daisy’s guardian?"
"Or, do you want to develop sothing further with Leo Sutton?"
Upon asking the last question, Hector Chaucer’s gaze fell on Tiana Linden.
Although it seed calm and indifferent, he stared at her unblinkingly.
Tiana Linden sipped the soup and asked, "Did Leo Sutton tell you that we are not really married?"
Hector Chaucer did not answer but only asked, "Are you planning to continue with Leo Sutton?"
After all, Leo Sutton had a crush on Tiana Linden since their student days.
Tiana Linden also understood Leo Sutton’s feelings for her.
With Leo Sutton’s wife, Kiera Chaucer, having passed away, there is a possibility for them to continue.
Tiana Linden took another sip of the soup.
The soup carried the aroma of the at, blending with the taste of sea cucumber.
It was a familiar flavor to her.
She hadn’t been the Linden Family’s young mistress for many years.
But the taste of the sea cucumber in the soup was top-notch.
This stuff can enhance one’s immunity; she downed the soup in one go.
Then, wiping her mouth, she told Hector Chaucer, "Of course not! Getting the certificate was just a stop-gap asure."
Upon hearing this, Hector Chaucer’s clenched fist finally relaxed.
His brow also showed a hint of relief.
That gaze had never shifted from Tiana Linden.
"Leo Sutton treats you with all sincerity, running around for your matters and treating Daisy as his own."
"Aren’t you touched at all?"
Tiana Linden: "We’re just pure friends, okay?"
Kiera Chaucer’s death was a big blow to Leo Sutton.
During this ti, Leo Sutton also worried about various issues for her.
This friendship was comparable to that of a brother.
Warmth filled her heart, "From now on, the Sutton family will be my family."
At this mont, a smile played at the corner of Hector Chaucer’s lips.
He had a steely, resolute appearance.
Yet, when he smiled, there was a faint trace of gentleness.
Then he said with satisfaction, "Finally, you’ve grown a brain!"
"What?" Tiana Linden asked.
Hector Chaucer served her another bowl of soup, "Your years with Aiden Grant, they were purely a love-struck mind. Next ti you choose a man, think it through and don’t fall in love so easily."
Having learned from past experiences, Tiana Linden understood long ago, "I’ll never look for another man in my life, don’t worry. I won’t let anyone hurt again, nor will I give any man the chance.
This statent caused Hector Chaucer’s motion of serving soup to pause.
Just then, Daisy, after washing her hands, ca back to their side.
The two naturally dropped this topic.
After dinner, Tiana Linden said many thanks to Hector Chaucer.
Then she added, "Hector Chaucer, you just took over the Chaucer Family, you must be very busy. And the Chaucer Family mbers surely won’t easily accept you as the Family Head; they might still plot against you behind your back. Be cautious and focus more on dealing with the Chaucer Family matters rather than always running to the hospital to take care of ."
Hector Chaucer responded lightly, "Is this your way of showing concern for ?"
At this mont, Daisy placed a whole box of photo albums that Aiden Grant had sent, beside the bed.
"Mom, these are the photos that man gave ."
"Photos of you and that man from before."
That man referred to Aiden Grant.
The mother and daughter had long since understood each other.
ntioning Aiden Grant, Tiana Linden’s smile stiffened.
That was the man she never wanted to ntion again.
She picked up the photo albums from the box and took a look.
Unexpectedly, Aiden Grant had even preserved their baby photos.
Preschool, elentary school, middle school, high school, college.
She rembered very clearly; Aiden Grant had said he wanted to keep these photos until they were gray-haired.
Soti in the future, when they’re too old to walk.
He would take her to sit in the garden he planted full of lisianthus flowers and look at the photos from the past together with her.
But ti in these albums was cut short during her college years, the year she went to prison.
There were so many mories she couldn’t possibly forget entirely.
Her chest still ached densely, like a flash flood.
She would never forget the man in those photos, who was so cold, so humiliating, so indifferent when she was near death.
However, she would choose to let go.
She looked up at Hector Chaucer who was silently watching beside her, "Could you give a pair of scissors?"
Before long, Hector Chaucer found a pair of scissors and handed them to her.
After taking the scissors, she resolutely cut the photos in half.
What she cut apart was not only her photos with Aiden Grant but also her life with him.
From now on, each would mind their own business, and they would go their separate ways.
Daisy looked on from the side, "Mom, I never want to see this person again."
Tiana Linden gently caressed Daisy’s head, "Okay, we’ll never see this person again."
Tiana handed the cut photos to Hector Chaucer, "Hector Chaucer, please take these to burn."
Hector Chaucer: "No regrets?"
Tiana Linden looked determined, "If I regret it again, it’s my own fault."
Hector Chaucer took the photos, "Tiana Linden, I never wanted you and Aiden Grant to end up like this. But this ti, if you have even the slightest softness, it would really be your own choice."
Tiana Linden: "Got it, why are you talking so much today?"
Hector Chaucer: "I just don’t want you to be as foolish as the last ti."
Tiana Linden replied firmly, "Who steps into the sa trap twice?"
...
Three months later.
Tiana Linden was discharged early.
Recovered from her illness, she cut her hair anew.
The long black hair was cut to her ears, styled in a slight wave.
In these three months, Hector Chaucer delivered a lot of nutritious soup, nutritious als for Tiana Linden.
That very busy Hector Chaucer seed to transform into her caretaker, feeding her as though she were a pampered pig.
Along with Gabriel Chaucer, Catherine Armstrong, and Leo Sutton, they would occasionally cook delicious food for her.
The once frail Daisy had returned to her previous weight.
One ter sixty-seven, ninety-nine pounds.
Not fat, quite thin.
But at last, there was so flesh on her face.
No longer just a skinny almond-shaped face.
The old Tiana Linden, who was thin but had a full and vibrant face, was back.
The third day after discharge was Tiana Linden’s birthday.
This day was also the anniversary of Tiana’s mother Wanda Townsend’s death.
Tiana Linden initially didn’t plan to celebrate her birthday, but she couldn’t resist Leo Sutton, Catherine Armstrong, Gabriel Chaucer, and Hector Chaucer’s enthusiastic arrangents.
They prepared a birthday banquet for her at the hotel.
After the al, when it was nearly ti to cut the cake.
Catherine Armstrong and Gabriel Chaucer called Leo Sutton aside on the pretext of bringing out the cake.
Catherine Armstrong spoke up, "Leo, Tiana has recovered and been discharged, and your father and I have co to understand sothing."
Leo Sutton was a very good son-in-law.
When their daughter Kiera was alive, he took ticulous care of her.
With them, the elderly couple, he was as loving as to his own parents.
After Kiera passed away, the light disappeared from Leo Sutton’s eyes.
They had all noticed this.
Catherine Armstrong continued:
"Leo, you’re still so young; you can’t live alone forever."
"Laura and Daisy get along like sisters, and Tiana is soone you liked before."
"You’re both people who’ve suffered; why not form a new family? After all, you’re already legally married."
Gabriel Chaucer agreed, "Yes, Leo, you two..."
"Dad, Mom." Leo Sutton declared firmly, "It’s been less than four months since Kiera passed away..."
ntioning his deceased wife, Leo Sutton’s throat tightened, and he choked up.
The suffocating feeling in his chest made him take a long, deep breath.
But his chest still ached, ached so much.
"Leo, we see you as our son, and we don’t want you to live the latter half of your life in loneliness."
"We also see Tiana as a daughter; you two..."
Amidst the chest pain, Leo Sutton replied firmly, "Dad, Mom, in this life, I will never marry anyone else. Tiana wouldn’t think that way either."
As he spoke, Leo Sutton looked at Tiana Linden seated at the large round table.
At that mont, Hector Chaucer’s gaze rested on Tiana’s profile.
Leo Sutton understood too well the emotions hidden in that seemingly calm gaze.
He seed to see his past self in Hector Chaucer.
"Dad, Mom, rest assured, Tiana will have soone to care for her."
Hector Chaucer’s presence gave Leo Sutton a little comfort.
He’d known Hector Chaucer for over a decade, even twenty years.
He didn’t realize he had hidden so much.
...
Cetery.
Today is Tiana Linden’s birthday.
Aiden Grant never forgot.
Even during her five years in prison, he would rember it clearly every year.
On this day every year, he would lock himself in the studio, painting portraits of Tiana Linden all night.
Now, he stood in front of Tiana Linden’s tombstone.
A freshly picked bouquet of Eustoma flowers was gently placed before Tiana’s photo.
In three months’ ti, he finally planted Eustoma flowers all across the cetery.
They were Tiana Linden’s favorite flowers.
After placing the flowers, he crouched down.
His fingers, with distinct joints but covered in dirt, carefully caressed the photo on the tombstone.
The photo was icy cold.
That chill reached straight to his heart.
During these three months, Aiden Grant went to see Daisy many tis.
But Daisy refused to et him.
At most, he could only catch a glimpse from afar outside The Sovereign or the kindergarten.
The rest of the ti, he mostly spent at the cetery.
He had bought this entire cetery.
During Tiana Linden’s funeral, he couldn’t see her off.
Now, he cos here every day.
He devoted his ti to planting Eustoma flowers.
The whole cetery spans dozens of hectares.
Every Eustoma flower inside was planted by him personally.
The Eustoma flowers blood so brightly.
But Tiana Linden lay here forever.
"Tiana, the Eustoma flowers I planted for you have all blood. Do you like them?"
"Tiana, I miss you so much!"
With a face weathered by pain yet extraordinarily handso, he gently leaned down, resting against Tiana’s cold photo.
Uncle Carter, observing this, felt deeply distressed, "Mr. Grant, you’ve been here all day again. Christopher Grant is still waiting for you to return and discuss important matters. Shall we go back?"
Aiden Grant continued to lean against Tiana’s photo.
Painful tears fell uncontrollably.
After a long while, he wiped his tears, stood up, and asked, "Did Leo Sutton bring Daisy to pay respects to Tiana today?"
He wanted to wait a bit longer.
Hope to see Daisy again.
Uncle Carter shook his head, "No, but Mr. Linden and President Linden, along with Vivian, ca this morning. You were planting flowers at the ti, so I didn’t let them know."
Aiden Grant responded dejectedly, "I’ll go over to Aunt Townsend’s place to pay my respects. If Daisy cos, give a call."
Uncle Carter nodded, "Alright!"
Today, thirty years ago, was both the day Tiana Linden was born.
And the day her mother Wanda Townsend passed away.
In front of Wanda Townsend’s tombstone.
Daisy held her mother’s hand, "Mom, why is this whole cetery planted with your favorite Eustoma flowers, who planted them?"
The flowers seed to have been recently planted.
The soil was still fresh.
At this mont, footsteps sounded, and Tiana looked in the direction of the sound.
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