Love's New Bloom by Simone Hastings

Chapter 192 Roman’s Extreme Method of Helping

Three months quickly flew by. Just as Paulo had predicted, Erin’s emotions would fluctuate

unpredictably from time to time.

The treatments weren’t painless and devoid of any sensation when they were administered.

Sometimes, it even became unbearable for her. While she could endure the physical pain by gritting

her teeth and toughing it out, the torment and devastation they dealt to her

mental state were fatal.

On the previous night, Paulo accompanied Erin to watch the movie “Fox.” The movie she’d acted in

had been released for a little over a

month. In order to further treat her psychologically, Paulo deliberately watched the only movie she’d

acted in with her.

The movie’s sharp realism was far more impactful than a past photograph that was merely flat and

immobile. Paulo wanted Erin to face. her past self and come to terms with the fact that the face she

saw in the movie now was her appearance in the past. Erin had come to the

Garden of Eden for three months, and she had yet to see her disfigured lace.

After seeing herself playing the role of the demon hunter in the movie, Erin found herself to be so

dignified and beautiful that it captivated

people’s hearts. Erin realized for the first time that her original appearance was truly a league above

that of ordinary people.

It wasn’t that she was being narcissistic; it was factual truth. With how she looked, it was no wonder

Chandler took an interest in her. If she’d been an ugly duckling, she wouldn’t have had a chance with

Chandler. At the end of the day, weren’t appearances the first factor that

would draw someone else in before any men or women got to truly know each other?

The next morning, Erin asked the nurse for a mirror for the first time after waking up. The nurse was

shocked at her request, feeling worried

about the negative response Erin might have upon seeing her reflection in the mirror. She even sought

Paulo’s opinion.

Unexpectedly, Paulo agreed without any hesitance. The nurse wouldn’t have known that this was what

Paulo had been waiting for. It was time to take the most difficult first step. Erin had to face the truth

about her disfigurement sooner or later. Right now, Erin had chosen to

take that step.

She requested the doctor who usually wrapped her bandages to remove them for her. Just like the

nurse, the doctor sought Paulo’s

opinion too. Since this disfigured woman was a patient personally treated by the boss, no one in the

Garden of Eden dared to make light of

Erin’s psychological condition, nor did anyone dare to bypass Paulo and do anything drastic without his

approval. If something were to

happen to Erin, none of them would be able to bear the responsibility.

Just an hour ago, Erin chased both the doctor and the nurse out of the ward. A big mirror was

shattered on the ground, mimicking Erin’s

heart which was shattered into countless tiny pieces.

She hid herself away, utterly terrified of her current appearance. She wrapped the blanket tightly

around her head as she wept uncontrollably. She sobbed so hard that it caused her to hiccup

occasionally. Her disfigured face was simply too much for her to bear–it

was grotesque and horrifying, something that would only appear in a nightmare. Erin couldn’t even

muster the courage to look at it a

second time.

Just one glance was enough to sear that horrific image into the deep recesses of her brain, and the

disfigured face kept appearing in her

mind’s eye.

Thinking about how she used to look in the movie last night and comparing that flawless face to her

current unrecognizable self, Erin inevitably had suicidal thoughts. Even though Paulo had promised her

that he would fix her face and that she would have a new, pretty face, what about the time before the

restoration? How was she supposed to endure that long period of time with such a ghastly face?

She vividly remembered Paulo telling her that even if the recovery went well, the plastic surgery would

still take two to three years. If it didn’t go smoothly, it could take five to six years. Throughout that time,

she would need to witness her lace completely transform into a new and unfamiliar face agonizingly.

Right now, she had a face that could easily reduce children to lears. If her son saw her face, would he

also cry on the spot? And what about Chandler? Would he vomit upon seeing her? If her parents saw

her face, would they only want Yvette, their beautiful daughter, and no longer want her, the disfigured

monster?

All these hypothetical worries crushed Erin’s initial will to face the situation with a positive mindset. Her

seemingly resilient and brave heart was actually fragile and vulnerable.

Erin hid herself under the blanket tightly, not wanting anyone to see her because she didn’t want to

face the complicated gazes others would throw her way. Each of those gazes would be like sharp

blades piercing into her heart piece by piece.

visit the organic botanical garden, he ordered technicians to install a hidden camera in her ward.

Not only did the scene of Erin hiding herself like a frightened child who had just seen a ghost cause

immense distress and unease in Paulo’s heart, but it also made another man in the monitoring room

cover his mouth and hold back heartbroken sobs that he tried to contain unsuccessfully.

That man was Roman, and he was sitting in a wheelchair. Standing beside Roman, Paulo said to the

six other psychologists behind him,” Please head out for a while. Go and stand guard outside Erin’s

ward. Don’t enter for now. Wait for my instructions.”

“Yes, boss,” the leading psychologist responded. With that, he quickly left the monitoring room with the

other psychologists.

Only Paulo and Roman were left in the monitoring room.

Paulo spoke straightforwardly. “Mr. Blair, I really appreciate that you could come to help Erin find the

courage to live on.”

Roman was in a state of extreme grief and didn’t respond to Paulo’s words.

“To be honest, I never expected that you would deliberately injure yourself in such a crazy way just to

make Erin believe in you. It is incomprehensible but admirable at the same time.” Paulo expressed his

sincere thoughts, causing Roman to gradually stop sobbing. When he thought about the mental

torment Erin was going through, he forced himself to get his act together quickly even though his heart

was shattered and broken too.

Hurriedly wiping away his tears with his sleeve, Roman asked, “Mr. Eastwood, why did you specifically

come to me? Why didn’t you approach Erin’s family or her best friend, Holly, or even Chandler?”

Paulo looked at the obvious burns on Roman’s chin and the extensive burns on his legs gravely.

“Why, you ask? I believe the burns on your body are obvious answers to your questions,” Paulo replied

sincerely.

“Holly, Erin’s good friend, is quite beautiful. If I asked her to come and encourage Erin, I’m afraid it

would have the opposite effect. Erin would inevitably compare herself to Holly, and she wouldn’t be

able to withstand such a strong contrast day in and day out no matter how

tough she is.”

Paulo continued, “As for Chandler, I dare not take the risk to approach him. I don’t know anything about

that man. If his behavior turns out to be as Erin predicted, then it’ll spell death for Erin on the spot. I

don’t understand love or how it works, so I won’t make such a risky move by asking Chandler to come

here.”

After pausing for a bit, Paulo continued to voice out his analysis, “As for Erin’s family, I’m sad to say

that they’re all unreliable. The melodramatic family background is enough to give Erin a headache.

There’s no one suitable in her family. Even if someone seemingly reliable like Cherry comes, what if

she starts crying with Erin every day and gets emotional? She might even say she wants to end her life

together with Erin! If that happened, then all my efforts would be in vain.”

Roman gazed at Paulo with his bloodshot eyes, and an uncontrollable sense of admiration welled up in

his heart. This admiration was quickly followed by an immense sense of trust.

He asked Paulo, “What should I do to truly help Erin? Can you please tell me what to do, Mr.

Eastwood?”

Seeing how resolute Roman was, Paulo smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, there’s no need for you to die.

When I called you initially and asked you to pretend to be injured, that would have been sufficient. But

you, you truly don’t care about your own body, do you? Or perhaps are you overly confident about the

medical technology at Garden of Eden?”

A glimmer of wise determination flashed in Roman’s eyes. “I’m not acting in a movie this lime. This

concerns Erin, so I can’t make light of it. I need to genuinely empathize with Erin. Of course, before

making this drastic decision, I thoroughly investigated the medical

capabilities of your institution. I can sacrifice a year of my time, and it should be enough for you to treat

my burns.”

“You’re crazy awesome! I always thought you were just a talented actor, but I didn’t expect you to be

such a resolute man. I suppose it has something to do with your experience serving in the military back

when you were young-”

Roman got impatient and cut Paulo off eagerly, “Come on, let’s gel this started. Tell me what I need to

do.”

Paulo withheld his admiration for Roman and spoke seriously. “Later, you’ll rush into Erin’s ward and

yell hysterically about wanting to jump off the building. I’ll ensure that my staff cooperates with you fully.

Once Erin notices your presence, you can fully showcase your acting skills.”