Love Began with the First Meeting
Chapter 777 Do You Still Love Me (Part Two)

"Mommy, what do you want?" asked the child immediately. "Let me get it for you. Just tell me."

With gritted teeth and a frown on her face, Molly suppressed the urge to snort at her recklessness. After moving so carelessly, she might have ripped the wound open on her back again. Instead of bringing it up, however, she answered, "I'm fine, my child. There's nothing to worry about. I don't want anything."

When Brian decided to slowly turn around, he was wearing his iconic poker face, his eyes as deep as the ocean. With his arms folded in front of his stomach, the man had his walls up as high as the sky. At first, Brian assumed that she was just putting up an act to gain his sympathy. Then, upon closer look, he sensed that she was not faking the pain. Although she was genuinely hurting, it seemed like she chose to tolerate it for their son's benefit.

"Mommy, I'll get a doctor for you," Before running out of the ward, Mark gave Brian a meaningful look. The boy felt like it should have been Brian's job to replace a doctor. But as his father did not seem like he was going to do anything to help ease Molly's pain, he had no choice but to do it himself.

Once the boy was out the door, Brian and Molly were left alone in the ward. The atmosphere, almost immediately, changed.

While Molly lay in bed, she stared at his impenetrable form. Her left arm was injured badly. As she could not move it without feeling a lot of discomfort, they had to bandage it to keep it from moving unnecessarily. The indifference on his beautifully sculpted face was enough to make her eyes burn with restrained tears. Suddenly it became imperative that she did not blink, as she feared that if she did, she might reduce to tears. And once that started, it would be difficult to stop.

Meanwhile, Brian looked at Molly too without uttering a word. Compared to Molly's transparent emotions such as agitation and sadness, Brian stayed calm and collected. At least, that was what he appeared with such cold eyes.

Neither of them tried to look away. After a while, Molly's nose twitched in discomfort and eventually, she broke the eye-contact. Perhaps it was because her neck was starting to get cramped, or her agitation was becoming too much to suppress.

Even if it did not come from his mouth directly, Brian's amnesia was exposed as a lie, and both of them knew that they could not go on pretending otherwise.

The mere thought of it brought tears out of Molly's eyes, moistening her pillow.

Eyelashes fluttering uncontrollably, Molly bit her lower lip and tried to soothe the overwhelming sadness that was brewing inside of her. At that moment, she was feeling a lot of pain, though she could not figure out whether it was coming from the wound in her back, or the ache that her heart never completely recovered from.

For a while now, she had been bending over backward trying to help regain his memories back. As it turned out, she did not realize that his amnesia was just a ploy to send Mark and her far away from him. When she first went to the villa to accuse him of his lie, she was filled to the brim with fury and acted without much thought. But now that she had calmed down, she did not know how to face him without falling apart.

The entire time, she had been trying to convince herself that his actions were unintentional, that his ruthless behavior was only because he did not remember her or any of their time together. When the truth came out, however, she realized that he had been pretending from the very beginning.

'Did this mean that he never really loved me? Or that he had just stopped loving me? Would it really make much of a difference either way?' she thought to herself sadly.

Just then, the door of the ward was pushed open, and a doctor and a nurse walked in. Upon seeing them come in, Molly quickly wiped away her tears off her face with her uninjured hand. The action made her realize how ridiculous she was behaving, but she could not help it she just did not want others to see her sadness.

As soon as they entered the ward, the medical professionals sensed the strange atmosphere in the room, but decided to turn a blind eye to it. With the nurse's assistance, the doctor swiftly washed and redressed the wound on Molly's back, followed by covering it with a fresh bandage. With such a depressing ambiance, the doctor and nurse found it difficult to breathe as they worked in silence. It was as though they have held their breath, and were working on a limited time.

Once they were done with the treatments, they did not stay any longer than necessary, and escaped the ward. The moment they exited the place, like a drowning person coming up for air, they heaved a long sigh of relief.

Upon seeing the medical professionals' reactions as they left the ward, Mark looked at the floor and pouted. His hands fidgeted needlessly, anticipating the friction that was probably happening between his parents at the moment.

"Ding!"

Hearing the sound of the elevator opening, he found himself looking in its direction. When the elevator doors parted, a man he recognized stepped out. It was Spark, and he strode out with apparent anxiety.

At the sight of him, Mark's eyes grew wide. "Daddy!" Cracking into a smile, the young boy ran towards Spark.

It was not until his eyes focused on Mark, and his ears heard the sound of the child calling him daddy, that he had felt a mixture of emotions overwhelm him. Two years had passed since he last saw the boy. So when Mark came running to him, he kneeled on the floor with outstretched arms and embraced him. In a discreet manner, Spark studied Mark's appearance. The child had grown taller, and frankly, more handsome. Little by little, he was starting to develop similar physical attributes of his parents. From what Spark could tell, Mark had the firmness of Brian, and yet, the gentleness of Molly.

Afraid that he might hurt the child, he tried not to hold him too tightly. Alas, he could not help but squeeze the child's frail body upon remembering old memories. His mind recounted moments such as when a younger Mark cried in his arms, or the old days when they simply spent so much time together. "Mark, I have missed you so much," admitted Spark gently.

"Me too," Mark replied, his voice hoarse as if there was a lump in his throat. His arms were around Spark's neck, his eyes slightly red as he opened up to the man.

Granted, Mark's biological father was Brian. There was no doubt that he loved his Papa Brian, and he considered him as a mountain that gave a high sense of security, or a harbor that could shelter him from unfavorable winds and inclement weather. Daddy Spark, however, had a special place in his heart. He was just as irreplaceable, for the man had accompanied and taken care of him during the days when he was unable to talk.

After a long time of hugging each other tightly in the hallway, Spark finally released the child from his embrace, and used a finger to wipe the tears off Mark's face. Then, in a soft voice, he asked, "Where is your mommy?"

Glancing at the ward, Mark answered, "Mommy and Papa Brian are in the ward," He then pouted, adding, "I guess they're negotiating in silence."

"Huh?" questioned Spark, confused by the child's words. But at the moment, he was more concerned about Molly's safety. So he asked, "Is Mommy hurt?"

Nodding, Mark began to share everything that happened. Being mindful not to mention Edgar and the other people of XK, he focused on Brian's heroism with excitement. He fawned over how his Papa Brian suddenly appeared, and defeated the kidnappers. And as Mark continued to speak highly of Brian, it felt like he was describing Brian as Superman. "When Mommy was reaching out to catch the detonator to prevent it from causing an explosion, one of the kidnappers stabbed her with a dagger. Luckily, the wound wasn't that deep, and the doctor had already treated her wound,"

Whilst listening closely to Mark's narration, Spark recognized the glint of excitement in his eyes. After seeing Brian's bravery, the child exuded an immense adoration for his biological father. "So long as your mom is fine," Spark said, somehow feeling a sense of loss. Despite his disappointment, he managed to throw a smile.

"Daddy, how did you know we were here?" Mark asked curiously. ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐