“Ethan.”
Others couldn’t hear what Aoife said, but Finn understood.
She was calling him “Ethan.”
Aoife was as timid as a newborn bird, seeking protection and safety in Finn’s presence.
Aoife was not in the right state – although she had just woken up with a dizzy head, her senses gradually returned, including her hearing and vision. How could she mistake him for “Ethan”?
There was only one explanation – something was wrong with her brain, and it wasn’t a simple issue.
The doctor also noticed something amiss and took Aoife for a series of tests, mainly focusing on her brain.
During the process, Aoife was scared, her eyes following Finn, reaching out to hold his hand, crying pitifully like a child.
Finn’s heart was heavy as he accompanied her through the tests, waiting for the results to come out.
Aoife held Finn’s hand and smiled foolishly.
Finn’s eyes grew warm, holding back his emotions for a long time before choking up to ask Aoife, “Aoife, do you remember who I am?”
Aoife tilted her head and obediently called out, “Ethan.”
Finn closed his eyes, feeling a sharp pain in his temple.
He gently touched Aoife’s head as she lay still on the bed, whimpering in pain, “Ethan, it hurts so much…”
Finn called the doctor, who administered pain relief, but she still suffered. Pain can break one’s will, and after a while, Aoife fell asleep again.
At that moment, the doctor brought the diagnosis.
Finn, looking at the doctor’s grave expression, grew more anxious, “How is she?”
The doctor shook his head, “Miss Powell hit her head during the accident, causing a blood clot to press on her nerves…”
Finn interrupted, “In simpler terms.”
The doctor explained, “In simpler terms, Miss Powell has gone mad, she is a fool, she can’t remember anything, and her intelligence may only be that of a two-year-old child.”
Aoife gone mad, turned into a fool?
Finn, struck by lightning, asked, “Can she recover?”
“It’s hard to say, the human brain is complex by nature.”
So, Aoife would be a fool for life?
She forgot everything – the abuse from Finn, the indifference of her family, the help from Hattie, the cake prepared by Mrs. Lin. She couldn’t even remember who she was – in her mind, there was only a blurry name: “Ethan.”
This person was Ethan.
The doctor advised, “Mr. Snearl, the decision made by our hospital is to let nature take its course, not to agitate Miss Powell. She seems stable for now, but her condition could change rapidly from being foolish to becoming out of control, which could cause harm to others as well as herself. You need to hire people to take care of her, and now that Miss Powell is awake, you need to consider treatment for your leg.”
“Just a moment…” Finn felt a bitter taste in his throat.
Later, when Aoife woke up, her throat dry and painful, she still screamed for Ethan until Finn appeared, and she calmed down.
In her eyes, Finn saw a flicker of distant light, infinite longing – but he knew it wasn’t for him, but for Ethan.
She mistook him for Ethan.
How ridiculous.
He remembered the first time he saw Aoife, thinking she looked like Elisa, so he kept her with him, using her as a substitute for Elisa.
Karma is real, retribution is coming. Now, Aoife mistook him for Ethan, and he became Ethan’s substitute.
Time had taken away Aoife’s memories, her appearance, her healthy body – all that was left was this fool.
Aoife’s intellect remained at around the level of a two-year-old. She spoke slowly, had trouble understanding things, enjoyed playing with her hands, often wearing a foolish smile. She hardly spoke, only uttering two words most of the time: “Ethan.”
She was afraid of strangers, couldn’t face the nurses and doctors, only feeling close to Finn. She slept a lot, occasionally feeling drowsy; if she woke up and didn’t see Finn, she’d cry and call out for “Ethan.”
She feared pain, but not seeing “Ethan” was more painful; the IV needle had shifted on her hand, causing it to bleed, tears coming out of pain.
No one could comfort her like Finn could. The old Finn was the least patient one, but now he could spend all day comforting Aoife until she smiled.
He would blow on her injured hand, run his fingers through her hair, saying, “Aoife, be a good girl. Don’t move where it hurts. I’ll never leave you, never…”
“I’ll listen to Ethan.”
Every time he heard those two words, Finn’s smile would stiffen briefly.
But it was okay – as long as Aoife lived, as long as Aoife was well, he was willing to be Ethan’s substitute.
Aoife looked at Finn sitting in the wheelchair, pointing at his feet and asking, “What’s wrong with Ethan’s legs?”
“I did something wrong, so my leg is broken.”
“Will it heal?”
“I’ll be a cripple from now on,” Finn said nonchalantly.
Aoife couldn’t fully grasp the concept of being a cripple, but Finn underwent treatment, missing the optimal window, and now his leg, although healed, was limping.
Aoife saw Finn staggering to his feet, walking with a limp; it looked strange, different from how others walked. That’s when she understood the meaning of being a cripple.
Finn had an extraordinary willpower; during physical therapy, he stood up using parallel bars, enduring the pain as if needles were piercing his knees. He walked through the whole process without uttering a sound, all while Aoife watched, and he couldn’t show any signs of pain, even smiling when looking at her.
As Aoife sat in the wheelchair, she would foolishly clap her hands when Finn finished, as a way of encouragement.
“Ethan, you’re amazing!”
After an entire night of therapy, Finn came to Aoife, massaging her feet. Aoife had been bedridden for two months with severe injuries, slowly transitioning to sitting in a wheelchair, wearing protective gear.
Aoife, watching Finn massage her feet, always had a dumb smile on her face. She asked, “Ethan, does it hurt?”
Finn had grown accustomed to this nickname, instructing everyone around not to call him by his last name to avoid upsetting Aoife.
“No, it doesn’t hurt.”
“I’m afraid of pain.”
Aoife seemed to recall something, showing a timid expression. Her injuries were severe, making it difficult for her to move independently; she relied on others for everything. Every significant movement caused her pain. Now that she could sit, she was fearful of having to stand up and undergo therapy like Finn.
“Do not fear, I’ll be with you,” Finn said, continuing to massage her feet. “Don’t you want to stand up soon, go outside for a walk, eat delicious food, and have fun?”
“I do!” Aoife nodded vigorously.
“Then, cooperate with the treatment.”
In a way, this foolish Aoife was also good – she had forgotten the pain and lived in simple happiness. Most importantly, she wouldn’t leave him.
One was a fool, one was a cripple, inseparable. If the fool wanted to leave, the cripple couldn’t catch up.