“Hansen, Jenna has been through a lot of hardships. I hope that you will treat her well, appreciate her, and provide her with a happy and peaceful life. Can you promise me that?” Lilian could not help but to feel a lump in her throat as she tried to finish her sentence.
Hansen’s heart instantly sank.
“Grandma, everything that happened to Jenna was because I didn’t do my duty as a good husband. I promise that I will provide her with nothing but happiness from now on. I want her to be the luckiest girl in the world. Please trust me.” Hansen made a promise to Lilian in a serious tone.
Lilian did trust Hansen’s promise to her because back then at Ink Garden, he had made a promise. He had promised that Jenna would be the only woman for him in this life and he had managed to keep his promise for more than a year then.
“Hansen, I trust you,” Lilian said in a low voice and hung up the phone.
“Quina, do we have anything arranged by the United Nations?” After a while, Lilian turned to ask Quina, who was standing beside her.
Quina understood Lilian’s intentions and answered instantly, “Madam, UNICEF will be holding an event soon. You should take this chance and take a trip to Srirano since there are many underprivileged kids there.”
A flash of light glimmered in Lillian’s eyes. Then, she nodded and said, “It’s decided then. We will depart to Srirano the day after tomorrow.”
“What about Miss Sara?”
“Since Sara’s condition prohibits long trips, I’ll just bring her along to A City once I’m back here. Hansen is a man after all and there are some things he can miss out on when it comes to taking care of a woman. Moreover, I feel much better handling it by myself,” Lilian replied.
Seeing that Lilian had already made up her mind, Quina immediately smiled and said, “Madam, you’re such a responsible grandmother. Don’t worry about it, I’ll go and make preparations right now.”
Lilian sighed and said, “Quina, you have no idea. If I were to have reunited with Sara and Jenna earlier, then perhaps these horrible incidents wouldn’t have happened.”
Quina nodded and said softly, “Madam, God tends to make us go through hardships, so that we could learn how to be strong. All these experiences may not have been all bad to Jenna because she has never been an ordinary woman. I believe that she will have a successful future. Or perhaps all these were just fate. Madam, you should not be so hard on yourself about it.”
Lilian nodded as she listened. She remained silent.
“Jerry! Jerry!” In the endless darkness, images flashed through Jenna’s mind in her dreams. She started crying out loud.
“Mom, I’m here,” Jerry said in a childish tone as he leaned over the bed and reached out with his little hand to grab Jenna’s hand.
Jenna opened her eyes.
Jerry’s baby face appeared in front of her.
Her forehead was covered in sweat as she stared at Jerry’s face, lost in thought.
“Mom, don’t you recognize me? It’s me, Jerry.” Jerry took some tissue from the headboard and gently wiped the sweat off her face. He stared at her with his round, black eyes.
After a moment, she murmured, “Jerry, Jerry.” The boy’s little hand caressed her forehead like a spring breeze. It was soft and warm. She felt a sense of warmth flooding her heart.
“Mom, I beg you, please get well soon, okay?” Jerry said as he touched her face with a heartbroken expression. “I don’t want to see you in pain.”
“Jerry.” A hint of a smile appeared on Jenna’s face as her hand caressed Jerry’s face. A few images violently collided in her mind.
“Mom,” Jerry called out to her in a soft voice.
“Jenna, you’re up.” Hansen came in and said with joy when he saw this scene.
As he walked closer to her, he noticed that Jenna was still weak. It looked like she had to use great effort to reach out her hand to touch Jerry’s face. Hansen instantly pulled her into his arms and got her nearer to Jerry.
Jenna’s hand caressed Jerry’s face, and the smile on her face became even more gentle. She didn’t need her memory because Jerry’s features looked extremely like the man who was holding her. It was all clear to her.
In fact, she was a blessed woman with a husband and a child.
“Mom, I’ll be taking care of you from today onwards. You must get well soon since I will be going to England soon for my studies, and we shouldn’t delay it,” Jerry said proudly like a mature, responsible man.
A faint smile appeared on Jenna’s face. Her hand caressed Jerry’s ear as she blinked, agreeing to his request.
“Jenna, you haven’t been eating much for the past few days. Your body needs a lot of nutrients right now, so that it will heal quickly. Go ahead and leave those unhappy memories in the past. You don’t have to remember them,” Hansen uttered softly as he hugged her. Then, he made a call with the phone by the bed and after a short while, a waiter brought some herbal soup into the room.
“Mom, let me feed you.” Jerry stood up on the bed and knelt in front of Jenna’s bed. Hansen held a bowl. Jerry picked up a spoonful and fed her mouthful by mouthful.
The three of them were having a warm moment in the bedroom.
The news about Lilian visiting Srirano spread quickly throughout all forms of media.
Jenna’s condition finally got better. She managed to eat some food during the night, under the care of Jerry and Hansen. The mother and son slept in Hansen’s arms all night. Her fever did not resurface again.
After breakfast the next day, Hansen arranged for Marissa and Jerry to watch the elephant show on the streets of Srirano to let them discover more about the culture in Srirano.
The winter sun was warm and peaceful, with bright and clear rays, but there was no heat to it.
Hansen helped Jenna into a rose-colored mink coat and held her hand. They went for a walk by a small river in Srirano.
“Jenna, the man in black who kidnapped you has been deported by the Srirano police. Don’t worry, it will never happen again.” His big palm gently rubbed Jenna’s hand and passed the warmth from his body to her.
“Hansen, thank you for saving me.” Jenna stopped and looked back at him. The traumatizing image from that night flashed through her mind and she felt her head ache. She quickly shut her eyes in fear.
Soon, the fearful scene was replaced by a kind of warmth that made her feel safe. When she had been worn out, this man by her side had saved her. Then, he had taken great care of her and kept her protected by his side.
In recent days, even though different types of images would pop up in her mind randomly, no matter how painful the memory was, it would dissipate under the warm hug and love of this man, until she no longer felt afraid.
She had never thought that her sense of reliance on this man would be so deep and strong.