“Why am I here?” Stella asked in surprise.
She remembered asking Lieutenant Shine to send her to Suntec International Inc. Also, wasn’t he supposed to be with Bettany Hadley?
Jasper saw the doubt in her eyes and patiently explained, “I asked Lieutenant Shine to send you here. You still have a fever and you fainted in the car. I have asked a doctor to change the gauze on your wound. It hasn’t healed yet. You are a doctor, why don’t you take better care of yourself?”
The more he talked, the more distressed he grew.
Stella was too strong, and always wanted to shoulder her burdens alone. Even if she couldn’t do it, she wouldn’t say a word.
Stella understood how she came to be at Skies Apartment, but there was one thing she still didn’t understand. “Shouldn’t you be at the military base? Where are Bettany and your parents?”
Her question was so cold that Jasper’s eyes sunk. Jasper turned off the alarm clock on her cell phone and put it on the table next to the bed. He sat up and looked at Stella keenly. “I have something to tell you.”
Stella looked at Jasper suspiciously. “What?”
She tried to sit up. Jasper was afraid that her wound would rip open again, so he helped her up and put a pillow behind her waist.
“Thank you,” she said politely.
“We don’t need to thank each other,” he said.
She lowered her head and said nothing.
He didn’t like her elusive attitude very much, it was as if she would disappear at any moment.
“Just now, the director of the Civil Affairs Bureau called me and said that our information has been saved on the computer. Our marriage is now registered in the system. We are now legally husband and wife,” he said.
Stella looked at him incredulously. “We are now legally husband and wife? How is that possible? I tore up the marriage certificates.”
“It’s all digital now. It doesn’t matter if our marriage certificate is gone, I can just print another one. Look, it’s exactly the same.” Jasper pulled the certificate from the drawer and handed it to Stella.
Stella’s hands trembled as she took it and opened it.
Both of them were smiling sweetly in the photo.
To her, they felt like completely different people.
Frederick Addington said that as long as the marriage certificate was torn up, there would not be any record of the marriage in the Civil Affairs Bureau. How could it turn out like this?
“Jasper…” Stella looked at him expectantly.
“I don’t agree.” He knew that she didn’t want to get married. “Stella, you can stay where you are. You can even retreat. But I’ll pursue you. But don’t hide, I’m afraid I won’t be able to find you.”
Stella frowned and turned her back on him.
“We’re married. If there’s anything wrong, we’ll solve it together,” Jasper said softly.
Women were the softest people in the world, but also the toughest.
When a woman loved a man, she would give him her all, even though if he may not be good for her.
As long as the man repented and asked for her forgiveness, if she really loved him, the woman would ignore the pain and scars he had inflicted on her.
But if she didn’t love the man, she wouldn’t stand by his side even if he gave up his life for her.
Marriage, Bettany Hadley, the pain from her illness; everything was a torture to her, but she had no strength to fight against her fate.
Whenever she couldn’t make a decision, she would give herself more time. After all, life would not be over tomorrow. Time would conquer everything and end everything. Therefore, when she was troubled, confused or hesitant, she would give herself time.
“Didn’t you say that Bettany had some mental problems last time? If you trust me, I can help her.” Stella said.
Jasper smiled and held her hands tightly. “With your help, she will be fine soon.”
“You didn’t agree before,” Stella blurted out.
He looked at her deeply. “I didn’t know that they were coming. I have already told Bettany that we are married.”
Stella lowered her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked at Jasper and said, “Actually, children’s emotions are easier to understand. Their behavior is not complicated, and it is easy to guess their real thoughts.
For example, when a child passes by an ice cream store, she might request for ice cream. If she can’t have it, she would cry and even hit someone. What do you think is the right thing for the parents to do?” Stella asked.
Jasper pondered over it for a moment.
“If it’s a boy, I won’t give in no matter what. If he cries and makes trouble, I’ll make him stand next to a wall, if he beats others, I’ll punish him. But if it’s a girl, I’ll treat her better,” Jasper said frankly.
“Children are still young, and they don’t have any other way to persuade others to buy the ice cream for them. Crying and making a fuss is their only strategy. They will tell their parents they want it. When they are unhappy, they use their parents’ love for them. If the parents eventually buy the ice cream because of their crying, then they will cry more severely next time, because they know that the method is effective to get what they want,” Stella said calmly.
Jasper understood the implication.
Stella smiled slightly and said, “It is the same for Bettany. As long as she cries, she will get what she wants. Then, the next time she cries, it will be louder.”
Jasper looked at her deeply. “Then what do you think I should do?”
“Why do you think the parents shouldn’t buy the ice cream for their child?” Stella asked in reply.
“The sugar content is too high, and its coldness is not good for the body. Or perhaps it’s too expensive,” Jasper guessed.
“The child is still young. Their perspectives and their personal values have not yet developed, and the parents are their guardians. They will protect them no matter what. They know what is good and bad for them. Jasper, what do you think is good for Bettany?” Stella prompted.
“I want her to regain her confidence and independence. Also to find the person she really needs,” Jasper said.
Stella smiled. If he were a family member of a random patient, this next part would be easy.
However, Jasper was anything but. The patient was his ex-girlfriend. Coming from her, it would sound biased.
Therefore, she held her tongue. “If Bettany rejects me, I can recommend someone. He is a legend at our school and my senior. He is even more famous than I am.”
“I trust you,” Jasper said in a low voice.
Stella’s eyes became clear. She finally let it out, “Then, if I ask you not to take care of Bettany personally and not to give her any more hope, can you do it?
Only then can she find the help she really needs and become independent and confident.
What you are giving her is a prison that she will never be able to escape from. Our relationship will also hurt her deeply, make her feel inferior and… even less independent.”