Not to mention seeking revenge, Winifred’s presence by Garrison’s side might put him in danger and trouble.
Winifred touched her face. Perhaps she had no choice but to have some plastic surgery, to change her appearance and, as Garrison said, change her life.
Regardless of her appearance, she was still Winifred. The past was gone, and what was lost could never be regained. It was better to look forward and cherish what she had now.
She didn’t want Garrison to seek revenge for her own sake, to put himself in danger. She didn’t want to become his burden, a liability that held him back.
If changing her appearance could make a difference, then so be it.
Without hesitation, Winifred agreed to Garrison’s suggestion of plastic surgery.
Garrison was somewhat surprised when he saw Winifred nod in agreement. He hadn’t expected her to accept the idea of plastic surgery so quickly.
If possible, he didn’t want Winifred to change her appearance. A pang of bitterness filled Garrison’s heart, but at the same time, he felt relieved.
He would take it step by step.
Winifred wanted to know who her enemies were. She asked Garrison several times, but he refused to tell her, even when she called him “Gari” sweetly again and again. He avoided answering, afraid that it would upset her and make her think about things she shouldn’t be thinking about or put herself in danger.
Knowing that Garrison had her best interests at heart, Winifred eventually accepted his decision.
The plastic surgery was scheduled for mid-November.
It had been over two months since Winifred had been with Garrison. During this time, on September 30th, Garrison had celebrated her birthday with her and gave her a bracelet. Looking at the bracelet, fragments of memories flashed through her mind, but they were blurry and disappeared before she could grasp them.
She looked at the scars on her wrist. They were old wounds that had healed over time. The scars on her wrist were nothing compared to the wounds she carried on her body. But for some reason, looking at those scars made her feel a sharp pain in her chest.
She placed a hand over her chest, a small gesture that caught Garrison’s attention.
“What’s wrong?” Garrison looked at her. “Are you feeling unwell?”
She quickly relaxed the furrowed brows and let go of her hand. With a gentle smile, she said, “It’s nothing.”
Garrison asked, “Are you afraid of going into the hospital for surgery?”
The surgery he mentioned was plastic surgery. How could she not be afraid? It involved changing her entire face and body, undergoing countless procedures. She was terrified of hospitals and even afraid of taking medication. She had a fear of needles and refused intravenous drips even under normal circumstances. And now she had to undergo surgery to change herself.
“I’m fine,” Winifred tightened her lips. She felt that she shouldn’t be afraid. Pain could be endured and overcome. Her whole body was covered in wounds; there was no reason why she couldn’t endure plastic surgery. Besides, surgery could be done under anesthesia, so it shouldn’t be painful.
Garrison kept the search for a plastic surgeon secret. No one found out about it.
He took Winifred to the hospital for preoperative rest and preparation, selecting the appropriate surgical plan.
Her entire face would be worked on; Winifred was born to have beautiful features, so achieving a more refined and natural look was impossible.
To completely transform oneself through plastic surgery posed immense pressure on the surgeon.
In the end, only the eyes would remain unchanged; everything else would require some degree of alteration. Additionally, all the scars on her body would also be removed.
From major incisions to minor adjustments, followed by gradual fine-tuning and repair-altogether requiring thousands of procedures.
The thought of moving bones in her face made Winifred increasingly fearful. Even in her dreams at night, she saw her face becoming blurred and bloody.
Under tremendous pressure, Winifred still went into the hospital with Garrison by her side. He stayed with her throughout the entire surgery process, wearing sterile clothing while surrounded by the smell of disinfectant.
Surgery carried risks that doctors could only try their best to avoid. However, guaranteeing one hundred percent success was impossible.
Before the surgery, various documents and agreements needed to be signed. After Winifred signed hers, Garrison also had to sign as a guardian. He had signed numerous documents before, but this time it felt particularly difficult; his hands trembled with fear that something unexpected might happen during the surgery. Although the chances were slim, what if?
Halfway through signing the documents, Garrison hesitated and wanted to give up. He turned his head to ask Winifred, whose face had turned pale. “Are you scared?”
The idea in his mind was that he would take her away if she say yes.
Winifred held an example of a successful plastic surgery case-a template created by doctors based on hers and Garrison’s preferences.
The woman in the Photoshop stuff looked good; although she wasn’t as gorgeous as the previous Winifred, she was much more attractive than how Winifred looked now. Comparing those features with hers, one could only tell they had similar eyes, but wouldn’t believe they were the same person.
Most of these features were chosen by Garrison himself. Winifred thought that he would probably like how she looked after plastic surgery.
She shook her head with determination in her tone: “I’m not scared. I’ve been preparing for this for so many days.”
With all documents signed, Garrison watched as Winifred went onto the operating table with bright surgical lights shining on her face. Unable to bear the intense light shining on him either, she closed his eyes.
The first procedure was on her face-gradually working on each part individually. Considering that it involved facial nerves and required precision movements, general anesthesia was not an option. Still, anesthesia had significant impact on the body; there was always a risk of facial stiffness if not handled properly.
Garrison had only one requirement: that it looked natural without any traces of plastic surgery-a demand that proved to be incredibly difficult as achieving natural results was one of the greatest challenges in plastic surgery.
As sensation gradually faded from her face, Winifred tightly closed her eyes while keeping tension in every feature. The doctor told her not to be too nervous and tried to relax.
But how could she not be nervous? After taking a deep breath, Winifred began relaxing her body. Although there wasn’t any obvious pain sensation, she could still feel when the knife cut through her skin-it wasn’t enough to make her open her eyes though; she feared seeing a sharp knife right in front of them or being startled and involuntarily moving during surgery-a single slip by the doctor could result in an unnecessary cut on her face.
Her eyes were covered with gauze; she was enveloped in darkness while feeling bones being shaved away-the most distinct sensation during this process-so saying there was no pain at all would be impossible for Winifred.
She wanted to clench her hand into a fist but found herself lacking strength, perhaps due to anesthesia. Fearing that she would move during surgery, the doctor had placed restraints around various parts of her body.
After one operation concluded, Winifred almost suffocated while the doctor broke out in cold sweat beside them; meanwhile, Garrison watched the entire procedure with blood draining from his face-his tightly clenched hands leaving red imprints on his palm.
At this moment, Winifred’s entire face was covered with gauze; only a pair of reddened eyes were visible, the rest of her face numb as if it didn’t belong to her anymore.