Chapter 271
Because of her nervousness, Brenda became more resolute. "I never interfere with your relationships, but Layla is absolutely not acceptable! Marrying a woman like her would bring chaos to the Eilish family and also affect your relationship with your sister."
"Mom, you have prejudices against Layla," Anthony interjected.
"That's also caused by her own actions. If she didn't get involved with Nora and Samuel, I wouldn't dislike her. Anthony, even if you were to marry a girl from a less affluent background, as long as she has good character, I would support you. But Layla has character issues. Do you know her father is addicted to drinking and gambling? Can his daughter be a good girl?" Brenda's voice was laced with concern.
She resented Frank, and some of those emotions had transferred to Layla to some extent.
"I said, whether it's about her family or Samuel's situation, it's their responsibility, not Layla's fault. You can't blame Layla for everything. It's unfair to her. I have made up my mind. As long as Layla agrees, I will marry her immediately. Please don't try to persuade me any further. Goodnight," Anthony said firmly, his voice unwavering as he left the room.
Brenda stepped back in fear, her heart racing.
No, she had been destroyed by Frank once before, and she would not allow herself to be destroyed by Frank's daughter again.
She had to get rid of them!
The weekend before Christmas, Susan finally found time to take her son shopping for a Christmas tree.
Oliver sat in the stroller, his eyes wide open, excitedly looking around. He happily said, "Mommy, I love Christmas so much."
"Oh really? Why?" Susan always spoke gently when she was with her son. Her face radiated motherly warmth.
"Don't you think Christmas is the most romantic holiday of the year? It has Santa Claus and everything looks so beautiful."
"Yes," Susan agreed with a smile, sharing her son's excitement for the holiday.
The streets were filled with a romantic Christmas atmosphere. In the midst of it all, Susan easily forgot about the troubles at work. She was infected by the joyous mood and felt happier.
"Mommy, look, that Christmas tree is so big. Can we buy it and take it home?" Oliver asked.
"It's too big. It won't fit in the living room. Let's buy a 1.2-meter one," Susan suggested.
"A 1.2-meter tree is too small. It won't be enough to hang the gifts," Oliver protested.
"But a 1.8-meter Christmas tree will make our living room look overcrowded. It won't look good," Susan explained patiently.
In the end, they reached a compromise and decided to buy a 1.5-meter Christmas tree.
After they picked out the Christmas tree, they had to choose decorations.
"Stars, Santa Claus, small gifts, little light bulbs... wow, what else? Mommy, our Christmas tree will be so beautiful. Oh, and Mommy, I prepared a Christmas gift for you," Oliver said.
"What gift?" Susan asked.
Oliver looked mischievous, his eyes sparkling. "It's a secret. You'll find out on Christmas."
"You mischievous child." Susan smiled. "Wait here for a moment. I'll go pay."
Susan walked up to the cash register. Last Christmas, he stood her up. This year, no matter what, she would spend Christmas with her son.
"Is this everything?" the cashier asked.
"It seems like I'm missing a star for the top of the tree. Oliver..." Susan turned around with her wallet in her hand, only to see Oliver's nose bleeding. He collapsed.
"Oliver!" Susan screamed in a panic.
At the hospital, early in the morning, Oliver opened his eyes. "Mommy, why am I in the hospital again?"
"You fainted yesterday. Are you alright? Do you feel any discomfort?" Susan hadn't slept all night, her nerves on edge, anxiously asking. "Do you often have nosebleeds?"
Victoria had mentioned it, and she had planned to take Oliver to the hospital after Christmas.
"Not frequent. Just occasionally," Oliver said casually. "I must have fainted last night because I was so happy to celebrate Christmas. I'm fine, Mommy, you don't have to worry too much. I'm very healthy."
"My biggest wish is for you to be healthy." Susan realized how much mothers cared about their children's health after becoming a mother herself. She got anxious even with a slight illness in her child.
"Mommy, I'm hungry," Oliver said.
"I'll get you some oatmeal."
"Yeah, I want to eat more. Eating more will get me out of the hospital. I don't like staying in hospitals," Oliver excitedly exclaimed.
"Okay, rest a bit more."
After Susan bought the oatmeal and returned, a nurse stopped her. "The doctor wants you to go to his office."
At this moment, Susan already had a faint suspicion of something bad, but she tried to reassure herself that it was just her imagination. She entered the office and saw the doctor with a solemn expression, which made Susan nervous.
"Doctor, what happened to Oliver?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.
The doctor opened his mouth but remained silent for a moment before saying, "He has acute leukemia."
The oatmeal in Susan's hands fell to the ground.
Her face turned pale.
For a long time, she just stared with wide eyes, with no reaction at all.
The doctor had seen many situations like this. With a look of regret, he didn't say anything.
After a while, Susan's body started shaking violently. "How could he have leukemia? He's only three years old. He's still so young. It's impossible... Doctor, you must have made a mistake. Check again, please. Oliver is very healthy. He can't have that disease," Susan cried and shouted.
"In recent years, the number of children and teenagers with acute leukemia has been increasing. Common symptoms include nosebleeds, toothaches, fever, and infections. He has had all these symptoms, right? But very few people would think it's leukemia. They just think it's normal bleeding caused by fever.
"We did a detailed examination on him yesterday, and the diagnosis is confirmed. The white blood cells in his body are continuously multiplying. We must perform a bone marrow transplant surgery immediately, otherwise... he can only live for three more months at most," the doctor patiently explained.
Susan was shocked and heartbroken after hearing the devastating news from the doctor about her son's leukemia diagnosis.
Three months!
No!
That wouldn't happen!
"Don't worry too much. If the bone marrow transplant surgery is successful, the possibility of his recovery will be high," the doctor reassured her. "However, I must also inform you that the surgery comes with a significant cost of $100,000."
"It doesn't matter, as long as it can save Oliver, any amount of money is fine. Doctor, please save him. He's my only son. He's my everything," Susan cried and pleaded.
"Don't worry, we'll do our best. Prepare the surgery fee as soon as possible, so we can arrange everything."
Susan didn't know how she managed to walk out of the office. She felt lost and her legs felt numb as if she could faint at any moment.
"Miss, are you okay?" A middle-aged woman wearing a patient gown asked with concern. But everyone who came to the hospital was not okay. There was something wrong either with their own or their loved ones' health. It was truly unfortunate.
"Don't cry, as long as you receive proactive treatment, you can get better. We need to have faith, okay?" encouraged the elderly lady.
Susan closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.
The doctor had said that as long as he underwent the surgery, he would be cured. She couldn't give up hope or fall. Her son could definitely be cured.
The most important thing now was to find a way to raise money for the surgery.