The call was almost immediately answered.
"Aunty, it's Layla." Though Layla used to call Eric her uncle, she still referred to his mother as 'aunty' because Mrs. Santos was exceptionally youthful and beautiful despite her age.
Every time Layla would visit them, she would address Mrs. Santos as 'aunty' and call Eric by his name.
If it was any other time, Mrs. Santos would be overjoyed to have received a call from Layla, but since there was no telling if Eric would get the surgery he needed, her heart was heavy with sorrow, and she could not muster her enthusiasm.
Mrs. Santos hummed in response, and Layla continued, "Aunty, I'm back in Aryadelle, and I want to pay you a visit tomorrow.
Mrs. Santos hesitated before agreeing.
"I won't keep you from going to sleep, then. See you tomorrow," Layla said before ending the call.
Though Mrs. Santos had not accused Layla of anything, Layla was still overwhelmed by guilt.
Meanwhile, in Eric's mansion, Mrs. Santos sat by her bed and sobbed after the call, and Mr. Santos brought her some tissue paper before wiping her tears away.
"Don't cry, Dear. This isn't Layla's fault." Mr. Santos sighed. "If our son didn't care for Layla, he would have never gone all the way to Cambrode. It's fate. We just need to accept it!"
"I know that... I don't blame anyone for this... How could I? Had Avery not saved our son, he would have been dead a long time ago. He had managed to live for a long time, and even if he dies this time, Avery and her family don't owe us anything."
Mr. Santos nodded. "That's true. Besides, our son isn't dead yet! Avery has been giving us updates about him, hasn't she? There's hope as long as he is breathing!"
Mrs. Santos leaned her head against her husband's shoulder. "Why should our son suffer so much? My heart aches for him..."
"It's not all suffering. At least he had a smooth career. He told me that he had achieved everything he wants to achieve in life. If I'm being blunt, he won't suffer even if he passes away now."
"But we will suffer!"
Mr. Santos pursed his lips in silence. Despite his casual tone, he was overwhelmed by despair as well as there was nothing more painful than to lose one's child.
The next day, Mr. and Mrs. Santos went grocery shopping at the market as Mrs. Santos planned on cooking since Layla was coming.
After breakfast, Layla drove to visit Eric's parents, and once she arrived, she opened the trunk of her car to get the gifts she had bought for them.
She noticed that the door to the mansion was left open, and when Mr. Santos saw Layla's car, he immediately hurried outside to welcome her.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: His Eagle Eyes on Me