"Uncle," Layla called out.
Mr. Santos hummed, and when he saw that she was alone, he asked, "You drove here?"
"Yeah."
He took the gifts from her and said, "My wife is preparing food in the kitchen. You love her cooking, so she is cooking for you."
"She didn't have to. We can just go out and eat." Layla did not want them to exhaust themselves.
"We bought a lot of groceries, so let's eat at home!" Mr. Santos said before handing Layla a pair of clean slippers. "It's the same pair that you wore the last time you visited. We've already washed it."
As Layla changed into the slippers, Mrs. Santos walked out of the kitchen.
"Aunty." Layla strode toward Mrs. Santos. "I'm sorry, Aunty. I came here specifically to apologize to you and Uncle."
"Oh, never mind that. Your parents have called and apologized." Mrs. Santos suppressed her sorrow and said, "Did Eric leave us a message before the accident?"
Layla took Mrs. Santos's hand and sat her down on the couch.
Mr. Santos sat next to them, wanting to hear about what had happened.
"He told me to manage his properties and cash them out as your retirement fund," Layla said. "But I'm not going to do that because he is going to get better. My mom said that he can get the surgery he needs once the hospital finds a matching donor. There is a high chance that the surgery will succeed, and he will recover soon. He will come home and take care of you."
Mrs. Santos broke down in tears at Layla's words.
"My parents won't interfere anymore, so I just need your consent. I've thought this through. If he dies, I will stay single forever and care for my parents and you two," Layla continued.
Tears started rolling down Mrs. Santos's cheeks again. "Layla, you don't have to do this... really. We don't blame you... not at all. Eric has been lucky enough to survive until now and had your mom not saved him, he would have been long gone."
"That's that. That is between him and my mom, and I don't have anything to do with it. All I know is I'm marrying him, and I'm spending the rest of my life with him. If he is bedridden for the rest of his life, I will take care of him. If he recovers completely, we will start a new life together... I want to have his child and raise our child together with him." Layla had planned out her future and was determined to execute it.
She knew that Eric's parents would not stop her as they were just as understanding and kind as Eric.
Mrs. Santos grabbed Layla's hands and sighed. "Let's wait until Eric wakes up. We won't interfere with your decisions. We are content as long as you two are safe and well."
Layla's eyes reddened. "I'm really sorry, Aunty. I won't be so wilful and reckless again."
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