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938 Words
Veronica was stunned by what the man in front of her said. She hadn't expected his response. "You're a doctor? Why don't you look like one?"
Javier chuckled at her remark. "I don't look like a doctor? What should a doctor look like?"
"W-Well... you look more like a businessman than a doctor. And why aren't you wearing your uniform if you're really a doctor?" she asked, still skeptical.
Javier tilted his head. "You're right about that. I am also a businessman. I own a few small businesses and a company. Being a doctor doesn't mean you can't be a businessman. Besides, I'm a retired plastic surgeon, so I don't wear a uniform. I only wear it when I'm in my clinic."
Veronica didn’t know what to say or whether she should believe him. Javier knew she wasn't easily fooled and wouldn't believe him without proof.
The man sighed, reached into his pants pocket, and pulled out his wallet. He handed it to her and searched for his doctor’s license, then passed it to her.
Skeptical, Veronica took the license and examined it. There was no doubt; it was indeed the man in the photo. She saw that the name he mentioned, Javier Romanov, was correct. He was four years older than her. She also noted the doctor’s license number.
The doctor's license seemed legitimate enough. Veronica handed it back to him, though doubt still lingered on her face.
“Let’s say you really are a plastic surgeon... and you want to work on my face. But I don’t have anything to pay you with. I can't afford the costs. I'm not stupid—I know fixing my face would cost millions. I'm not rich. I have nothing to pay you with,” she dismissed him.
“I already told you, I’m not charging you. I don’t need your money,”
Veronica refused to believe that there were still people in the world who would help without expecting anything in return. That wasn’t realistic. “If it’s not money you want, then what is it?”
“Can’t it just be that I want to help you? I have a high sense of justice,” he replied with a furrowed brow.
High sense of justice? Huh! He was a stranger. They had no connection whatsoever. She didn’t believe that for a second!
She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to figure out another reason why he would want to help someone as hopeless as her. "Or maybe you want to use me as a test subject? You want to experiment on me. You said it yourself—you’re a retired plastic surgeon. You can’t legally operate anymore. And if you do fix my face, we’d be undergoing an illegal operation. Did you lose your talent when you retired? And now you want to regain it by giving me a free surgery?”
Javier was taken aback by her words. He admitted to himself that what she said was a bit below the belt, but he knew he had to be patient. He understood that she was going through a lot, and it was natural for her to trust no one, especially since he was a stranger.
“You might be right about that, maybe about one percent. But that’s not the main reason. First, I genuinely want to help. Like I told you, your determination to live made me realize a lot of things about life. I finally found my purpose again. Why I still choose to live despite everything. Everyone is facing silent scars, you know? Nevertheless, the bottom line here is… I want to help you. You’re the first person to ever doubt me despite my pure intentions,”
Veronica could sense the hurt in his voice. She felt a pang of guilt. Why was she being so rude to this man? He was the one who saved her life. When she fell off the cliff, if it weren’t for him, she would have died and her body would have been rotting away by now. And perhaps, even now, her family wouldn’t have known she was missing.
“I-I’m sorry. I wasn’t like this before. I don’t know why I reacted to you this way,” she sincerely whispered.
Javier breathed a little easier. He was right—she had been through a tremendous storm in her life, and he understood that trusting someone again wouldn’t be easy.
He smiled broadly, wanting to assure this woman that he was on her side in this fight. He wasn’t an enemy.
Javier took a step closer to her until there were only a few meters between them. His hand instinctively reached out and rested on her head. He didn’t know why he felt so soft towards Veronica; all he knew was that she didn’t deserve what had happened to her.
Veronica trembled as Javier approached, feeling embarrassed. She lowered her head, unable to look him in the eye. She knew Javier was a handsome man, and she felt self-conscious about her disfigured face.
Javier, thinking she was afraid, asked, “Are you scared of me? That’s not my intention.”
Veronica was surprised by his words. “I’m not scared of you. I just don’t want you to see my ugly face.”
Her eyes widened as she felt his large hands on her shoulders. “I don’t want to hear you say that, Veronica. Let me help you. Let’s fix your face.”
She felt like crying at his words. “Why...? Why do you want to help me? What will you gain from helping me...?”
- Writer
