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Veronica's eyes widened as she stared at the stranger who claimed to have "saved" her life.
"W-What did you say? You're going to fix my face?" she repeated his words.
The man nodded. "I want to be the one to reconstruct your face. As you can see, this hospital doesn't have the capability to repair the condition of your face."
"I understand that. But why should you be the one to fix my face? Why should I trust you with my face? You even said it yourself—my face is severely damaged. So why you?"
He looked her in the eye. "No offense, but do you have the means to undergo plastic surgery? Do you have any idea how much it would cost?"
She fell silent. She had no idea how much plastic surgery would cost, especially with the extent of the damage to her face. She wasn’t naive; she knew it would be incredibly expensive, given what had happened to her. No one would even recognize her anymore. And even if she managed to find a skilled doctor, could she afford the surgery? She had some savings and wasn't destitute, but she was sure her savings wouldn't cover even half of the surgeon's fee.
The thought of this new problem made her head throb with pain. Where would she get the money to fix her face?
"You know you can't avoid undergoing plastic surgery," the man continued. "It's not just about aesthetics. If you leave your face as it is, the medication will lose its effectiveness, and your face will deteriorate further. This will lead to new problems for you."
She felt pressured. "I know that. What do you think I am, stupid?" she replied irritably.
The man laughed and raised both hands in the air. "Relax. I'm just explaining things to you. You don't need to be angry with me. I'm not your enemy. I'm on your side."
She let out a bitter laugh. "Not an enemy? You're on my side? Who knows? I don't even know you. You might be one of the people who did this to me."
The smile disappeared from the man's face, and his expression turned serious. "I understand why you don't trust me. I'm not perfect either. I sin every day, but not in the way you're thinking. I'm not a devil. I could never harm a helpless and vulnerable person, especially not a woman. Don't compare me to the one who did this to you. I do sin, but I'm not the devil."
Veronica felt a wave of shame. Why was she being so harsh with this man? She wasn't like this before. She used to trust easily and was kind to everyone. But because of the tragedy she suffered at the hands of that monster, she had become rude.
She lowered her pride. The man hadn't done anything wrong to her, and if he really had saved her life, she should be thanking him.
"I'm sorry. I'm not usually rude; it's just that... this is too much. Thank you for saving me."
The man's face lit up once more. "Apology accepted. I understand what you're going through. But I hope you can trust me. I'm not your enemy. Before we get into more serious matters, though, I'd like to introduce myself. I’m Javier Romanov. And I'd like to know your name."
Javier Romanov... the name sounded familiar to her, though she couldn't quite place where she'd heard it before. Was he an actor? A famous celebrity? An athlete?
She tilted her head slightly. "I'm Veronica... Albert," she decided to use her maiden name.
"Nice to meet you, Veronica. I'm glad you're awake. Despite the severity of your injuries from the accident, I'm happy to see you're still fighting. Do you know how much I admire you?"
A gasp escaped her lips. She had never heard anyone express admiration for her before, and she knew it wasn't because of her appearance. "And why would you admire me? There's nothing to admire about me."
"Because you fought through the bitter experience you've been through. This is a huge storm in your life, I know. If you were anyone else, you might have given up on life and never woken up. But I know that with each passing day, you're fighting. You want to live, Veronica. Despite the enormous blow life has dealt you, you woke up and chose to live. If it were me, oh, I'm not sure how I would cope," Javier answered honestly.
Javier wanted Veronica to feel comfortable with him. Veronica wasn't sure how to feel, but she could tell he seemed sincere in his words.
"You're right, Mister, in what you said. I do want to live. I won't let the person who did this to me roam free, because I'm sure they'll do it to someone else. What you mentioned earlier... why shoud you be the one to fix my face?"
"Because I'm a doctor. A plastic surgeon,"
- Writer
