Love's New Bloom by Simone Hastings

Alana’s expression changed slightly. “How did you know?”

Before Roman could answer, another person entered the room. Erin subconsciously turned her head to look, and that one glance would be etched in her memory forever. It had been a full seven years since she’d last seen him. The man she had once deeply loved was walking toward her right then.

Seeing how perfect and handsome he looked despite the passage of lime, Erin lamented that God was unfair sometimes. In these seven years, he hadn’t aged a bit. On the contrary, he exuded the charm and temperament that only a mature man possessed. His exquisitely tailored handmade suit fit him flawlessly. His appearance seemed to cast a faint halo of light within the ward.

The admiration and complex feelings that unintentionally emanated from Erin’s eyes vanished in an instant as she turned her head when Chandler looked at her. Although she would occasionally see photos of Chandler that Roman and Paulo had shown her in the past seven. years, most of them were photos of him with Asa.

Upon laying eyes on Chandler again, her heart, which hadn’t beaten for anyone for many years, Inexplicably skipped a beat. It was just like the time when they’d first met.

But time had passed, and their love had long died.

With a completely new face, she was now Pamela Eastwood. Chandler, on the other hand, was a married man, and his wife was Alana.

Even if it was said that Chandler and Alana’s marriage was based on deep friendship, that deep friendship had resulted in Alana becoming pregnant. This transformation didn’t require any explanation.

Erin’s entire heart finally settled down after she saw Chandler in person.

It only took a few seconds for the sudden spike in emotions to die down completely. Erin’s wish for the past seven years was finally granted. All she wanted was to see Chandler with her own eyes again. She was now ready to let go of the man she’d missed dearly for the

past seven years.

“Roman, who is she?” Chandler was now standing in front of Roman and Erin.

Calmly and casually, Roman introduced. “She is the good friend I mentioned to you before. Pamela Eastwood. She was also my fellow patient when I got treatments for my burns in the Garden of Eden.”

Alana, who was in bed, quickly interjected, “Yes, it’s her! Miss Eastwood, Roman told me that you’re very good at drawing, and he even

introduced you to teach Asa how to draw.”

She looked delighted as she continued, “Chandler, I think it’s a good idea. Let’s arrange for Miss Eastwood to teach Asa as soon as

possible. Asa has been talking a lot about wanting to learn how to draw.”

Chandler had been staring at Erin the moment he saw her. Normally, he wouldn’t stare fixedly at someone whom he’d just met, but her eyes had thrown his entire heart into chaos, accompanied by a dull sense of pain that began to sweep over his whole body.

“Chandler, Alana is talking to you,” Roman reminded nervously, silently praying that Chandler wouldn’t recognize Erin.

Erin’s current appearance was completely different from before. Paulo had transformed her face to no longer resemble a Coandrian face. Her new face looked more like that of a person of mixed race. With her large, bright eyes, perfect nose, and beautifully shaped lips, she now

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resembled an angelic multiracial beauty. Her long, curly chestnut hair cascaded casually down her shoulders, further highlighting her

bold beauty that was irresistible.

Though her whole face had been reconstructed, it showed no trace of any surgical marks. If she didn’t mention it, even a plastic surgery expert wouldn’t be able to tell that this was not her original face. This was the masterpiece of Paulo Eastwood, the plastic surgeon with

godlike skills!

Finally, Chandler shifted his gaze away from Erin’s face. With a somewhat displeased expression, he replied, “Alana, we need to be cautious about hiring a teacher for Asa. Even if she was recommended by Roman, we shouldn’t bypass the necessary interviews.”

His words were straightforward and showed no leniency because of Roman’s friendship with him.

Erin, who had remained silent all along, spoke up right then. “You’re right, Mr. Frost. I like to keep my business and private affairs separate too. I will definitely attend the interview three days from now.”

“Don’t worry, Miss Eastwood. It’s just a formality. As long as you pass the interview and Asa likes you, you can start work soon. Anyway, I really like you. Thank you for encouraging Roman in the past. He said that if it wasn’t for your help, he wouldn’t have recovered so quickly during the treatment for his burns in the Garden of Eden. Roman didn’t tell us about his injuries at first. Both Chandler and I felt so bad. after we found out. But it’s good that you were there for him.” Alana said. Her complexion was quite pale, but she had a kind look and a

warm smile. 1

Erin glanced at Roman and found what Alana had said somewhat amusing. Roman was the one who purposely hurt himself in order to accompany her to undergo her treatments. However, he’d twisted his story in such a way that she became the one who helped him instead.

Smiling faintly, Erin said, “Miss Wood-”

Chandler swept a glance at her and said, “Miss Eastwood, please do not mistake my wife’s title.”

Erin’s eyes flickered, and she felt a stabbing pain in her heart. She apologized, “I’m sorry.”

Chandler had already sat beside Alana, holding her hand with a trace of worry in his eyes. “We were lucky this time. Thankfully, the child is fine. We need to be more careful next time. I have already dismissed that maid.”

Alana smiled and said. “I’m fine. It was just a fall. You’re overreacting. The doctor almost had a heart attack because of you-”

Chandler reached out and brushed aside a strand of hair hanging in front of Alana’s forehead and tucked it behind her ear. His eyes instantly became gentle and warm. “We’ve struggled so hard to have this child. I want to witness its birth with my own eyes.”

Erin no longer had the courage to stay. She whispered, “Roman, I’m feeling a bit unwell. I’ll leave first.”

She didn’t want to disrupt the affectionate moment between Chandler and Alana. So, she hurriedly walked out of the hospital room. She thought she could calmly face all of this, but she’d overestimated her own capacity to endure. Witnessing the deep affection between

Chandler and Alana with her own eyes, her supposedly unaffected heart still fell a sharp pang of pain.

The pain didn’t bring tears to her eyes, but it brought a suffocating sense of desolation that overwhelmed her, making her feel dizzy. She forced herself to stay calm and barely made it to the corridor.

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However, she realized she had lost her way after stumbling around randomly when she came back to her senses. Erin saw two nurses with their backs turned to her at the bend ahead. She fell that she shouldn’t call out to them loudly in such a setting, so she hurriedly walked toward them, intending to ask for directions.

Right as she turned the corner, she collided with a man.

Erin’s body leaned back, and the man quickly held her waist, pressing her against the wall. The bouquet of flowers in his hand fell to the ground beside their feet.

The man’s warmth spread to her, and Erin looked up at him.

The next thing she saw was Sean’s attractive eyes looking at her intently. He asked gently, “Are you alright, miss?”

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