Chapter 213 Is This a Coincidence?
Michael couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he had a hunch that Elizabeth was the one who brought the bouquet.
He stood by the nurse's station, eyes glued to the flowers.
The sunflower's round face reminded him so much of Elizabeth's smile.
A nurse noticed him and smiled. "Mr. Thomas, do you need any help?"
Michael snapped out of his thoughts and smiled back. "No, thank you. The flowers are beautiful."
The nurse glanced at the sunflowers. "Yes, they are! A lovely lady brought them in. I thought she was visiting a patient, but she just stood in the hallway for a bit and then left."
Michael's heart skipped a beat.
A sudden hope surged within him. It had to be Elizabeth!
She must have heard he was in the hospital and came to see him.
But then she saw Calla and Eloise, so she left.
It seemed like Elizabeth still cared about him.
Michael went back to his room, feeling pretty good.
As the first snow of winter fell, it marked Eloise's birthday.
That day, Michael headed to Global Horizons International School and went straight to Nolan's classroom.
He signaled the two teachers to leave.
They didn't go far, just stood outside the classroom.
Nolan saw Michael but didn't show much emotion.
Michael sat down next to Nolan. "Nolan, I need your help with something."
Nolan ignored him.
Michael persisted. "I won't ask for your help for nothing. I'll grant you one wish. Anything you want, as long as I can do it."
Nolan finally spoke. "Tell me what it is first."
Michael said, "Today is Eloise's birthday, and I hope you can spend time with her."
Nolan thought, 'Mom doesn't like Eloise. She wouldn't want me to spend time with Eloise on her birthday. But Michael always troubles Mom. If I can have one wish from Michael, maybe one day I can help Mom.'
So he nodded and said, "I can agree to that, but what if you don't keep your word?"
Michael wrote a promissory note: [I, Michael, owe Nolan one wish. As long as it is within my ability, I will fulfill it.]
He signed it and handed it to Nolan.
Nolan slipped the note into his backpack and followed Michael out of the classroom.
Eloise was playing in the snow in the yard. When she saw Nolan with Michael, she could hardly believe it.
Her face lit up with joy as she walked towards Nolan.
Eloise handed him a shovel and timidly asked, "Nolan, can you help me build a snowman?"
Nolan looked at her, then took the shovel and joined her in the yard.
They happily rolled snowballs, each making one.
Nolan kept rolling his snowball until it was huge, then crouched beside it.
Eloise's snowball was smaller.
Together, they lifted the smaller snowball and placed it on top of the big one.
They used their shovels to pat the snowman, making it sturdier.
The teacher watching Nolan was amazed.
Usually, whenever Eloise approached Nolan, he would avoid her.
Eloise's nanny couldn't believe it either.
She had been taking care of Eloise for years. Eloise had always refused to interact with anyone, let alone play with others.
Seeing Eloise playing so happily with Nolan today, the nanny couldn't help but shed tears.
Michael stood on the steps, quietly watching them play in the snow.
A few years back, Michael had played in the snow with a girl too. But she left him soon after.
His mind wandered back to those days.
In his vision, it seemed like the girl from four years ago appeared again.
But now, she had grown up, shedding her youthful innocence for a mature and charming presence.
She walked towards him, looking anxious.
"Nolan," Elizabeth called out.
Michael snapped back to reality at the sound of her voice.
It was really Elizabeth.
But she seemed worried, probably because she couldn't find Nolan in the classroom.
Michael walked over to her. "Elizabeth, I'm sorry. I didn't inform you in time. Nolan is here."
Elizabeth waved it off, indicating it was fine.
She walked straight to Nolan. "Nolan, it's getting dark. Play for a few more minutes and then we'll go home."
Nolan looked at Eloise's hopeful eyes.
He looked up, feeling a bit reluctant. "Mom, today is Eloise's birthday. Can I play with her for ten more minutes?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Okay. I'll wait for you on the steps."
She stood on the steps, leaning against the railing, watching them.
In the yard, someone had built a cake-shaped snow sculpture with candles on top.
Elizabeth knew it was Michael's birthday today. She glanced at him from a distance.
Despite their last meeting ending unpleasantly, Michael had still sent her gifts and birthday wishes.
She hadn't prepared a gift for him, but she felt she should at least say something.
Elizabeth turned to Michael and said, "Michael, happy birthday!"
Michael didn't expect her to speak to him first.
He said, "Thank you."
Elizabeth suddenly remembered that Nolan had just said it was Eloise's birthday today.
So, Michael and Eloise shared the same birthday?
Was this a coincidence?
Eloise was playing in the snow in the yard. When she saw Elizabeth, she froze.
She didn't know how to face Elizabeth. She liked her, but she also knew that Elizabeth didn't want to see her. Every time Elizabeth saw her, she seemed unhappy.
Eloise looked at Michael. "Michael, I want to eat cake with Nolan."
Michael smiled. "Okay."
He looked at Elizabeth. "Shall we go together?"
Elizabeth thought of their current relationship and shook her head. "No, thank you."
How could Elizabeth eat when facing Eloise, the woman he cared about the most?
She took Nolan's hand. "Say goodbye; we should go."
Nolan waved to Eloise. "Goodbye; happy birthday!"
Eloise watched them leave, reluctant to part.
Michael took Eloise's hand. "Eloise, let's go back to the room and eat cake."
On the way, Elizabeth asked Nolan while driving. "Nolan, sometimes I think Eloise and Michael look quite alike, and they share the same birthday."
Nolan said, "Mom, are you suspecting that Michael and Eloise are siblings? I checked the household registry online, and Michael only has a brother, no sister."
Elizabeth suddenly felt a sense of loss.
What was she thinking? Was she making excuses for Michael's behavior?
If Eloise were his sister, he could have been honest with Elizabeth back then.
Who would be afraid of others seeing a photo of their own sister?
Wasn't that too abnormal?
Even if they were siblings, wasn't there still Calla?
In other words, this matter had nothing to do with her anymore.
Whether Eloise was his sister or not was no longer important.
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