Chapter 388

"Lay her down flat, Lawrence," Winnie called out to him.

Lawrence, consumed with worry, sluggishly followed her direction and knelt down beside her.

Winnie swiftly opened a packet of medical supplies and administered a dose of medication to Madam Rodriguez, precisely targeting the midpoint of her carotid artery. Then, she used a tool to open Madam Rodriguez's mouth. With her hands clasped together, she slowly pressed down on Madam Rodriguez's chest with a steady force, administering chest compressions.

With each chest compression, Winnie exerted determined effort, gritting her teeth in focus. In the dim light, Lawrence glanced over at the focused woman, her fair and delicate complexion, clenched jaw and clear eyes that revealed the compassion and resilience of a healer. It was surprising to see such strength in her slender body during an emergency.

Soon, Winnie's forehead was drenched in sweat. Lawrence tightened his lips, wanting to ask if he could help since he possessed great strength. However, he was certain that it wouldn't be appropriate.

"Phew-" Madam Rodriguez suddenly jerked forward, and a mouthful of dark blood sprayed out.

It was black blood.

Winnie heaved a sigh of relief and said, "The congestion in her lungs has been expelled, and she can breathe normally now."

But Lawrence stood frozen. He felt a sense of familiarity with this black blood. Three years ago, in the video shown to him by Darcy, when Winnie had kidnapped his mother, she had also coughed up a mouthful of black blood. At that time, overwhelmed by anger, he had firmly believed that Winnie was responsible for his mother's injuries.

"Ah..." Madam Rodriguez weakly breathed, slowly opening her cloudy eyes.

"Mother, you're awake?" Lawrence snapped back to his senses as he picked up the elderly woman, using the cuff of his shirt to wipe away the blood from the corner of her mouth.

"You...you all..." Gradually, Madam Rodriguez's vision became clearer, and upon seeing her son and daughter-in-law, she couldn't differentiate whether it was reality or a dream. Her weak lips curved into a smile.

Winnie gently touched the woman's throat, carefully exploring.

"Wi-" Madam Rodriguez grew elated upon seeing Winnie and tried to speak, but she held her breath, unable to voice out any sound due to her condition.

Winnie calmly regulated her breathing while simultaneously injecting a dose of sedative to help the woman calm down. She then shifted her gaze toward Lawrence with a complex expression. "Madam Rodriguez is unable to speak due to blockage and congestion in her vocal cords. The language center in her brain has degenerated, causing paralysis of the nerves responsible for speech. I can try another method to help improve her condition."

Lawrence cast a deep gaze toward her. The woman's next words, as she bit her lip, carried a chilly look. "But do you trust me?"

He was taken aback, reflecting on his lack of trust toward her ever since his mother had woken up. His extreme sensitivity was evident, a flicker of obscurity shimmering in his eyes. Now, upon learning that he had another son who was still alive, his feelings toward Winnie suddenly became clear. It was as though the thorn pressing on his heart had finally disappeared, and his heartbeat started to come alive again.

He lowered his gaze and let go of her hand. "You handle it, Winnie."

Without looking at him, Winnie proceeded to treat Madam Rodriguez.

She began by treating the lower part of Madam Rodriguez's vocal cords. Madam Rodriguez straightened her neck, gritting her teeth to endure the pain. The process was swift. Winnie administered the injections one by one, then assisted Madam Rodriguez in sitting up. From her bag, Winnie retrieved a bottle of water mixed with medicine and helped Madam Rodriguez drink it.

Her throat was lubricated, and her foggy thoughts started to clear in her mind. Madam Rodriguez tried to open her mouth and managed to utter, "Lawrence."

"Mother, you can speak?" Lawrence felt pleasantly surprised.

However, Madam Rodriguez interrupted him with a sigh. She immediately grasped his large hand, smiling bitterly as she breathlessly spoke, "Listen to me, son. I don't know if I'll take my last breath the next second. You've asked me this before and I must tell you the truth right away. I can't let you and Winnie continue with this misunderstanding."

The old woman sighed heavily, filled with bitterness, and looked at Winnie's eyes with affection and guilt. In reality, she occasionally had some awareness of the outside world, especially lately while in a coma.

Through Sidney, Oscar, and bits and pieces of Taylor's words, Madam Rodriguez had guessed the current situation between her son and Winnie. Madam Rodriguez knew who was responsible for all of this, and she also hated herself for not being able to speak up.

She grabbed Lawrence and angrily uttered in a hoarse voice, "Winnie didn't harm me three years ago. You need to understand... it's Darcy, it's her... it's her!" Madam Rodriguez became agitated, panting heavily.

But Lawrence stiffened and his face froze, as coldness gradually fell upon him. "What did you say?" he asked.

Madam Rodriguez's eyes were lucid as she recounted that night, trembling with fear. Within the gentle gaze of the elderly woman, a surge of hatred erupted. "That night, it was indeed Winnie's uncle who kidnapped me first, and Winnie... she actually knew her uncle had made a big mistake, so she went after him, trying to salvage his error. In her heavily pregnant state, she skillfully diverted her uncle's attention and carried me, who was suffering from illness, on her back as we made our way down the mountain.

"However, on our way down, Darcy intercepted us. She took me away, knocked out Winnie, and no one noticed! After taking me away from the mountain, she injected me with a large amount of poison, causing my kidneys to fail overnight, reducing me to a state worse than death. She then secretly sent me to the hospital, and during those three days, she first took out my failing kidney, and then transplanted another kidney into me.

"After the surgery, I didn't immediately fall into a coma. I actually had some consciousness, and I knew that she didn't donate her own kidney to me; she probably used someone else's. When she realized that I discovered this secret, she..." Madam Rodriguez took deep, gasping breaths, becoming increasingly agitated and unable to catch her breath.

Meanwhile, Lawrence was frozen and unable to think.

Winnie immediately comforted the old lady and gave her water.

Madam Rodriguez clenched her teeth and firmly held Winnie's hand, her eyes turning red with emotion. "My child, it's all my fault for not waking up in time that night, unable to explain to Lawrence, leading to his misunderstanding of you for three years. Do you remember that night, when I entrusted you in the grassland, asking you to bear his child and take care of him no matter how many mistakes he made? Winnie, I know you are a good child."

At this moment, Winnie's heart, which had been frozen in time for three years, shattered like fragile glass. Her eyes transformed into pools of crimson as tears surged forth, cascading down her cheeks like a relentless river. She rushed toward Madam Rodriguez, releasing all the grievances, helplessness and humiliation that had been suppressed in her heart for the past three years.

In front of this old lady, she let it all out. It turned out that she hadn't become stronger, she just had no one to share her grievances with. She had been so wronged, and finally, there was someone who understood. This was the moment she had been waiting for.

"Madam Rodriguez, just tell him that I'm innocent! Why would I harm you, someone as kind as you?" Winnie cried, passionately defending herself.

Lawrence froze, as if his heart was being torn apart by the tears in her eyes. His emotions sank to the bottom, replaying his mother's words over and over in his mind.

His thoughts then shifted toward Darcy. Darcy had injected poison to cause his mother's kidney failure. She had undergone kidney transplant, and the donated kidney wasn't even hers. It was all fake. He was wrong all these years! The truth that he learned from his mother's mouth at this moment was beyond belief. His whole body trembled, looking at Winnie's fragile and innocent face.

For the first time, he realized that it was a truly innocent face, pondering the extent of the hurt he had caused her due to his misunderstandings over the past three years.

Lawrence's heart clenched with a pang of anguish, every breath a reminder of his profound sorrow. The truth unfolded starkly, mocking him and shattering his misconceptions.