Love Knows No Bounds

"Sure. Where did Emma go? Oh. The restroom, right? I'll have a proper talk with her when she comes back."
Marion was a lot less aggravated now. She even had the presence of mind to start nagging Toddy, but the majority of what she
said were reminders for him to cherish Emma.
Toddy chuckled bitterly. "Mom, I already know what it feels like to go to hell and back to try and win her over again. If I still don't
know that I should be cherishing her, then I deserve to die a lonely old bachelor."
He was drowning in regret right now. If he hadn't been as cold and had realized his feelings sooner, he and Emma could've been
married by now.
Dylan had given him countless reminders, but he never heeded any of them. He kept assuming that Emma would always be
there waiting for him...
After a while, Emma figured that Toddy's conversation with his mother should be over, so she came back out of the restroom.
She washed her face and felt a lot better.
"Emma." Toddy passed her phone back to her. "My mom wants to talk to you."
Emma looked at him for a moment before taking the phone and pressing it to her ear. "Hi, Mrs. Heller," she greeted politely.
"Emma, I'm an impatient woman, so I won't beat around the bush. Toddy told me all about you and him, including the fact that
you might have a terminal illness."
She listened in silence.
He picked up on her nervousness when he noticed her hand tightening around the phone. He was thrilled by this. If she's
nervous, that means she cares a lot about what my mom thinks, and that means she still has feelings for me. She isn't
completely over me yet. I still have a chance.

Emma kept saying that she had gotten over Toddy, but he didn't believe her. She had loved him for so many years. It wouldn't be
easy for her to stop loving him just like that. She was just too hurt, and he couldn't mend her wounds yet.
It was his fault.
He didn't do enough for her. He wasn't good enough.
He was going to try and win her over with the same methods she did in the past. He wasn't going to try to gain her sympathy.
She'd be irritated if he got drunk. Roger would never resort to such tricks.
"I've spoken to Toddy, Emma. I've told him to apply for leave and take you to a few hospitals. You should do a few more tests.
Your diagnosis hasn't been confirmed yet so you shouldn't give up on yourself. We're not giving up either. Even if your diagnosis
is confirmed, you still shouldn't give up. Medicine has gotten very advanced these days. There's bound to be a way. You don't
need to worry about the expenses either. We can afford to pay for your treatment. Don't worry, okay? Even if the sky comes
crashing down, Toddy will hold it up for you. Don't get bogged down by all the bad thoughts. Just apply for leave first and do
more tests. Once you get the results, go ahead with the treatment the doctors recommend. I'm sure you can overcome this
illness."
Marion rushed through a bunch of encouragement and words of advice.
Emma was touched by everything she heard.
When she first got the reports, she had been stunned, but she wasn't afraid.
She didn't even tell her family about it yet. Toddy was the first to know, and it was only because she wanted to test him.
"I can pay for the treatment myself, Mrs. Heller. It's just that... this type of cancer spreads very quickly. Even after paying for all
the expensive treatment, there's still a low chance of survival. I think—"
"Don't say such nonsense, Emma. Even if it spreads very quickly, you still need to undergo treatment. How do you know that
there's no hope for you if you don't get treatment first? What if you're one of the fortunate ones who manage to pull through?

What if it's just a misdiagnosis? We're not afraid of spending money, even if it doesn't change anything. All you need to do is take
things one step at a time and do the tests first. Toddy and his family, the Hellers, won't dislike you for this. We won't abandon you
just because of your illness. Listen to my advice, Emma. Go to a few more hospitals and get further testing done."
Emma remained silent for a moment before stating, "I could die, Mrs. Heller. Toddy is a young and accomplished man with a lot
of great qualities. He deserves better."
"Don't say such things to me. I don't like hearing that. I just want you to take it easy and do a few more tests. What's so great
about Toddy? He's in his thirties and he still doesn't have a girlfriend. If he was so great, his child would be in kindergarten by
now. He's just a middle-aged man that nobody wants. He should be thanking his lucky stars that you like him. You'll be fine,
Emma. Don't say you want to give up. You're still young. You're in the prime of your life! You've got a long road ahead of you. I
like you very much too. I'm waiting for the day when you'll call me Mom."
Emma blushed. She had known Toddy for many years and had secretly kept his mother's number, but she never dared to call
her. She was afraid that Marion would be a difficult person. Who would've thought that Marion was such an open-minded
person?
"Thank you, Mrs. Heller. I'll give it a lot of thought."
Marion gave a whole slew of advice before reluctantly ending the call.
Emma had a feeling that Marion wanted to fly over right away.
Once the call was over, Toddy said to Emma, "What my mom thinks is what I think too, Emma. I won't abandon you. The food's
here. Let's eat first. Once we're done, I'll tell President Coleman that I need a few days off. You should apply for leave too. I'll
book our plane tickets and we'll fly to Imperia tomorrow. I just checked and Imperia Oncology Center has all kinds of specialists. I
still think you've been misdiagnosed. How can you have a terminal illness? You look so healthy."
Toddy had heard that cancer patients lost a lot of weight. They would look haggard and feel lethargic all the time.
Emma had rosy cheeks and looked perfectly healthy. She didn't lose any weight. In fact, she looked as if she had put on a bit of

weight.
She wasn't lethargic at all either as she could still help Kendall with a lot of work every day.
"Let me think about this," Emma replied curtly. "Let's eat."
Her test didn't result in a clear outcome. It was back to square one again.
Toddy reached out to hold her hand as he announced with love and utmost sincerity, "Emma, even if the sky comes crashing
down, I'll hold it up for you. Even if I'm not the one you choose, I'll still stay by your side."
Emma withdrew her hand and picked up her cutlery. Her expression was as indifferent as ever. "Let's eat. I'm hungry."
"Alright. Let's eat."
"When we're eating, don't try to talk to me about your feelings."
Toddy kept quiet for a moment before agreeing indulgently. "We won't talk about our feelings. Let's talk about the stock market
and the projects we're handling right now."
He was the one who mentored her. They had a lot of things in common to talk about.
Back then, he rejected her confession and was extremely cold toward her, which was the reason why they grew distant.
Whenever they ran into each other, she would try to strike up a conversation with him, but he would always ignore her.
Eventually, she stopped trying.
Looking back on it now, Toddy sorely wished to punch himself in the face.
What did I do? What was I thinking?
He pushed away a wonderful woman who was completely in love with him. He deserved the harsh scolding his mother had given
him.

Emma served herself a bowl of soup before passing the ladle to Toddy.