Chapter 129
“Victoria! Victoria, is that you? Victoria?”
“Victoria! Victoria, is that you? Victoria?”
Just as Victoria’s mind went hazy, she suddenly heard someone calling for her. Using every ounce of strength she had left, she opened her eyes to see a frantic Gabrielle beyond the gla*s door.
Looking at Victoria’s complexion, Gabrielle became anxious. “Victoria, what’s wrong? You’re scaring me. I’ll open the door right away!”
“Don’t… Cough… Don’t…” Victoria intended to tell Gabrielle not to bother her, but she could not stop coughing whenever she spoke due to the accumulated phlegm in her throat. As such, she failed to even throw those two words out.
Agitated, Gabrielle’s face turned pallid. As she kept comforting Victoria, she contacted Charlotte. “Charlotte, Victoria is trapped on the rooftop. She’s barely holding on. C-Could you rush here with the k-keys, please?”
She was so anxious that she was at her wit’s end. Tears were streaming down her cheeks before she knew it. After receiving a positive answer from Charlotte, Gabrielle hung up the phone and began to pace back and forth. “Victoria, don’t be afraid. You’ll be fine. I think there’s a fire extinguisher somewhere. I’ll find it. Don’t be afraid. Relax…”
She began raving probably because she was too nervous and scared.
Meanwhile, Victoria’s breathing became rapid as her heart was beating profusely. She could not even utter a word without coughing vigorously first.
The purple lips on her pale ghastly countenance darkened slightly. She was aware that she would leave the world just like that if she did not rush to the hospital right now.
Nevertheless, she was not scared one bit. Rather, anticipation sparked in her. It was the exact same feeling during the time she spread her arms to welcome the car.
She was neither afraid of the existence of hell nor worried about the non-existence of heaven. At that moment, she was only hoping Gabrielle would be slow in finding the fire extinguisher and sending her to the hospital. That way, her wish would be granted—she could leave the world.
However, things did not turn out as she wished.
Clang!
The ordinary gla*s door at the rooftop was not that sturdy. It did not take Gabrielle too much strength to smash the gla*s upon finding a fire extinguisher.
Ignoring the big cut on her arm, she lifted it and smashed on the door repeatedly. Then, she tossed it away and walked through the door frame toward Victoria.
“Victoria, I’ve dialed 911. You…” She wiped off the tears from the corner of her eyes, but the blood on her hand stained her face. “Hold on. Y-You’ll be fine!”
Suppressing the surging sensation in her throat, Victoria grabbed Gabrielle’s hands while pleading, “If you… cough… still see me as your friend, then… Cough! Cough!”
She began to cough vigorously and the rain washed away the bloody phlegm she just spat out.
Horror filled Gabrielle’s eyes. “Victoria… Victoria, y-you—”
“Just let me… cough… die.” Victoria struggled to part her lips to beg, “P-Please.”
She had no lingering feelings for the world anymore; her sole wish was to leave this agonizing place.
Gabrielle’s lips slightly parted as her body trembled under Victoria’s pleading eyes. She wiped off the streak of blood from the corner of Victoria’s lips with a quivering hand. At that moment, her eyes read dilemma and pain.
“Please—Cough! Cough! Cough!” Victoria clasped tightly onto Gabrielle’s hand; it was Gabrielle’s first time seeing such strong determination from Victoria.
Tears and raindrops mingled before flowing down Gabrielle’s face, ruining her make-up. Even her long hair matted against her skin.
Turning her head sideways, she could barely speak. “I-I’ll call the ambulance not to c-come.”
Joy twinkled in Victoria’s eyes. Since she could not speak due to the cough, she smiled at Gabrielle while waiting for her imminent death in silence.
Listening to Victoria’s quick breathing and looking at her pale face and lips, Gabrielle could not rein back her curiosity. “Victoria… Victoria, is there really n-nothing for you to live on?”
Victoria used every strength left to shake her head at Gabrielle.
Vince and his wife could have been her drive to live on with her life. However, in the face of Christian’s torture and humiliation, Bella’s betrayal and accusation, as well as her parents’ cold-shoulder and put-downs, that little strength was not enough to keep her strong.
She wanted to die and that was her only wish right now.
…
It was 2:15AM when Christian received a call from Charlotte. Although the rain subsided, it was still pouring non-stop, eliciting a sense of unease in one.
When Charlotte told him that Victoria could not hold on much longer, his mind went blank. Love, betrayal, marriage, and the car accident dissipated from his head.
With wobbly legs, he sprang to his feet and dashed downstairs in his pajamas and sandals.
“Christian, I really like you. Can I be your bride in the future?”
Suppressing the surging sensation in her throat, Victoria grabbed Gabrielle’s hands while pleading, “If you… cough… still see me as your friend, then… Cough! Cough!”
“We grew up together and I heard that couples that grow up together will give birth to smart kids!”
“Christian, I’ve told your mother that I’m going to be her daughter-in-law.”
“Is that a ‘yes’? I recorded it! You promised to get engaged with me! You can’t take that back now! Bye!”
“Are you satisfied, Mr. Thatcher?”
“You’ve broken one of my legs and sent me to prison for two years. The score is settled between us, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I seduced you and recorded it to threaten you. Then, I’ll be able to leave Delta Club.”
Memories flooded into his head like a deluge. The image of the ever garrulous, bold Victoria and the reticent, meek Victoria coalesced before a voice rang in his head.
She can’t hold on much longer!
Fear.
It was the fear he had never felt before.
“Mr. Thatcher? Are you alright?” A sleepy maid ran out. She rubbed her eyes while flashing at Christian with her phone.
His buzzing ears did not catch her words clearly and he was not in the mood to hear what she was asking either. He dragged his wobbly legs to sprint out of the manor.
The maid shouted behind him frantically, “Mr. Thatcher, where are you going at this hour? It’s raining, Mr. Thatcher. Please take an umbrella with you!”
Still, his footsteps did not come to a halt as he hopped into the car and drove it into the rainfall. With no other choice, the maid wiped the raindrops off her face before heaving a sigh.
Due to the commotion, Evelyn walked to the door in her nightgown and inquired, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure either. It seems like something urgent has come up. Mr. Thatcher ran into the rain and left in his pajamas and sandals.” The maid covered her crown while running to Evelyn.
Since it was past 2.00AM in the middle of the night in addition to the rain, the road was basically empty.
Christian stepped on the pedal and his quivering hands almost lost grip of the steering wheel. A lightning flashed across the sky; one could see his tense face, the cold sweat on his forehead and the tip of his nose.
The raindrops pattered against the windscreen, but the wiper could not wipe off the rushing wave of water. Although it was blurry to look out of the car, the car speed did not decrease.
At this moment, there was only one single thought on his mind.
Victoria must be safe!
