Chapter 269 Today Is Chinese New Year, the Whole Family Must Be Together

Chapter 269 Today Is Chinese New Year, the Whole Family Must Be Together

Terry looked troubled, gazing at Victoria with pity in his eyes, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how to start.

"What's with that look? Just say it! Did my dad's surgery go well?" Victoria sensed something was wrong. Her face grew more anxious, and her tone became almost aggressive as she stared at Terry.

Terry tried to prepare her: "Mrs. Collins, you need to brace yourself for this."

Victoria took a deep breath. Her heart instantly started racing, her stomach churning. "Okay."

"Mr. Gonzalez, he... he..."

"What happened to him?" Victoria demanded.

Terry said, "Mr. Gonzalez didn't make it. He died on the operating table."

Those words struck Victoria like a bolt of lightning, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

Victoria felt lightheaded. She reached out and steadied herself against the cold corridor wall.

"Dead—" Victoria murmured.

Thinking she didn't believe him, Terry explained further: "Mr. Gonzalez fell from the balcony and landed head-first. When we arrived, as you saw, the back of his skull was split open."

"On the way here, he stopped breathing several times. In the operating room, we performed surgery on him. We thought there might be a chance, but Mr. Gonzalez had a brain hemorrhage—all the blood vessels in his brain ruptured. Plus, falling from that height, his ribs were shattered and pierced his internal organs. Many organs were damaged. The internal injuries were extremely severe. Mrs. Collins, we did everything we could, but there was nothing more we could do."

"Today is New Year's Eve. Should we send Mr. Gonzalez to the crematorium today, or keep him at the hospital and send him tomorrow?"

Victoria blinked.

Pressed her lips together.

Dead.

Terry said Hayden had a brain hemorrhage, his blood vessels burst, his internal organs—everything was damaged.

Victoria didn't believe it.

She lifted her heavy, heavy feet and slowly walked toward the gurney covered with a white sheet.

The distance wasn't far, really.

She could reach it in a few seconds.

But Victoria didn't dare take big steps. She was afraid Hayden was really dead. She couldn't accept it, didn't want to accept such terrible news.

So Victoria deliberately slowed her pace.

She thought, what if her dad woke up? What if this was all a joke?

Victoria dragged her feet, slowly making her way to Hayden, reaching out to lift the white sheet covering him.

But her hand wouldn't stop shaking.

Right now, Victoria was strangely calm.

She stared hard at the gurney, her voice very soft, very gentle.

Afraid that if her tone was too harsh, her father would throw a childish tantrum, get mad at her, and refuse to wake up.

"Dad, let's stop sleeping now. It's New Year's today."

Victoria smiled, softening her tone: "New Year's Eve is for family reunions. You can't joke with Victoria like this."

The person on the gurney gave no response.

She hoped Hayden would lift the white sheet himself, talk to her, reach out to wipe away her tears, comfort her, tell her he was still here.

But she waited for so long.

The gurney showed no reaction.

"Dad, open your eyes and look at Victoria, okay? We haven't gone home for New Year's yet. We still need to have our reunion dinner." Victoria's fingers trembled as she used them to lift the white sheet covering Hayden.

The breathing apparatus was gone from Hayden's body.

All the medical equipment had completely disappeared.

He wore clothes covered in blood.

Terry must have cleaned him up, because Hayden's face was now clean, free of bloodstains, just abnormally thin.

His two cheekbones protruded sharply.

Victoria sniffled, placing her palm over Hayden's hand resting on his stomach. A wave of coldness shot through her nerves.

So cold already.

He was completely cold when they wheeled him out of the operating room.

Victoria's nose stung terribly.

Her heart felt unbearably heavy.

But she couldn't cry anymore.

When people are extremely sad, they become strangely composed.

No screaming, no emotional tears, just calm, numb—when the heart dies, nothing else matters.

Her heart just felt so empty, so hollow, as if her entire heart had been scooped out clean, leaving only an empty shell.

"Mrs. Collins, my condolences." Terry looked at her with concern.

Victoria murmured: "I'm fine."

She had already been through so much suffering.

She was fine.

Her heart had grown strong enough.

The phone rang at the worst possible moment, breaking the silence.

Victoria didn't move.

The phone kept ringing.

Terry reminded her that the phone was ringing.

Only then did Victoria seem to wake from a dream. She pulled her phone from her down jacket. Her gaze was blank—she didn't look at the caller ID, just swiped to answer and put the phone to her ear.

She didn't speak.

Didn't know what to say.

"Victoria, I'm packing some clean clothes for your dad. I'll come to relieve you soon and bring you some food. Just wait a few more minutes for mom." Aria said on the phone.

With things as they were now.

Coming to the hospital would just be pointless.

Victoria's tone was very flat as she spoke: "No need, Mom."

"You have to eat. When your dad comes out of surgery and finds out you didn't eat, he'll get mad at me again. Victoria, with your dad like this, you need to be good and not give Mom a hard time. Or are you still angry with Mom for hitting you today?" Aria thought Victoria was sulking and started crying on the phone again.

Aria used to be different.

She wasn't this sensitive, this fragile.

Life really can smooth out a person's edges, change their personality and habits.

Pull out all their thorns.

Like her and her mother.

The former rich young lady and wealthy wife had become like this—how tragic.

Victoria listened to her mother rambling on the phone, telling her to be good.

Not to make trouble.

Victoria's fingers gripped the phone tighter. She blinked her dry eyes. Wasn't she being good enough already?

She'd listened to Martin so much.

In the end, it was all for nothing.

The people she wanted to protect, the people she wanted to keep safe—they'd all left her.

Now she only had Aria, one family member left.

Life was so cruel to her.

"Mom, you don't need to come to the hospital", Victoria repeated.

Aria was confused on the phone: "What do you mean?"

What did she mean?

Hayden was gone.

Gone forever. On the worst day of the worst year, on New Year's Eve, he had completely and utterly left her and her mother.

Victoria put it delicately: "We're coming home soon. It's New Year's—the family needs to be together."

"Good, good, good. I'll get the food ready and wait for you at home."

Aria thought Hayden had been saved. Victoria was about to speak when Aria hung up.

Victoria looked at Terry: "Please help with the discharge paperwork. I want to take my dad home for New Year's."

The medical staff lifted Hayden into the ambulance. Victoria sat in the ambulance with Hayden, looking out at the street scenes, so lively.

After seeing Victoria off, Terry reported to Martin: "Mr. Collins, Mrs. Collins has taken Mr. Gonzalez home from the hospital."