Chapter 148 She Jumped into the Sea
Matthew's voice grew even more unhinged as he shouted again.
"Answer me! Do you want your own life, or do you want her? Mr. Harrison, I'm sure you'll make the wise choice."
Nicholas looked at Emma, whose wrist was tightly gripped in Matthew's grasp. She shook her head gently at him, her eyes already moist with tears.
The next second, Nicholas spoke with unwavering determination, "I want Emma. Give her back to me."
Emma, hearing this, shouted at him in fury, "Nicholas, have you lost your mind? What the hell are you saying!"
This outburst only made Nicholas's resolve crystal clear. He repeated with even greater conviction, "Matthew, give Emma back to me. I only want her."
Emma roared, "Shut up!"
Matthew watched their interaction as if he didn't exist, and a surge of rage shot up from his heart, his face turning cold enough to scrape ice from.
"Nicholas, are you certain? You only want her, not your own life?"
His voice carried suppressed hatred, as if he wanted to tear away Nicholas's mask of deep affection right there and then.
Nicholas spoke with calm yet penetrating conviction, "Matthew, you must be deeply disappointed. My life was never in your hands to begin with."
Matthew was completely enraged.
He let out a cold laugh, "How touching! Let me see what you'll love her with when you only have ten days left to live!"
With that, he raised the vial in his hand, about to smash it violently to the ground.
"No!"
Emma screamed, her hands desperately gripping his large hand with all her strength, her eyes filled with pleading.
"Don't smash it, Matthew, please don't. I've never begged you for anything. Could you give it to me? Don't let him die, please!"
At this moment, she was sobbing uncontrollably.
Whether her feelings for Nicholas were love or hate, whatever grievances still lay between them—none of it mattered now.
This tiny vial, seemingly fragile, was literally his life.
How could she watch him die right in front of her?
She cherished life—how could she ignore his?
Nicholas watched Emma begging desperately, moisture gathering in his eyes.
His voice was terribly hoarse, "Emma, don't cry, don't beg him. Even if I only live one more day, I won't regret it. Come home with me, will you?"
He paused, then called softly, "Sweetheart."
Emma just shook her head, tears falling like broken pearls in a wild cascade.
Matthew watched her nearly shatter, and the fury in his heart blazed even fiercer.
"You're actually begging me for him?"
"Where's your pride? You're supposed to be a goddess among mortals! You don't belong to just one man! You should love all humanity—so why do you only love him?"
All of this made him feel utterly sinful, like a fool.
He was confused, he was furious. But he didn't understand that a goddess who knew how to love all humanity would never abandon the one she loved.
Emma sniffed hard, her voice still thick with pleading, "Matthew, give it to me. I can go back with you. I'll never see him again, never again."
After all, Nicholas had been poisoned because he saved James for her sake. No matter what, he didn't deserve to die.
Matthew grew even angrier, veins bulging at his temples.
"Emma, I forbid you to cry! Not one more tear for him!" He spoke through gritted teeth, each word a threat squeezed from between his clenched jaw.
"Okay, okay, I won't cry, I won't cry."
Emma wiped frantically at her face, but no matter how much she tried, the tears wouldn't stop. Her eyes were like springs.
This scene soaked Nicholas's heart once again.
He was breaking apart.
"Emma, don't cry." He coaxed gently, wanting nothing more than to hold her tight and wipe away all her tears.
Matthew looked at Nicholas once more, his eyes delivering a final ultimatum, "Nicholas, are you certain? You only want her, and you don't want your life?"
Nicholas's gaze was unwavering, without the slightest hesitation, "That's right. I only want her. Your threats are useless."
He answered firmly.
Matthew suddenly shoved Emma away, sending her crashing heavily to the ground.
"Since he's already made his choice, accept reality!"
With that, he flicked his wrist and casually threw the vial away.
A long arc traced through the air as the purple-red vial tumbled, about to plunge into the churning sea below.
"No!"
Emma screamed, almost by pure instinct. She leaped up, her eyes locked desperately on the vial, stretching out her hand to catch it.
Her entire body fell straight toward the icy seawater.
"Emma!"
"Emma!"
Two voices, terrified beyond measure, cried out simultaneously.
Both men were scared out of their wits in that moment.
Matthew was stunned—he hadn't expected her to be so reckless. Then he too dove into the sea.
Nicholas tried to rush forward, but two bodyguards held him back firmly.
He violently threw off the two guards, but immediately four more rushed forward, pinning him down completely, unable to move.
"Emma!"
His knees went weak, and he collapsed onto the cold ground.
She had actually jumped into the sea for him!
But she was afraid of water!
At this moment, with high winds and fierce waves, endless despair and agony swallowed him instantly.
Emma felt her body slam painfully against the water's surface, but she seemed to have caught the vial.
She gripped it tightly, not daring to loosen her hold for even a moment.
Massive waves battered her, making her body float helplessly in the water.
Suddenly, her head struck a reef violently, and a wave of intense dizziness hit her.
She lost all strength to struggle, her body slowly beginning to sink.
Splash! Another huge sound of water, and Matthew surfaced, searching frantically before swimming desperately toward her.
Seeing her sinking, Matthew dove down with all his might. Finally, he spotted her figure, surrounded by a thick, ominous cloud of blood.
The scene was strikingly similar to what had happened four years ago.
Back then, when she saw Nicholas fall into the sea, she had jumped in without hesitation, using all her strength to pull the unconscious Nicholas upward.
Just as they were about to reach the surface, they encountered a shark swimming toward them.
In desperation, she pushed Nicholas away with all her might, used her hairpin to cut her arm, and swam away in another direction, leading the shark away from him.
In the water, her blood created a heart-stopping crimson halo.
The shark opened its massive jaws just a few feet away from her...
She stared in terror, her heart suddenly racing, her breathing stopped.
In that life-or-death moment, Matthew fired his spear gun, wounding the shark. During the struggle, she gradually sank to the ocean floor.
After being rescued, she fell into a deep coma and nearly became a vegetative state.
When she woke up, her memory was still stuck on that horrifying moment of the shark's gaping maw. From then on, she couldn't bear to go near water and underwent six months of psychological therapy.
And Nicholas, whom she had pushed to the surface, was picked up by Zoe.
Matthew's pupils contracted in terror once again. Like a madman, he swam over and held her tightly, using every ounce of strength to break the surface.
"Emma!" he called out hoarsely and urgently.
The bodyguards on shore frantically pulled them up.
When he carried the unconscious woman onto solid ground, he was terrified and helpless, immediately performing emergency compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
But she showed no signs of waking up.
"Emma! Emma!"
Nicholas screamed frantically, struggling desperately like a caged beast, trying to rush over, but his body was held in an iron grip, unable to move an inch.
Matthew kept performing CPR, shouting continuously, "Emma, open your eyes, look at me! Emma, don't sleep! Emma!"
At this moment, he felt an unprecedented terror gripping his heart.
He was afraid—terrified of losing her again.
But she never woke up, her eyes tightly closed, no breath at all.
"Emma, don't sleep! I was wrong." Matthew stopped the CPR and held her head tightly, calling her name over and over again in despair.
"Emma, please, open your eyes." Matthew's heart was already bleeding.
He regretted it!
He shouldn't have brought her here.
"Matthew, what are you doing? Save her, save her quickly!" Nicholas screamed at him frantically.
Suddenly, as if triggered by something, Matthew rushed over like a madman, grabbed Nicholas by the collar, and threw several vicious punches at his face.
His eyes were bloodshot as he cursed loudly, "Nicholas! You bastard! Four years ago, you nearly got her killed! Why do you keep provoking her! Why make her die for you again!"
"The one who should die is you!"
Nicholas was beaten until blood seeped from his mouth and forehead, but he just stared blankly, his mind completely blank. He had no idea what Matthew meant about four years ago.
Why had she once nearly lost her life for him?
But at this moment, he had lost all capacity for thought.
"Matthew, hurry, take her to the hospital, hurry!" he roared, trembling all over in shock.
Matthew's eyes were vicious, "Nicholas, you'll never see her again!"
Just as he finished speaking, gunfire suddenly erupted densely from the forest.
Immediately after, five well-trained black-clad operatives charged out.
Indeed, Nicholas's men had arrived.
In the distance, the roar of helicopters grew from far to near.
Matthew wanted to immediately pick up Emma and leave, but his bodyguards rushed forward first, protecting him desperately.
"Mr. Moore, we have to go! There's no time!"
The bodyguards pulled him, forcing him to retreat to cover.
The moment Nicholas was released, he rushed over like a madman and held the limp Emma tightly in his arms.
Her eyes were tightly closed, her face pale as paper, the wound on her forehead still bleeding profusely—a horrifying sight.
Nicholas bent down and performed CPR again, pressing her chest over and over.
Continuously giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
But tears fell uncontrollably, dripping onto her cold, pale face.
Charlie jumped down from the rope ladder of the hovering helicopter, shouting anxiously, "Mr. Harrison, hurry! Carry her up—there's emergency equipment on board!"
Nicholas carefully lifted her and rushed onto the helicopter like a man possessed.
On board, Hawk had come personally and instructed the doctor to immediately provide emergency care for Emma.
Nicholas looked at her tightly clenched right hand, blood still dripping steadily from her palm.
With trembling hands, he gently pried open her fingers.
In her palm lay half of the broken vial.
Sharp glass had cut deep into the tender flesh of her palm, blood flowing freely.
His heart twisted into a knot, the pain nearly suffocating...