Chapter 166
Suddenly, gunshots rang out.
Amelia's body froze. She looked down at the blood flowing from her chest, her face showing disbelief.
The knife slipped from her hand and fell to the ground with a sharp clatter.
Before she could say her last words, she slowly collapsed.
Police rushed in from all directions.
"Mommy!" Aura's crying pulled me back to reality.
Ignoring the pain, I rushed over to untie the ropes on Aura and held her tightly in my arms: "It's okay, baby, Mommy's here..."
Aura cried her heart out in my arms.
James also ran over, kneeling beside us, his trembling hands touching Aura's face: "Aura, Daddy's here, don't be scared..."
The police surrounded Amelia. She lay on the ground, blood continuously flowing from her chest, but she still had a breath left.
Looking at the three of us holding each other, she suddenly smiled—a smile both bitter and desperate: "Sophia, you won again..."
"I'm not willing to accept this, I'm not willing..."
"Sophia, I won't let you go. Even as a ghost, I'll haunt you!"
"Isabella, what will happen to my Isabella?"
Her voice grew weaker and weaker until she finally died, unwilling and resentful.
Medical staff rushed in and carried her onto a stretcher.
I held Aura, my whole body shaking.
James pulled both Aura and me into his arms. His body was trembling too.
"It's over... It's all over..." he repeated again and again.
I felt colder and colder, my strength draining away, and my arms around Aura loosened.
James sensed something was wrong with me. He picked me up, calling out to me: "Sophia, don't fall asleep. I'm taking you to the hospital. Don't sleep!"
I held on with my last bit of strength: "I'm not sleeping, not sleeping..."
He quickly got me to the hospital. The doctor gave me anesthesia and performed surgery. I don't remember anything after that.
The second day after I woke up, I insisted on being discharged. This was Aura's first time experiencing something like this, and I was afraid she'd be scared.
Just as I expected, Aura had nightmares for several days in a row, waking up crying every night.
I was the same. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the image of Amelia raising the knife to kill Aura.
James put aside all his work to stay with Aura and me all day.
He made a bed on the floor in my room to sleep with Aura.
Whenever Aura cried, he immediately got up to hold and comfort Aura.
On the third night, Aura suddenly developed a high fever.
I was sleeping lightly and immediately woke up when I heard Aura's uncomfortable whimpering.
I reached out to touch her—Aura's forehead was burning hot.
"Aura?" I called her softly and turned on the bedside lamp.
Her little face was flushed red from the fever, her eyes half-open, looking listless: "Mommy... I feel bad..."
I quickly got up and pulled out a thermometer and fever medicine from the drawer.
Just as I was about to take Aura's temperature, James stood up in his pajamas, clearly having heard the noise too: "What's wrong?"
"Aura has a fever." I looked at the number on the thermometer, my heart racing. "We need to take her to the hospital."
"Don't panic yet." James came in and naturally took the thermometer from my hand, then felt Aura's forehead and neck. "The fever is a bit high, but let's try physical cooling first."
He went to the bathroom, filled a basin with warm water, wrung out a towel, and began wiping Aura's forehead, neck, and armpits.
His technique was skilled, his touch just right. Though Aura was still whimpering, she was clearly more comfortable.
I stood to the side, watching his focused profile, as if remembering something: "In the past... when you took care of Isabella, did you often do this?"
James's movements paused for a moment, but he didn't look up: "I never took care of Isabella."
I was stunned.
"I don't know how to take care of children." His voice was calm as he continued wiping Aura's arms. "And I wouldn't take care of someone else's child."
He re-soaked the towel, wrung it out, and began wiping Aura's legs: "I learned this from books. After you went abroad, I bought a lot of parenting books, thinking... maybe I could use them someday."
My heart felt like something had gently bumped into it.
"I see. But now..." I said softly, "You're doing it so well, I don't know how many times better than I as a mother."
When I discovered Aura had a fever earlier, I was anxious but didn't know what to do.
Yet he could be so calm and composed, doing all those things.
James smiled: "This is my first time doing it in practice. Fortunately, I did okay and didn't hurt her."
After wiping Aura down, he gave her fever medicine.
The whole process was orderly, not at all like a father caring for a sick child for the first time.
After giving her the medicine, he sat by the bed, gently patting Aura's back: "Sleep now, Daddy's here."
Aura drowsily grabbed his hand and said softly: "Daddy, don't leave..."
"I won't leave. Daddy will stay with you." His voice was incredibly gentle.
I sat on the other side of the bed, watching this scene, complex emotions welling up inside me.
In the second half of the night, Aura's temperature finally came down a bit, but the fever hadn't completely broken.
Neither James nor I slept, taking turns changing her towel and checking her temperature.
At four in the morning, Aura's fever spiked again.
Without a word, James picked her up and headed out: "To the hospital."
In the emergency room, the doctor examined Aura and said it was a stress-induced fever from being frightened, and she needed an IV.
When they inserted the needle, Aura cried heartbreakingly. James held her tightly, his eyes turning red: "Be good, it'll be over soon. Daddy's here..."
After the IV was set up, Aura gradually fell asleep.
James just held her like that, sitting motionless in the chair in the infusion room, afraid of waking her.
I sat beside him, looking at the faint dark circles under his eyes, and said softly: "You should sleep for a bit. I'll watch."
"I'm not tired." James shook his head, his gaze never leaving his daughter's face. "Why don't you lean on me and sleep for a while?"
I refused: "I can't sleep."
With an aura like this, how could I have the mind to sleep?
He was silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "I'm sorry."
"Why the sudden apology?"
"If it weren't for me, none of this would have happened." His voice was hoarse. "It was my foolishness back then that planted this disaster. Though Amelia is guilty, Isabella is innocent. I can't ignore Isabella. Will you blame me?"
I shook my head, watching the medicine drip down drop by drop in the IV tube, and said nothing.
Some harm has already been done, and apologies can't erase it.
But at least now, he was trying to make amends.
And he was doing very well. What more could I say?
By dawn, Aura's fever finally broke.
We took her home. Though Aura was still weak, her spirits were much better.
Back home, James told me to rest while he watched over Aura.
I was truly exhausted and fell asleep as soon as I hit the bed.
When I woke up, it was already noon.
I walked to Aura's bedroom door and saw James leaning against the headboard with Aura resting on his leg. They were both asleep.
Sunlight streamed through the window onto them, creating such a warm scene that I couldn't bear to disturb it.
I quietly backed out and went to the kitchen.
After working for a long time, I made a table full of dishes. Just as I was about to go upstairs to call them for lunch, James was already carrying Aura down.
Aura still looked tired, but when she saw the food on the table, her eyes brightened.
"Mommy, I want to eat that shrimp." She pointed at the plate.
"No, you just had a fever. You can't eat those things."
Aura pouted: "Then what can I eat?"
I brought over a bowl of porridge: "Drink this."
Aura sniffed it, took a sip, found it tasted good, and happily drank it.
James picked up a shrimp, carefully peeled off the shell, and put it in my bowl: "You've worked hard."
Aura smiled sweetly: "Daddy is so good to Mommy."