Chapter 58 The Fall and the River
Victoria reined in her horse, watching the runaway stallion carry Emma into the distance. Her smile grew more pronounced.
She sneered to herself.
'Emma, you'd better die from this fall. A complete novice on a spirited horse like that—even if you don't die, you'll be permanently disabled.'
'Zoe, you'll be the rightful Mrs. Harrison.'
The thundering of hooves approached rapidly from behind.
A jet-black stallion shot forward like an arrow from a bow, racing toward where Emma had disappeared.
Emma was already paralyzed with terror.
The horse was completely out of control, plunging into the nearby woods and galloping madly along a barely visible trail.
She could only grip the reins with white knuckles, her hands clenched so tightly they'd gone completely pale.
'I absolutely cannot fall off! Absolutely not!'
The rough leather reins burned against her palms, cutting into her skin until blood seeped through, but she didn't dare loosen her grip even slightly.
Nicholas spurred his horse into the woods.
When he saw that swaying figure barely clinging to the horse's back ahead, his heart nearly exploded from his chest.
"Emma! Don't be afraid!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Hold tight to the reins! Don't be afraid!"
Hearing his familiar voice, Emma instinctively turned back.
Nicholas's figure was getting closer and closer through the dancing shadows of the trees.
The taut string of panic in her heart loosened just a fraction.
"Nicholas! Help me! Ah!"
Before she could finish speaking, the horse lurched again, nearly throwing her off completely.
The horse burst out of the woods into an open clearing, but there was nowhere left to go.
Ahead lay a steep grassy slope, and below that, a raging river.
The spooked horse seemed to sense the danger and suddenly reared up on its hind legs, front hooves pawing high in the air.
Emma pulled desperately on the reins, but her entire body was already falling backward from the momentum.
That was the only thought left in her mind.
Her body had lost all balance—in the next second, she would plummet from the horse's back.
At that critical moment, a powerful arm suddenly wrapped around her waist.
The world spun wildly.
The two of them, locked in a tight embrace, tumbled down the steep grassy slope.
Nicholas kept one arm wrapped securely around her waist while his other hand protectively cradled the back of her head.
They were rolling too fast, the impact too powerful.
They couldn't stop their momentum and rolled directly into the ice-cold river water.
The bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped her entire body, making her shiver uncontrollably.
"Nicholas! Help me!"
Emma's hands thrashed wildly in the water, trying to keep her head above the surface.
"I'm afraid of water... cough, Nicholas..."
She choked down several mouthfuls of water, the frigid river water rushing into her nasal passages until she squeezed her eyes shut from the discomfort.
"Don't be afraid! I'm here!" A steady voice sounded right beside her ear.
"I'm here! Open your eyes, look at me!" Nicholas's voice carried undeniable strength.
She struggled to open her eyes, her vision blurry. Both of them were bobbing in the ice-cold river water as the rushing current carried them continuously downstream.
Nicholas kept one large hand supporting her waist, allowing her to keep her head completely above water to breathe.
Emma was soaked through, shivering from cold and shock.
Her face was dripping wet—impossible to tell whether it was river water or tears of fright.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here!" His voice rang out again, carrying a power that could calm anyone's heart.
The current was too strong. Holding her, he couldn't possibly swim to shore. His eyes quickly scanned both riverbanks.
"Do you see that tree branch sticking out up ahead?"
He pointed toward a thick branch hanging down from an old tree on the riverbank not far downstream.
"When we float past it, grab onto it tight—hold on steady!"
"I'm going to let go of you so I can get to shore first, then I'll pull you up."
Emma instinctively shook her head, her eyes filled with terror.
Let go? She didn't dare.
"Don't be afraid." He repeated it again, his tone even more resolute.
"I will get you to safety. But remember, once you grab on, you absolutely cannot let go, do you hear me?"
That cluster of branches was getting closer and closer, the current pushing them rapidly toward it.
Emma looked at that section of branch swaying above the water's surface and finally nodded vigorously.
She reached up with both hands, which had grown somewhat stiff from the cold.
The instant her body made contact with the branch, she used every ounce of strength in her body to grab hold of that lifeline.
Almost simultaneously, she felt the arm around her waist release its grip.
Massive terror crashed over her again. All she could do was hold even tighter to the branch, squeezing her eyes shut, not daring to look or even think.
After what felt like an eternity, a warm, large hand grasped her right wrist.
"Emma!" It was Nicholas's voice, right beside her.
She snapped her eyes open.
A powerful force pulled at her, hauling her up with all its might.
She was yanked free from the ice-cold river water and landed heavily on the grassy riverbank.
Nicholas collapsed beside her, completely drained, his breathing heavy and labored.
Emma lay sprawled across his chest, greedily breathing in the shore air that carried the scent of earth. Her heart was still pounding frantically.
After a long while, Nicholas finally pushed himself up, ignoring his own condition as he anxiously checked on her.
"Emma? How are you? Are you hurt anywhere? Where does it hurt?"
His voice was hoarse with lingering fear.
At his questioning, all the grief and terror of her near-death experience suddenly erupted.
Emma's tears began flowing without warning.
She sniffled, her voice thick with sobs as she spoke in broken fragments: "My hand... my hand hurts!"
Nicholas immediately and carefully rolled up her soaked sleeve.
On her arm, where she'd been injured and bandaged before, the gauze was completely waterlogged, with dark red bloodstains seeping through the edges.
Thank God the doctor had put a small splint on it for stabilization—otherwise, after all that tumbling and chaos, the wound would have been completely torn open.
Nicholas looked at that bleeding wound and the cuts on both her hands, his expression darkening.
"The wound has torn open a bit," he said grimly. "What about everywhere else? Is anything else bothering you?"
Emma shook her head, but continued shivering uncontrollably, her teeth chattering.
That had been truly terrifying—she'd thought for sure she was going to die this time.
Nicholas stood up and surveyed their surroundings. Not far from the riverbank, up on the grassy slope, there appeared to be a small cave.
"There's a cave over there. I'll take you there so we can start a fire and rest."
He bent down and scooped her up in his arms once again.
Their two soaked bodies pressed tightly together. Even through their wet clothes, their body heat transferred between them, creating an oddly burning sensation.
Carrying her, he strode quickly toward the small cave. It wasn't large, but it would provide shelter from the wind.
Nicholas gently set her down, letting her lean against the relatively dry stone wall.
He reached into his pocket and felt around.
His phone had been lost somewhere during all the tumbling and falling into the water.
Fortunately, he still had a waterproof lighter in his pocket.
He quickly gathered some dry branches near the cave entrance and returned inside.
The lighter sparked to life, quickly igniting the kindling.
A small fire gradually began to burn, crackling and popping as orange flames lit up the tiny cave and drove away some of the chill.
Emma hugged her knees, curled up beside the fire, her body still trembling uncontrollably.
Nicholas watched her pitiful form huddled into a small ball, his Adam's apple bobbing.
He silently added more wood to the fire, making it burn even brighter.
She stared at the flames, her eyes red-rimmed, but she knew exactly who had caused this.
"Nicholas, we don't owe each other anything anymore!" she said quietly. Yes, she was talking about the life-saving debt.
That time when she'd jumped into the ocean, barely surviving and nearly becoming a vegetable—this time, he'd saved her. They were even now. From here on out, there would be no lingering obligations.
"What do you mean?" Nicholas felt like something had just slammed into his heart.