Chapter 161
Ella didn't know why she wanted to pull away.
She and Zachary were husband and wife - they should be intimate.
But now, what was she doing?
How could she face someone who was so devoted to her, who only had eyes for her?
Ella tried to convince herself that since they were married, she should be a good wife.
Feelings could be developed, and physical attraction could slowly change based on emotional connection.
She closed her eyes, trying not to think about other things, and actively responded to Zachary.
But how could Zachary not know? The moment Ella instinctively pulled away, he already understood what she was thinking.
Even though Ella gave in, he lost interest.
Because this wasn't from desire, nor from love.
She was probably just trying to fulfill a wife's duty.
He didn't want a wife fulfilling her obligations.
He wanted Ella to need him, to want to possess him uncontrollably, and to move closer to him on her own.
So he didn't force Ella. He let her go and said gently, "Go sleep with the kids. I'll sleep by myself."
Hearing this, Ella opened her eyes.
She clearly saw the disappointment in Zachary's eyes and instinctively reached out to grab him.
"Are you angry?"
Zachary chuckled softly, "How could I be? I know you're not ready. It's fine, we have plenty of time. Besides, neither of us has been in great shape lately. No need to force it."
Ella could tell he was a bit unhappy and quickly shook her head. "I'm not forcing it. I think I can."
As long as she didn't think about certain things and followed her heart, her body should still be able to accept Zachary.
After all, Zachary wasn't bad himself - his looks weren't any worse than Joshua's.
How could she not like a man like this?
"Really not forcing it?"
Zachary's heart stirred. With Ella holding him back like this, his body unconsciously moved closer to her again.
This time, Ella didn't choose to avoid him.
Instead, she actively leaned into his chest, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him.
But just then, there was a sudden knock at the door.
The two people who were about to get tangled up had to awkwardly separate and open the door.
Dorian stood outside, holding up a phone with a worried expression. "Mom, your phone. It's that Mr. Johnson calling."
Hearing this, Ella instinctively took the phone to hang up, but Dorian added, "He said if you answer, he'll give you a surprise."
Ella knew that the Mr. Johnson Dorian mentioned was Michael.
That psycho who was sick and crazy.
What kind of surprise could he possibly give her?
She still wanted to hang up, but Zachary stopped her. He took the phone and put it on speaker, saying coldly, "Michael, what do you want with Ella?"
He had run into Michael before at the Baker family.
Michael had said that Ella belonged to his Johnson family. He told him to divorce Ella quickly, or he'd destroy him.
Zachary hadn't paid attention, but he didn't expect that right after he came over, Michael's call would come through.
On the phone, Michael's crazy laughter immediately came through.
"Zachary, you actually escaped. Lucky you didn't die at the Baker family.
Ella won't answer my calls, huh? I'll send her a video. You make her watch it carefully. If she wants to know the truth, tell her to come find me herself, or she'll definitely regret it."
Michael hung up and quickly sent over a video.
Zachary opened the video in front of Ella.
The video showed Aurora directly. Her fair, tender little face, eyes smiling like crescents, voice soft as she called out, "Mommy, where are you? Why aren't you coming to take me home? Mommy, I miss you and Daddy."
Seeing the child in the video, Ella's pupils shook. She excitedly grabbed the phone.
Confirming that the child in the video was really Aurora, tears burst from her eyes, panicked and at a loss.
"Aurora, how can it be Aurora? Is this video fake?"
Ella turned to look at Zachary, so panicked she was going crazy.
"Zachary, tell me, is the video fake? It can't be Aurora. When Aurora had her accident, Michael had already been kicked out of Emerald City."
And Aurora was someone she had personally sent to be cremated.
How could it be her Aurora?
It must be two children who looked extremely similar.
"Let me see." Dorian took the phone and watched the person in the video over and over.
Zachary also looked and gave his conclusion. "The video doesn't look fake, but Aurora is already..."
"The video really isn't fake."
Dorian was also excited, his eyes reddening as he cried. "Mom, it really is Aurora, it's Aurora. She didn't die, right?"
Ella tried to calm herself, but couldn't help frantically calling Michael back.
Michael answered, laughing and calling out gently, "Ella, if you want Aurora, you and Joshua come together, and I'll give her back to you."
Ella didn't believe it was Aurora. Her voice was urgent and excited.
"Michael, you faked the video, didn't you? Do you know where Aurora is? She's already dead. She's not in this world anymore."
Even now, she still couldn't accept the fact of Aurora's death.
But Aurora was someone she had personally sent to the funeral home, someone she had personally sent to be cremated.
When she came out of the cremation, she was just a small box.
She could never forget the pain of losing Aurora that day.
Why was Michael being so cruel, creating a fake video of Aurora to hurt her?
Michael patiently explained, "Yes, Aurora died on your end. I had someone inject her with a life-suspension drug. During the process of you sending her to be cremated, my people switched her body."
"You have no idea how much I sacrificed to bring her back to life."
"Fortunately, Aurora finally woke up. If you want her, bring Joshua to me. Otherwise, when she grows up, I'll treat her as you."
Ella listened, thunderstruck.
Unbelievable, dumbfounded.
What was Michael saying? Aurora was switched during cremation?
So the one she buried wasn't Aurora? She was with Michael now, still alive?
Tears streamed down Ella's face as she looked at Dorian and Zachary. "Do you believe what he's saying? Is he lying to me?"
Dorian took the phone and asked calmly and steadily into it, "Mr. Johnson, is what you're saying true? Aurora didn't die? She's really still alive?"
Michael laughed. "It's Dorian. Of course, Aurora didn't die. I'm taking good care of her with good food and drink."
As he spoke, he instructed the butler beside him, "Bring Aurora to me."
Soon, Aurora's soft, sweet voice came through the phone.
"Mr. Johnson, didn't you say my daddy and mommy would come get me? Where are they? Why haven't I seen them yet?"
"Aurora, be good. They'll come soon. Come here, your mom is on the phone. Call out to her."
Hearing this, Aurora called out softly into the phone, "Mommy, are you there? When are you coming to get me? I miss you and Dorian so much."
Hearing Aurora's voice again, Ella couldn't hold back her emotions anymore and burst into tears.
"Aurora, is it really you? Are you really alive?"
"Mommy, I'm alive. It's just that when I woke up, you and Dorian and Daddy weren't there. I miss you all. Will you come get me?"
Clearly, hearing that it was Aurora's voice.
Ella tried hard to control her excited emotions and answered in a hoarse voice, "Yes, Mommy will come get you. Mommy will come right away."
Before she could say more to Aurora, Michael's voice came through again. "Remember, I only want you and Joshua to come. Anyone extra, I'll kill one more person. I'll send you the address. If you don't come within three days, you'll never see Aurora again in this lifetime."
With that, the call ended.
Ella held the phone, crying tears of joy.
Aurora was alive.
Her lovely Aurora was actually still alive in this world.
This was wonderful. Ella excitedly grabbed Zachary, crying and laughing. "Zachary, did you hear? Aurora is alive. She didn't die."
Zachary heard it, but he thought Michael's abilities were a bit too powerful.
He had actually quietly injected Aurora with some life-suspension drug, making everyone think she was dead.
And then he switched her body.
Samuel was such a skilled doctor, yet he couldn't detect anything unusual.
So how exactly did Michael's people pull this off?
"I said Aurora didn't die, that she could still be saved. You didn't listen to me back then and insisted on sending her to be cremated."
Dorian pouted and started crying too, grabbing his mother's pant leg and urging, "Mommy, will you go get Aurora back for me?"
Ella nodded in agreement, seeing that Michael had sent her an address on her phone.
It was abroad, and not in a major city center, but in the suburbs.
But thinking about where the Johnson family lived - weren't they all in those forest castles?
She didn't pay much attention to it and crouched down to pull Dorian close.
"You be good at home. I'll get ready right now and go bring Aurora back."
Zachary still felt things weren't that simple and suggested, "I'll go with you."
Ella shook her head and refused. "No, you heard him. He only wants Joshua and me to go, or he'll hurt you."
Michael killed people as casually as squashing ants.
Although she didn't know why he wanted her to bring Joshua along.
If that was the only way to get Aurora back, she would bring Joshua with her.
"But I'm worried about you going." Zachary felt uneasy, afraid that once Ella went, she wouldn't come back.
But right now, Ella's mind was full of Aurora.
That Aurora could come back from the dead was already a huge blessing.
No matter what the cost, she had to get Aurora back.
Not wanting to delay any longer, Ella turned to call Joshua.
It was late at night.
Joshua sat alone on the sofa in the living room of Tranquil Villa, looking up at the dark ceiling. His heart ached faintly, and tears unknowingly spilled from the corners of his eyes.
His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.
He put the phone to his ear without checking the caller ID, and heard the voice of the woman he'd been longing for.
"Joshua, get ready right now and go abroad with me. We're going to see Michael."
Joshua suddenly perked up, sitting straight and checking the caller ID to be sure.
It was indeed Ella's number.
Before he could ask more, Ella urged again, "Have your people arrange the fastest flight immediately. I need to leave right away."
Joshua didn't know what had happened.
He didn't understand why Ella would suddenly want him to go abroad with her to see Michael.
And they were going to Michael's territory.
Thinking about how he had deported Michael last time, this visit to see Michael would inevitably involve bloodshed.
But Ella was asking him to go. Could he refuse?
Joshua immediately had Brian arrange a plane.
Ella also quickly packed up, told her family what was happening, said goodbye, and was driven to the airport by Zachary.
When they got to the airport, Joshua had also arrived.
After going through security, Ella saw Joshua in the departure lounge.
Brian was with him, along with two bodyguards.
But Ella said, "Only you can come. You can't bring anyone else."
Joshua didn't care. He sent Brian and the bodyguards back and followed Ella's steps to board first.
After the plane took off, he asked, "What's so urgent?"
He thought Ella really wouldn't see him again, let alone call him.
He didn't expect that in the middle of the night, she would ask him to go abroad with her to see Michael.
Just how charming was Michael that she would rush over overnight?
Ella didn't know what Michael wanted to do or why he insisted she bring Joshua along.
Afraid something might happen, she didn't hide anything and confessed, "Aurora didn't die. She's with Michael. Michael said if I want Aurora, I have to bring you to pick her up."
Joshua felt like he'd heard wrong and reached out to feel Ella's forehead.
Ella coldly avoided him. "What are you doing?"
Joshua stared at her. "Either my brain isn't working, or you have a fever and are talking nonsense. Didn't you bury Aurora with your own hands?"
Ella told him about Michael taking Aurora away.
Joshua found it fantastical and unbelievable.
He didn't expect Michael to be so capable.
He actually had drugs that could make people appear dead.
And he successfully switched and took Aurora away.
Coming to his senses, he still couldn't suppress his excitement and stared at Ella. "Aurora is really alive?"
Ella was also afraid this was all a dream.
That when she woke up, everything would return to reality.
She forced herself not to wake up, to just keep dreaming until she saw Aurora.
"Whether it's Aurora or not, we'll know when we see her."
Joshua thought that made sense too.
Ella wouldn't act this impulsively.
If she wasn't completely certain, how could she bring him along?
But Michael wanted him to go - maybe it was a one-way trip!
Just in case, after arriving at the airport and getting off the plane, Joshua still arranged for some bodyguards to secretly protect him and Ella.
But those bodyguards were useless on Michael's territory.
As soon as the two left the airport, they were escorted into a car by Michael's people.
Since they were there to get Aurora.
Joshua and Ella didn't dare resist at all and obediently got in the car and went along.
Joshua's instinct was right.
Michael had asked him to come to get revenge for the last time, to make sure he never returned.