Chapter 242: I Want to Kill You
James's body swayed, on the verge of collapse, but his arms holding Mia never loosened.
He shut out everything around him from his world.
Between heaven and earth, only he remained, and Mia's charred body in his embrace.
Like a fossil, he maintained his kneeling position, motionless.
His tears went from violent torrents to crying himself dry.
Grief-stricken and desperate.
Two bodyguards stood watch behind him, not daring to disturb him.
The two exchanged glances.
One bodyguard walked aside to call Carl.
After making the call, he returned to his position and continued standing guard.
Until someone came over to take samples from Mia for identity confirmation.
Soon after, Mia's identity confirmation report was delivered.
James looked too terrifying at this moment. The young nurse who brought it didn't dare approach, handed the report to one of the bodyguards, and quickly fled the scene.
The bodyguard took it and looked down at the identity information.
The DNA sample just collected had been compared with the one stored in the computer, confirming the deceased's identity as Mia.
...
Carl received the bodyguard's call while he happened to be at Ivan's house.
Ivan had asked Carl over to discuss something.
Alice had overslept her afternoon nap. When she woke up, it was already dark.
Coming downstairs and not seeing Ivan, she asked around and learned Carl had come over.
They were in the gazebo in the back garden.
As the lady of the house, she wanted to serve them personally.
Alice was skilled at making tea. She brewed it expertly, and after it was ready, she didn't let the servants help but carried the freshly brewed tea to them herself.
Just as she turned the corner, she heard Ivan ask Carl, who had just hung up the phone, "What happened to James?"
"Mia is dead."
Carl was brief and to the point.
He was stating a fact, without much emotion.
He lived in darkness, his hands stained with blood, his feelings cold to the extreme.
Except for a few close friends, other people's life or death had nothing to do with him.
Ivan was about to respond when he heard something fall behind him.
He turned around quickly.
He saw Alice, her face drained of color, her hands still in the position of holding tea, but now empty.
The tray had fallen to the ground, a set of expensive tableware smashed on the floor.
Scalding tea splashed up, soaking the hem of her long dress.
"Alice."
Ivan stood up and strode toward Alice, who was stunned by the news of Mia's death.
He scooped her up by the waist and placed her on a nearby sofa.
Rolling up her skirt, he saw a large patch of her skin burned red.
"Bring the ointment."
Ivan was instantly filled with hostility, coldly ordering the servant who had come over after hearing the noise.
His glance made her legs go weak.
Ivan's low roar brought Alice back from her daze.
She grabbed Ivan's arm.
With such force that her nails dug deep into the muscle of his arm.
Her lips trembling slightly, she asked in a soft voice, "Ivan, what did you just say?"
"I heard wrong, didn't I?"
Alice's voice choked up, her eyes reddened, but she held back from crying.
If she cried, it would mean it was real.
She didn't believe it was real!
She must have heard wrong.
Just a few days ago she had talked to Mia on the phone, and she was fine.
How could it be—
Ivan didn't answer, just raised his hand and gently pulled Alice, who was desperately suppressing her emotions and unwilling to accept reality, into his embrace, soothingly stroking the back of her head.
This gentle touch.
Was a silent confirmation.
Alice's tears suddenly burst forth, crying uncontrollably in Ivan's arms, "No!"
A few minutes later, Carl's modified SUV drove through the night.
The speed was fast, but steady.
In the back seat, Alice's tears never stopped.
Ivan sat beside her, holding her in his arms.
One hand patting her soothingly, his long legs hooked around hers, resting them on his lap as he gently applied burn ointment to her leg.
Alice was completely numb. Besides crying, she had no other reaction.
Soon, the car stopped at the hospital.
Ivan protected Alice as she stumbled forward, preventing her from falling.
Carl followed behind them.
They entered the elevator together.
The floor was pressed.
The elevator doors opened, and Alice rushed out.
The first thing all three saw was James's back.
He was still kneeling on the ground, holding a charred body in his arms.
Alice, supported by Ivan, approached.
The bodyguard saw Carl, greeted him respectfully, and handed over the report.
Alice looked at the name of the deceased on the report.
Mia's name stabbed at her eyes until everything blurred.
Her body swayed unsteadily.
Covering her mouth, tears burst forth again.
"Mia..."
Her legs went weak and she couldn't stand, slowly sliding down along Ivan's body.
Ivan crouched down with her, his hand still around her waist.
Alice knelt beside the charred body, looking at Mia, burned beyond recognition.
She fell upon it, crying until her whole body convulsed, in extreme grief. After crying for a while, Ivan pulled her away from the charred body and into his arms.
After a long time, Alice's tears finally stopped.
She sniffled, letting Ivan wipe away her tears.
Looking at James, who hadn't moved since she arrived.
He was even more devastated than she was.
He was the man Mia loved most.
If Mia knew, she would surely feel heartbroken.
Alice raised her hand and patted James on the shoulder, holding back her grief to comfort him, "The dead can't come back to life, no one wanted this accident—"
The moment the word "accident" left her mouth, Alice froze.
She had been so consumed by grief that she forgot everything else.
Now, she thought of those two bodyguards and looked at the surroundings.
Although two connected operating rooms had burned down, the fire had been put out in time, and it was clearly the place in the hospital where abortion procedures were performed.
Abortion procedure?
Mia had told her she was pregnant again, conceived while in Valeria.
Although she had been down about James's disabled legs at the time, when she mentioned the pregnancy, her happiness couldn't be hidden.
Mia had been so looking forward to the arrival of that little life in her belly.
She would never have aborted this child.
So, the only possibility was—
Alice's hand on James's shoulder suddenly tightened.
She gripped hard, her eyes widening, her red and swollen eyes from crying staring at his profile.
"James, why was Mia here?"
Even if Mia came to the hospital, it would be for a prenatal checkup. She absolutely wouldn't appear on this floor.
With this question, the pain in James's eyes, which had shown no reaction until now, deepened.
His hands holding Mia began to shake again.
How coldly he had ordered the bodyguards to push Mia into the operating room.
How he had ignored Mia's threats and pleas, stubbornly having his way.
Creating an irreparable mistake.
James's arms tightened more and more, wishing he could merge the charred body in his arms into his own body.
"You—forced her to come here to abort the baby?"
Although James didn't speak, seeing his reaction to her question, she knew she had guessed right.
James had really dragged Mia here to abort the baby, and that's when they encountered this fire accident.
Which meant, if he hadn't forced Mia...
This accident could have been avoided!
Alice let out a shrill cry, her eyes bloodshot, lunging at James and grabbing his neck with both hands, "James, I'm going to kill you!"
Hatred to the extreme!
"Give Mia back to me! Give Mia back to me!"
"You murderer! How could you do this? How could you treat Mia like this, how could you?!"
Alice had thought it was just an accident, but she never expected the truth to be like this.
Being forced by the man she loved to come to the hospital to abort the baby she had been so looking forward to—how desperate, how sad, how heartbroken she must have been at that moment.
"Alice."
Ivan tried to pull Alice back, just managing to pry her hands away.
Alice shook off Ivan's hand and raised her hand to strike James hard.
Slap after slap, hitting James.
Wishing she could beat him to death!
James offered no resistance, letting Alice hit him.
Until Ivan pulled Alice away and held her tightly in his arms.
Alice collapsed into Ivan's embrace, crying her heart out.
...
Silver Oak Manor, shrouded in night, James sat quietly in his wheelchair.
Here, Mia's scent lingered around him.
As if she were still by his side.
But when he looked up, there was no longer any trace of her moving about.
No longer her warm, soft body moaning sweetly in his arms.
Blooming into her most beautiful form under his touch.
Mia was gone...
She was no more...
She was clearly gone.
Yet whenever he closed his eyes, her face and voice seemed to appear before him.
Every expression, every smile, vivid and clear.
But when he opened his eyes and looked at the empty house,
He clearly realized.
He had truly lost her!
It hurt too much!
He couldn't suppress that pain!
Several empty bottles lay scattered on the table. James poured himself another glass.
The alcohol hit his stomach, which immediately protested with churning.
His face grew paler.
At his heart, it felt as if someone was taking a very dull knife, slowly cutting into it, stroke by stroke.
He drank fiercely.
His stomach couldn't handle so much hard liquor, the pain felt like his insides were twisted together.
The churning pain made James's face look worse and worse.
Trying to suppress the pain in his heart, the alcohol he desperately poured into his mouth could no longer be swallowed.
The liquor slid down the corner of his mouth.
Half of it went down his throat, choking him, making him cough violently.
It pulled at his churning stomach, and all the alcohol in his mouth sprayed out.
Spraying onto the sofa, all over himself.
Thunder rumbled, and suddenly a flash of lightning struck.
Bringing brief illumination to the room, clearly showing the stains on the sofa and his body—not just the color of alcohol, but mixed with the bright red of blood.
...
Three days later, Mia's funeral was arranged entirely by James.
When Mia's stepmother heard James would handle it, she agreed immediately.
She shot Zaid a harsh look, not letting him say anything.
They didn't have the money or the inclination to arrange Mia's funeral.
At the cemetery, Zaid wanted to stay longer but was dragged away by his wife.
Soon, only four people remained at the cemetery.
Alice leaned against Ivan, crying uncontrollably.
Watching Mia being laid to rest with her own eyes, she still couldn't accept that Mia had passed away like this.
Just thinking about Mia being gone made her unable to control her heart, which ached to the point of suffocation.
Ivan had been indulgent with Alice these past few days, knowing she was grieving the loss of her good friend.
But after all, she was pregnant. When she couldn't hold on anymore, he held her and indicated she should be good and go back with him.
Although Alice wanted to stay and keep Mia company longer, her body truly couldn't take it anymore.
Supported by Ivan, she slowly crouched down and talked to Mia for a while before standing up.
She didn't greet James. Since the hospital, she hadn't spoken to him again, nor had she struck him.
Mia's death was the greatest punishment for him. For the rest of his life, he would live in regret and self-blame, never finding peace.
Alice didn't look at James and left directly.
Ivan, holding Alice, patted James on the shoulder as they passed by.
Although James didn't speak, between friends, everything was understood without words.
After Ivan and Alice left, James sat in his wheelchair with Robert standing beside him, holding an umbrella for him.
"You go back first."
After Ivan and Alice left, James spoke, his voice somewhat distant.
Though soft, his tone left no room for argument.
Robert's lips opened and closed, wanting to persuade him, but looking at James's profile, he silently swallowed his words.
"Mr. Smith, my condolences."
James didn't respond, nor did he take the umbrella Robert offered him.
Robert could only leave with the umbrella himself.
The rain grew heavier. James sat in the rain, which quickly soaked through his black shirt.
He slid down from the wheelchair and knelt before Mia's tombstone.
Looking at Mia's sweet smile on the tombstone, he raised his hand and gently traced her smiling lips.
The moment his hand slid across, it tore open an unhealed wound.
His burned hands, soaked in the rain, oozed blood.
It was quickly washed away by the rain.
As if he felt no pain, he traced Mia's face over and over again.
From now on, he would never see such a smile again.
"Mia."
James's face gently pressed against Mia's, calling her name over and over.
No response came.
Alice, overcome with grief, was carried on Ivan's back as he walked steadily down the mountain.
Only at the foot of the mountain did he put Alice down.
He held her as they walked toward the car.
Suddenly, Ivan's steps halted.
Mixed in with the sound of rain was an unusual noise.
He reacted quickly, pulling Alice aside.
A tranquilizer dart grazed past where Alice had just been standing and shot directly into a nearby car.
Alice's face went pale with fright, and she cried out.
"Don't be afraid."
Ivan protected Alice, trying to get to the car.
His car was bulletproof. Once they got in, they'd be safe.
But the attacker clearly didn't want them to reach the car.
They were determined to take Alice's life.
Another tranquilizer dart shot toward Alice.
Ivan held Alice, having to protect both her belly and her safety.
Alice was still trembling, but she quickly forced herself to calm down.
Under Ivan's protection, they moved toward the car.
Finally, they reached it.
Alice pulled open the car door and was getting in.
From the side, another person suddenly appeared, holding a knife aimed at her heart.
As the person stabbed toward her, Alice's face went deathly pale. She instinctively closed her eyes.
In that instant, Ivan pushed her into the car with the fastest speed possible.
It was too late for him to dodge.
The knife meant for Alice plunged directly into Ivan's heart.
Ivan let out a muffled groan.
His body went soft, falling into the car.
"Ivan!"
Alice had just sat up when she saw Ivan falling toward her.
She caught him in her arms.
Ivan struggled to drag his legs into the car.
He closed the car door.
His body went limp, his full weight pressing onto Alice.
"Drive."
Using his last bit of strength to order the driver, who had been so frightened by the scene that he'd shrunk down under the steering wheel.
After speaking, he lost consciousness.
Alice didn't react at first, until her palm holding Ivan became sticky.
She slowly raised her hand.
Her palm was stained bright red with blood.
Ivan had been stabbed in the heart!
Looking at the wound on Ivan's chest, blood gushing out, her pupils dilated in shock.
"Drive!"
Seeing the driver wasn't responding, Alice screamed at him in terror.
The driver snapped out of it, slammed on the gas, and the car shot forward like an arrow.
Alice pressed her hands tightly against Ivan's wound.
Tears streaming down her face.
Ivan, you absolutely cannot die!