Chapter 40 When She Fell Into My Arms
JECOB'S POV
I have been on continuous business trips for the past one month. Work pressure, meetings, deals everything has exhausted me from the inside. Today is finally the day I return, but my exhaustion is not just physical; my mind is badly tangled as well.
I have returned to the farmhouse. I stand in the middle of the room, my suitcase still unopened. My head feels heavy, sleep is scarce in my eyes, and restlessness has taken over. Just then, there is a soft knock on the door, and a bodyguard walks in.
Without looking at him, I ask, “Did you find anything… about that girl?”
The bodyguard hesitates slightly before replying, “Sorry sir… we’re unable to reach her. We haven’t found any information about her.”
Hearing this, my anger explodes. It feels as if all the patience inside me suddenly runs out. In rage, I sweep everything off the table onto the floor. Glass shatters, and the noise echoes through the room.
“I don’t care how you do it or where you find her,” I shout angrily, “but I want that girl in front of me right now. Find her from anywhere.”
The bodyguard nods quickly, “Okay sir,”
He says, and immediately walks out of the room at a fast pace.
Exhausted, I lie down on the bed and close my eyes. I have had quite a lot to drink today, but strangely, even the alcohol feels weak compared to the intoxication of her memories. It isn’t liquor in my eyes, it’s her.
It’s not that I’ve never been close to a woman before. There have been many women in my life, many relationships, many moments of intimacy. But the strange sense of comfort, the peace I felt with her… I never felt that with anyone else.
Her innocence, her fear, her tears, her pleading all of it keeps flashing before my eyes. The sound of her sobs echoes in my ears. The more I try to forget her, the deeper her image embeds itself in my mind.
Over the past month, I have searched for her endlessly. Every city, every place… but it’s as if she has disappeared into thin air. It becomes unbearable.
Suddenly, I get up from the bed, walk out of the farmhouse, and get into the car. There’s no need to say anything to the driver, I start driving myself. The car moves along a deserted road. Darkness all around, with only the headlights cutting through the night.
My mind feels completely empty, yet painfully restless.
Then suddenly… someone appears right in front of my car.
I slam the brakes. The tires screech, but it’s too late. There’s a hard jolt. The car comes to a stop.
Panicked, I look outside.
I step out of the car immediately. The moment my feet touch the ground, they stagger, as if my heart has forgotten how to keep me standing. The road is completely deserted, with only the car’s headlights illuminating the spot where a girl lies face down on the ground.
I move toward her in quick steps. My breath catches in my throat. My heart is pounding violently, as if it might burst out of my chest. I bend down beside her and gently shake her shoulder.
“Hey… can you hear me?” My own voice sounds strange to me trembling and panicked.
She lies there without moving. Her body feels cold. My heart starts racing even faster. In fear, I turn her face toward me… and the moment her face comes into the light, my entire world freezes for a second.
It’s… Aria.
I just stare at her in shock. My eyes widen, my mind stops working. This is the same face that has been haunting me for so many days. The one I’ve been searching for city after city, place after place. The one who had vanished as if she had dissolved into thin air.
“M… Aria?” That’s all I manage to whisper.
Her eyelids flutter slightly. She struggles to open her eyes. Her breathing is painfully shallow, as if every breath hurts her. She doesn’t recognize me she only looks at me weakly and then whispers, “HE… LP…!!”
Her voice is so faint that my heart feels like it’s shattering. And the very next moment… her eyes close again. Her head slowly falls back onto the ground. She loses consciousness once more.
“Aria!” I shout in panic.
I immediately support her and straighten her body. My hands are shaking uncontrollably. I try to lift her, but I stop for a moment and look at her from head to toe… and what I see shakes me to my core.
Her entire body is covered in blood. Her clothes are torn, blood seeping from multiple places. Her leg is badly injured. There are deep wounds on her face too, on her cheek, her forehead, near her lips. Her breathing is dangerously light, as if her life is hanging by a thin thread.
My throat goes dry. Darkness clouds my vision. For the first time, I truly realize how scared I am.
“What happened to you…” I murmur in a broken voice, as if she can hear me.
I quickly take off my coat and cover her body with it. Her cold skin brushes against my hands, sending a sharp ache through my chest. I gently lift her into my arms. She feels almost weightless, as if life itself has been drained from her.
I carry her toward the car. With every step, fear grips me fear that she might slip away right there in my arms. I open the car door and carefully lay her down on the back seat. The moment her head leaves my arms, my heart starts pounding even harder.
I check her pulse, it’s weak, but it’s there.
I get into the driver’s seat. My hands rest on the steering wheel, but my grip isn’t steady. All I can see in front of my eyes is Aria’s blood-covered face.
“I won’t let anything happen to you, Aria.”
I start the car, and speeds through the dark road at full force.
Within the next few moments, I am standing in the hospital corridor. The harsh white light stings my eyes.
The faint buzzing sound of the tube lights mounted on the walls makes my head feel even heavier.
The corridor is cold, yet sweat covers my body. My heart is restless, and my breathing feels uneven, as if I can’t get enough air.
Aria is inside the cabin. Beyond the glass doors of the emergency room, doctors and nurses are moving back and forth in a rush.
Sometimes I hear the sound of machines, sometimes the sharp instructions of a nurse. I remain standing near the bench, glancing at my watch again and again, as if I can force time to move faster.
My hands are clenched together. My fingers are trembling. The same scene keeps replaying in front of my eyes, Aria lying on the road, her face covered in blood, her weak voice… Help. My chest feels heavy. I close my eyes, but the images only become more vivid.
Just then, the cabin door opens.
A doctor steps outside. There is a serious expression on her face. I immediately straighten up, as if all my exhaustion disappears in an instant. I walk quickly toward her.
“Doctor… how is she?” The fear in my voice is obvious; I can’t hide it.
The doctor pauses for a moment and says, “Her condition… is not good.”
Hearing this, my heart starts pounding violently. My feet feel as if they are glued to the floor.
The doctor continues, “She has been badly beaten by someone. There are multiple injuries. There is a serious wound on her leg, and deep bruises on her face. There are also signs of internal stress on her body.”
I stand there, completely stunned. My mind goes numb.
“S… someone beat her?” I ask softly, hardly believing my own words.
The doctor nods, “Yes. From her injuries, it’s clear that there has been violence.”
A wave of darkness passes in front of my eyes. My hands begin to tremble again. I feel anger, pain, and a strange sense of guilt all at once.
In a gentler tone, the doctor says, “We are continuing her treatment right now. Pain control, stitches, scans everything is in progress.”
I ask anxiously, “When… when will she regain consciousness?”
The doctor thinks for a moment before replying, “If everything goes well, she may regain consciousness by morning. But the next few hours are critical.”
Her words pierce my chest critical. I simply nod slowly, unable to say anything more.
TO BE COUNTINUE...!!!