Chapter 39 Chris Appears
Amelia forced herself to swallow the blood in her mouth and let go of Rex.
The next second, Lila rushed over, shouting, "Rex! Rex, are you okay?"
Amelia had completely shielded Rex when she jumped to save him, so he was unharmed, not even a scratch.
"Mom, Mommy..."
Rex still seemed shaken by the incident.
It took a few seconds after Lila hugged him before he started crying loudly, "Mommy."
Lila also began to cry.
Usually composed and dignified, she was now trembling all over, the terrifying moment still fresh in her mind.
What they call post-traumatic fear.
Lila couldn't even bear to think about what would have happened if Rex hadn't been saved. She imagined Rex's bloodied body lying in a pool of blood, all because she had taken a phone call and lost her most precious child. She wouldn't have been able to forgive herself, nor face her husband Elton Church and the rest of the Church family. Her world would have crumbled.
Thankfully.
Thankfully, none of that had happened.
With trembling hands, Lila checked Rex over to make sure he was okay before standing up and tearfully thanking Amelia.
"Thank you! Thank you, ma'am, for saving my Rex! I don't know what to say, really, thank you, thank you!"
Lila had seen with her own eyes how Amelia had risked everything to save Rex.
For a moment, Lila had thought the truck had paused, but in reality, it had been just inches away from hitting Amelia and Rex.
It was a life-or-death moment.
Amelia was a complete stranger, yet she had risked her life to save Rex. How could Lila not be overwhelmed with gratitude?
Lila, overcome with emotion, was about to kneel in thanks, but Amelia quickly reached out to stop her, her voice hoarse, "No need."
Amelia's body was incredibly weak at this point.
In that moment, both Lila and Amelia couldn't have saved Rex even if they had reacted in time.
So Amelia had used her soul's power to stop the truck for a second, giving her just enough time to save Rex.
But her soul's power hadn't fully recovered.
Using it in her weakened state had caused a backlash that no human medical treatment could alleviate. She needed to find a place to rest and recover her soul's strength while she was still conscious.
The truck driver had also come over by now, and a crowd of onlookers was gathering, making the scene chaotic.
Amelia felt herself becoming disoriented. She took a deep breath and told Lila, "Take care of your child. I have to go."
Despite risking her life to save Rex, Amelia didn't want any thanks or reward and was ready to leave.
Lila was stunned and instinctively grabbed Amelia, urgently saying, "Wait, ma'am, I haven't thanked you properly. My name is Lila, and my husband is..."
"I don't need thanks," Amelia said, struggling to stay focused. "Just be more careful with your child in the future."
With that, Amelia turned to leave.
Lila couldn't help but reach out again, "Wait, miss, you saved Rex's life. At least let me know your name or your last name."
"Martinez..."
Amelia was out of strength. She barely managed to get the word out before heading toward the sidewalk.
She vaguely heard the sound of police sirens, but she couldn't focus on what would happen next.
Stumbling forward, she eventually collided with Chris.
Chris had just stepped out of a convenience store and was looking at his phone when someone bumped into him.
He immediately frowned.
His lifelong aversion to physical contact made him instinctively recoil. He maintained a strict distance from everyone except patients.
He was about to step back when Amelia grabbed the corner of his shirt, looked up, and gasped out, "Please, find me a place... to sleep... I will... thank..."
Before she could finish, Amelia collapsed into Chris's arms.
Chris instinctively caught her, his usually aloof expression giving way to surprise.
The moment Amelia had looked up, she seemed familiar to him.
Chris paused, recalling how his brother Tobias had messaged him last night, asking when he would come home to meet their sister Amelia, who had just arrived in River City from the countryside.
Tobias had been excited, sending a candid photo of Amelia and asking if she was cute.
Chris had glanced at the photo before shutting his phone and returning to work.
He had no interest in the Martinez family's affairs, much less in Robert's illegitimate daughter, Amelia. Her life had nothing to do with him.
But his strong memory meant he had remembered Amelia's face from that single glance.
And now, that face was in his arms.
What had happened to her? Why was she here alone, and why had she suddenly collapsed?
Acting on his medical instincts, Chris quickly checked Amelia over. She seemed physically fine, with a normal heartbeat and pulse.
"Please, find me a place to sleep," he recalled her saying.
It seemed she had simply fallen asleep.
How could Amelia just fall asleep on the street?
Five minutes later, Orval Church, waiting in the passenger seat of a car, heard a knock on the window.
He looked up to see his usually distant friend Chris standing outside, holding Amelia.
"What the...?"
Orval rolled down the window, eyes wide. "Chris, what's going on? How did you go to buy wet wipes and come back with a girl? Did you knock her out?"
Chris rolled his eyes.
"Just open the back door."
After Chris laid Amelia in the back seat, Orval was still baffled. "Seriously, Chris, what happened? Who is this girl?"
Chris took a deep breath, wiping the corner of his shirt where Amelia had grabbed it, and said, "My sister."