Chapter 109 A Deadly Ultimatum
Perhaps Liam simply couldn't stand being questioned like that.
Even more, he couldn't bear having his mother questioned and doubted.
Max turned to Grace and said firmly, "Mommy, no matter what he thinks, just know that I will always believe you unconditionally."
Grace had awakened, and so had Emily.
Alexander entered Emily's hospital room to find her conscious and alert.
The doctor informed him, "Mr. Hayes, Miss Blake is awake."
"You can leave us alone. I have some questions for her," Alexander replied curtly.
He dragged a chair beside her bed and sat down. The chair was low, leaving his long legs with nowhere to go, so he crossed them awkwardly. Alexander leaned back against the wall, his gaze fixed intently on Emily's face.
Emily opened her eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling. She raised her hand instinctively to touch her face, only to discover that half of it had collapsed—the muscles sagged grotesquely, rendering her unable to make any facial expressions.
At the same time, she felt an unbearable itching sensation all over her body. She fought the urge to scratch, but the torment made her toss and turn restlessly.
"Now that you're awake, answer a few questions for me," came Alexander's cold voice from beside her.
Emily turned toward the sound, furrowing her brow. Her memory was fragmented—Liam's needle had pierced deep into her skull, disrupting her memory chain. Her last clear recollection was of pushing Grace off the platform.
What had happened after that remained a blur.
What was wrong with her face?
Why was her face and body covered in these toxic blisters?
The rash was unbearably itchy, making her want to claw at her skin, but she dared not scratch. Her medical training warned her that breaking these blisters would leave permanent scarring—pitted marks that would disfigure her face forever.
Her face would be ruined!
"Alexander, how did I end up here? What happened to me?" Emily asked, confusion evident in her voice.
Alexander regarded her with suspicion. "The doctor said a taxi driver brought you to the hospital. Only you know what really happened."
Emily stared blankly, struggling to remember, but came up empty.
Alexander's voice turned sharp and demanding. "Grace's fall—did you have anything to do with it?"
Emily froze in shock.
While other memories eluded her, this one remained crystal clear.
How had Alexander suspected her?
She'd thought she'd committed the perfect crime.
Where was Grace now?
Was she dead?
Emily had watched Grace plummet and crash into a pool of blood below. From such a height, she should have died on impact.
No surveillance cameras, no evidence, no witnesses—what gave him grounds for suspicion?
Emily vehemently denied the accusation. "I didn't! Alexander, you think I pushed her? Why would I do such a thing?"
"I don't care about your reasons," Alexander replied icily. "I only want one answer from you—'yes' or 'no.' Emily, don't lie to me. You know I despise being lied to, even by you."
Emily's heart raced as she asked desperately, "So what if I did? What if I didn't?" She needed to know the consequences.
If he discovered she was responsible, what would he do?
Alexander shot to his feet and grabbed her throat in a crushing grip.
Emily gasped in terror, unable to retreat, her eyes widening in shock as she instinctively clawed at his hands, struggling desperately.
The vast difference in strength between man and woman became painfully apparent.
He was furious—absolutely livid!
Was he really going to strangle her?
For that woman?
No matter how she struggled, she could barely draw breath. The crushing sensation in her throat intensified, and her oxygen-starved brain began to shut down as her eyes rolled back.
Emily's entire face flushed deep red.
"Cough... cough cough... Alexander!" she wheezed his name weakly.
Alexander seemed determined to kill her. She was terrified beyond measure.
His jaw clenched tight, his burning gaze boring into her face. "If it was you, I will kill you."
Emily's heart lurched in terror, and she instinctively cried out, "Brice... Brice!"
That name snapped him back to his senses.
Alexander abruptly released his grip.
Emily clutched her throat, coughing violently, her voice a mixture of indignation and grievance. "Alexander, are you trying to frame me for murder? I'm a doctor—I save lives, I don't take them! Cough, cough... who told you this? Who's trying to frame me?"
"Grace is awake," Alexander said coldly. "Once she fully recovers, I'll get to the bottom of this. Since you claim it wasn't you, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. But if I discover this was your doing, you won't be able to handle the consequences!"
Emily's entire body trembled violently at the news that Grace had survived.
Seeing Alexander turn to leave, she instinctively called out, "Alexander! Alexander, you believe her over me? You've changed—you never would have treated me so roughly before!" She'd always believed she held a special place in his heart.
He'd promised Brice he would protect her with his life, care for her forever.
But now?
He'd nearly killed her for Grace's sake.
Alexander's voice was arctic. "She is Liam's lifeline, and Liam is mine."
With those words, he strode away without looking back.
Emily seethed with rage, clawing at her face despite the maddening itch.
"Ah!" Emily suddenly had a complete breakdown, sweeping the nearby respirator and EKG machine off their stands before yanking the IV needle from her hand.
Emily stumbled barefoot out of her hospital room, clutching an eyebrow razor she always carried. She pressed the blade against her wrist, shouting, "Since you protect her so much, since you suspect I pushed her, then I'll pay with my life!"
Alexander turned just in time to see Emily slash the razor across her wrist. "I'll give her back my life!"
The man recoiled in shock. "What are you doing?"
"Alexander, if I can't have you, if I can't win your heart, what meaning is there in living?" Emily declared, pressing the razor deeper into her wrist as she spoke.
Alarm bells began ringing.
Doctors and nurses rushed over, horrified by the scene unfolding before them.
"Miss Blake, please don't be reckless!"
"Miss Blake, stay calm! Don't do anything foolish!"
As medical staff attempted to approach, Emily waved the bloody razor at them, her eyes wild and desperate. "Stay back!"
She pressed the blade against her wrist again, her voice breaking with anguish. "Alexander, I've lost all hope in you. I've done so much for you, sacrificed everything, and that one sentence was enough to negate my entire existence. What's the point of living? I might as well die—Brice is waiting for me in heaven anyway."
Alexander stood motionless, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked audibly. "Am I to understand that you're threatening me?"
He could see right through Emily's manipulation.
As a shrewd, calculating man, he recognized that Emily had lost all rationality.
Her actions were as good as a confession that she had indeed pushed Grace.