Chapter 87 I Will Survive
I was unconscious for three whole days before finally waking up.
The blinding white before my eyes dissipated as consciousness gradually returned. I tried moving my fingers, then gently opened my eyes. Still surrounded by vast whiteness, I felt a jolt of energy, briefly wondering if I'd truly returned to reality.
"You're awake?"
A familiar voice, hoarse and strained, exploded above my head. I rolled my eyes and caught sight of an exhausted-looking Nicholas sitting beside me. He seemed to have been watching me the whole time, which was why he noticed immediately when I woke.
I wanted to sit up. As if reading my mind, Nicholas quickly said, "Don't move. When they brought you in, you didn't have a single patch of intact skin. Right now you're wrapped head to toe in bandages."
The corner of Nicholas's lips unconsciously curved upward. "You can't see yourself, but just picture a mummy."
A mummy? I roughly imagined it in my head and figured I must look pretty ridiculous right now. But the slightest movement brought piercing pain. I gave up completely and relaxed, not daring to make things worse for myself.
The smell of disinfectant hung in the air. My throat suddenly felt unbearably dry and itchy. I could only turn to Nicholas for help, my voice barely a whisper. "Water..."
Nicholas caught on and quickly poured warm water, using a cotton swab to feed it to me. As my throat got some moisture, my brain gradually came back online.
Why was Nicholas the one keeping watch here? Sure, he and Liam had both shown up to rescue me, but Nicholas was so busy with work every day—I didn't think he'd come personally. Even if he'd arranged for a caregiver to watch over me, I would've understood.
But no, it was Nicholas himself.
That thought I'd barely managed to suppress came bubbling up again. How was I supposed to face him? I could feel Nicholas's genuine sincerity, but could I really let go of the hatred over my parents' deaths?
My emotions spiraled downward uncontrollably. Nicholas seemed to sense something and glanced down at me. I saw his thin lips press together slightly, as if weighing what to say.
Before long, I heard Nicholas speak. "Catherine, you were unconscious for three days. The doctor said if you didn't wake up today, there was a good chance you'd never wake up at all."
His tone suddenly grew heavy. "You might've become a vegetable, or your life might've just ended right there."
The red veins in Nicholas's eyes became increasingly obvious. The sight stung my eyes. My heart throbbed with sharp pain too.
A thought abruptly surfaced in my mind—maybe dying like this wouldn't be so bad?
But that scene of them shouting for me to "live" was like a lifeline, gripping me tightly, refusing to let me keep sinking.
I shouldn't die. In my past life, I'd lived for others right up until I died. I'd never lived for myself. The meaning of my rebirth was never about seeking death at the first sign of trouble.
I had to survive. The four Rosewood brothers still hadn't seen Sabrina's true face. The real culprit behind my death was still enjoying everything that should've been mine without a care in the world.
And of course, I had many friends. They were all silently supporting me from behind the scenes. How could I die?
Nicholas's words reached my ears at that moment. "During the three days you were unconscious, a girl named Melissa came by. She said you two are close friends. Blake came too."
As if remembering something, Nicholas seemed reluctant to say more. After some internal struggle, he continued, "Samuel also came. He even fought to pay part of the medical fees."
At this mention, Nicholas's face showed a mix of dissatisfaction and grievance. I couldn't help laughing inwardly.
Was he complaining that Samuel had stolen his thunder? Men with their brains full of love could be so childish. Too bad I couldn't say or do anything right now.
Nicholas let out a long sigh. "After hearing about your condition, they were all beside themselves with worry. Everyone talked to you a lot, all hoping you'd get better. Catherine."
Nicholas's voice suddenly turned serious. He stared intently at my bandage-covered eyes. "The doctor said during the rescue, your will to survive was weak. When you've recovered, I want a reasonable explanation from you."
Nicholas's expression was incredibly complex—panic, fear, worry, heartache, and threads of sorrow woven throughout. My heart felt like someone had grabbed hold of it.
He spoke to himself. "I went through so much trouble to rescue you from the Rosewood family—not so you could seek death and casually throw your life away. I know when those kidnappers took you, you must've been terrified, right?"
Nicholas looked somewhat self-reproachful. "I'm sorry. I failed to protect you."
I wanted to shake my head and say no, but using all my strength only produced the tiniest movement.
Nicholas continued talking about what had happened while I was unconscious. From him, I learned that Anna hadn't suffered much—she'd been discharged the next day and left with Edward.
After this incident, Edward felt that hiding her in the shadows wasn't safe either. He'd gone home once again to confess to his parents that he wanted to marry Anna.
This time his parents' reaction was subdued. They only said that if Edward married Anna, from that point on, everything belonging to the Johnson family would have nothing to do with him.
Not only that, Liam had added fuel to the fire by revealing the truth about getting lost all those years ago. His parents were so upset they'd nearly thrown Edward out on the spot.
A man stripped of power, status, and money, holding out his sincere heart to tell the woman he loves, "I have nothing—will you still be with me?" And his brother, who looks eighty percent like him, also adores this woman.
Anyone with a working brain would know what to choose. Let alone someone like Anna. She'd fought tooth and nail for her current life—how could she possibly give it up for a man's empty promises of love?
Obviously, Edward knew this too. After giving up the Johnson family, he'd truly become "nothing." Family, lover, money, power—all gone.
So Edward compromised. He still decided to fight for it all.
Hearing this aftermath from Nicholas, I couldn't help feeling rueful. The upper-class circles really couldn't keep secrets—the slightest disturbance and everyone knew every detail.
I didn't know then that Nicholas had specifically investigated all this just to tell me when I woke up.
After finishing his account, Nicholas scooped out a small bowl of congee from an insulated container. While feeding me, he talked about the kidnappers.
"The group that kidnapped you came with premeditation, and every single one was highly skilled. We dispatched a massive police force to pursue them, but in the end, they still escaped."
I trembled uncontrollably. The shattering pain from that day was still vivid in my mind.
Nicholas gently soothed me. "Don't worry. After I sent Daisy abroad, I started investigating. I've uncovered some things now. Next time they come, it'll be time to close the net."
My heart settled a bit. I'd barely had a few sips of congee when the hospital room door was suddenly pushed open.
Nicholas saw who it was first, and his expression immediately darkened. "What are you doing here?"