Chapter 130
After spending some time with Liliana, I headed home.
Andrew sent me a message.
[Sophia, are you free this weekend? There's a really good art exhibition. Want to go check it out together?]
I thought about it and replied.
[I already made plans with Liliana this weekend. Maybe next time.]
[Okay, have fun. Remember to get plenty of rest and don't overdo it.]
I sent back a nodding emoji.
I put away my phone and started organizing things.
In a box, I found a small metal tin.
Opening it, I saw a badge inside that had faded a bit.
This badge seemed to be from the little boy I met at the orphanage when I was young.
So much time has passed. I don't know how he's doing now, or if he's even still alive.
I rubbed the badge in my hand and put it back in the tin.
I placed it on my nightstand, planning to pack it up and take it abroad with me.
Even though it's just a small badge, it carries a pretty nice memory from my childhood.
Once I go abroad, who knows if I'll ever come back. Might as well take what I can.
I organized for quite a while and stopped when I felt a bit tired.
I grabbed some clothes, took a shower, and lay down on the bed to rest. Before I knew it, I'd fallen asleep.
There were still two days until the weekend. During those two days, I went to the hospital every day to talk to Indigo. After talking with Indigo, I'd come back and pack.
I'd pretty much finished organizing my things. I also wanted to buy some essential items for the baby before leaving.
I planned to go shopping when I had time.
The weekend came quickly.
Early in the morning, Liliana drove over to pick me up.
"Which church are we actually going to?" Sitting in the passenger seat, seeing her excited expression, I couldn't help asking again.
"You'll know when we get there!" Liliana drove all the way out of the city.
After driving for about an hour, the scenery around us became more and more peaceful.
The mountain road wound along, with dense forests on both sides. Finally, the car stopped in a parking lot in front of a church.
"How come I've never heard there was a church around here?" I was a bit surprised.
"That's because no one has ever posted about this church online. They're afraid that if too many people know about it and everyone comes to make wishes, there'll be too many wishes to fulfill and it won't be effective anymore."
Liliana jumped out of the car. "I heard making wishes here is really effective! Especially for safety and romance."
"Even though you don't need to pray for romance anymore, you can pray for safety, to bless you and the baby to be safe and sound."
I felt warmth in my heart. "Liliana, thank you for thinking of me."
"What's our relationship? Why are you being so formal with me?" Liliana took my hand. "Come on, let's go up."
The church sat halfway up the mountain, requiring us to climb some stone steps.
Worried I'd get tired, Liliana walked very slowly and kept asking if I needed to rest.
"I'm not that fragile," I said with a smile.
"That won't do. You're carrying a baby now. You're a key protected person. If anything happens to you, how would I explain it to Grandma and James?" Liliana said seriously.
She realized she'd mentioned a name she shouldn't have and slapped her own mouth. "Sorry, Sophia. I didn't mean to bring up that scumbag in front of you. I'll definitely remember not to mention him again next time."
I shook my head. "It's okay. He's your brother. It's fine if you mention him."
"It's all James's fault. What a jerk." Liliana couldn't help cursing James again, then sighed. "I wish I were his older sister. Then I could scold him as his sister."
I smiled. "Let's go. There's still a long way to go. If we don't hurry, I'm afraid we won't make it up before dark."
Liliana responded, "Let's go."
We slowly made our way up.
On both sides of the stone steps were towering ancient trees. Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, creating dappled patterns.
The air was filled with a mixture of incense and vegetation, somehow bringing peace of mind.
The church wasn't very large, but it was very peaceful.
I lit a candle, closed my eyes, and silently made my wishes: May Indigo live a long and healthy life, may my baby be born safely, may I start the second half of my life anew, and live freely and at ease.
After making my wishes, Liliana and I each made donations.
The scenery around this church was quite nice. Liliana and I wandered around for a while.
When we left the church, it was already past three in the afternoon.
We decided to take another small path down the mountain to enjoy the scenery along the way.
The path was more secluded than the stone steps we'd taken up, with deep forests on both sides and hardly any people in sight.
Liliana was enthusiastically taking photos at first, but as we walked, the sky gradually darkened.
"Is it going to rain?" I looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were gathering.
"Let's walk faster." Liliana was also a bit worried.
Just then, a weak cry for help suddenly came from ahead.
"Help... is anyone there... save me..."
Liliana and I exchanged glances and quickened our pace forward.
Deep in the forest, a man was lying on the ground with a deep wound on his leg, blood staining his pants.
He looked to be in his thirties. Probably from excessive blood loss, his face was pale, and his eyes were somewhat unfocused.
"What's your name? What happened to you? How did you get such a serious injury? Why are you bleeding so much?" Liliana instinctively moved to go forward.
I held her back.
I don't know why, but something about this man seemed off to me.
His wound looked very fresh, but there were no signs of struggle or fighting around him.
His eyes, though seemingly unfocused, seemed to flash with a strange light when he saw us.
"We should call the police and call an ambulance," I said to Liliana, taking a step back at the same time.
"But his injury looks really serious..." Liliana hesitated.
The man on the ground suddenly struggled to reach out his hand. "My name is Patrick. Please, don't send me to the hospital. Going to the hospital costs a lot of money."
"Please help me up. My home is nearby. Just take me home..."
His voice became even weaker, as if he might pass out at any moment.
Liliana softened. "Sophia, why don't we help him? Looking at him like this, he seems so pitiful."
Before I could speak, Patrick suddenly started coughing violently. As he coughed, his head tilted to the side, as if he'd fainted.
Now Liliana was even more anxious. She broke free from my hand and ran over.
"Liliana!" I tried to pull her back, but it was too late.
Liliana crouched down, about to check on Patrick's condition, when he opened his eyes.
In his hand, somehow, there was now a handkerchief, which he pressed over Liliana's nose and mouth with lightning speed.