Chapter 140
The bone-chilling cold pierced through every pore of my body like thousands of steel needles. My lungs tightened, and I choked on a mouthful of water. The violent coughing was blocked by the lake water, and a suffocating feeling overwhelmed me like a tidal wave.
I struggled desperately, trying to surface, but my heavy winter clothes had soaked up water and dragged me down like lead weights.
The light above my head shone through the broken ice, seeming so far away.
I closed my eyes in despair. Was I really going to die here today?
No, I couldn't die yet.
My child... my baby...
I couldn't let my child down again. I had to bring it safely into this world. I had to make it happy!
I couldn't die here!
The instinct to survive gave me a burst of strength. I used both my hands and feet, paddling upward with all my might.
Luckily, my efforts weren't wasted. I pushed upward, and my head broke through the surface.
I gulped down the cold air. My lungs burned with pain, and my head stung from the cold after coming out of the water.
The ice around the edge of the hole was thin. As soon as I grabbed onto it, it cracked again.
I tried to reach for the ice further away, but my body was already numb from the cold and barely responding.
Amelia stood not far away, coldly watching me struggle in the icy water, a satisfied smile on her face.
"Sophia, give up. You can't get out. You might as well save your energy—maybe you'll live a bit longer that way."
"Do you have any last words? Say them now. Since you're about to die, I can pass along a few messages for you."
"Amelia, if you think I'm going to die, dream on. If I survive this, your days are numbered when I get back."
"Even if I'm unlucky enough to die today, I'll haunt you as a ghost."
"Sophia, even if you haunt me as a ghost, I absolutely won't let you leave here alive today!"
She picked up a few small stones and threw them at me, preventing me from getting close to the shore or grabbing onto solid ice.
I dodged them as my strength rapidly drained away.
The cold was robbing me of all feeling, and my consciousness began to blur.
I knew I couldn't hold on much longer.
Was I really going to die here?
Indigo, I might have to break my promise...
I touched my belly. I'm sorry, baby...
Just as my consciousness was about to be swallowed by darkness, I seemed to see a blurry figure rush out from the woods by the shore, racing toward the ice at incredible speed.
Was someone coming to save me?
Was it a hallucination?
So cold...
So warm...
This was the first thing I felt when I regained consciousness.
I struggled to open my heavy eyelids. The first thing I saw was a white ceiling, and the air smelled of disinfectant.
A hospital.
I was still alive.
This realization made my eyes well up with tears.
"Sophia, you're finally awake! You scared me to death!" Liliana's tearful voice came from beside the bed.
I turned my head and saw her red, swollen eyes with tear stains still on her face.
Andrew and Ethan were also standing nearby, their faces full of worry and relief.
"Liliana, are you okay?" My voice was terribly hoarse.
"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? It's you I'm worried about. Why did you run out there?" Liliana grabbed my hand. "Your hands are so cold. Let me warm them up for you."
I told her what had just happened.
Liliana jumped up. "Amelia, that witch! Has she lost her mind? She actually used my name to trick you out there and try to kill you!"
At the mention of Amelia, memories of the ice lake's cold and despair came flooding back, and I couldn't help but shudder.
Liliana noticed something was wrong and immediately hugged me to comfort me. "Don't be scared. It's okay now, it's all over."
"My baby..." I instinctively reached for my belly.
"The baby's fine too. The doctor checked. You just caught a cold and need to rest well."
"Who saved me?" I vaguely remembered that blurry figure at the end.
"I did."
An unfamiliar male voice spoke.
Only then did I notice someone sitting in a chair in the corner of the room.
He looked about thirty, wearing a simple dark sweater, with refined features and a calm, quiet demeanor.
He walked over and nodded at me. "Hello, Ms. Brown."
"My name is Lester Harrison. I'm a doctor. I happened to be visiting that area today and heard someone calling for help. When I rushed over, I saw you falling into the water."
So it wasn't a hallucination.
Someone really had heard my cry for help and came to save me.
"Mr. Harrison, thank you. Thank you so much." I said sincerely.
If it weren't for him, my baby and I would probably already be...
"Don't mention it. Anyone would help in that situation." Lester's tone was calm. "You weren't in the water too long. Just keep warm for the next few days."
"If you catch a cold or have any other problems, don't take medicine randomly. Make sure to ask a doctor first."
Just then, the hospital room door was suddenly pushed open, and James rushed in.
His hair was a bit messy, his coat still had snow on it, and his face showed rare panic and anxiety.
"Sophia, thank God you're okay." Seeing me safe and sound, he was visibly relieved.
I wondered if he was relieved that I didn't die so his lover wouldn't go to prison, or if it was for some other reason.
His brow furrowed tightly. "How are you? What did the doctor say?"
"James." I interrupted him, my voice calm and flat. "I'm fine."
"Is that what you wanted to hear?" I laughed coldly. "Thanks to your lover, I almost died."
James's face instantly became extremely ugly. He clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hands. "I know it was Amelia. Don't worry, I'll definitely give you an answer this time."
"Where is Amelia?" I asked.
He kept saying he'd give me an answer, but he didn't even bring Amelia here.
A flash of anger crossed James's eyes. "My people are watching her. I..."
Before he could finish, the hospital room door was knocked on again, and his assistant anxiously poked his head in. "Mr. Smith, something happened with Ms. Martinez."
"After you left, she became very unstable. Just now, she insisted on coming out to find you, and she accidentally slipped and fell. There's a lot of blood!"
"The doctor wants to treat her, but she says if you don't go, she won't accept treatment."
James's body stiffened.
The hospital room instantly fell silent, and everyone looked at James.
I watched the brief struggle and hesitation flash across his face, and the last bit of hope in my heart—so faint I didn't even want to admit it to myself—was completely extinguished.
"What are you still doing here? Aren't you going to check on her?" I heard my own voice, hollow and exhausted.
James opened his mouth, seeming to want to explain something, but under my cold gaze, he said nothing. He just looked at me deeply, then turned and quickly left the hospital room.
Liliana stamped her foot in anger. "James, that idiot! He's hopeless!"
Andrew sighed, and Ethan shook his head too.
I stared at the white ceiling, my heart ice-cold—even colder than when I fell into the frozen lake.
Time after time, and I still had that tiny bit of hope for him. How pathetic.
I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, only determination remained.
"Liliana, help me call the police," I said clearly and calmly. "Amelia attempted murder. I want her to spend the rest of her life in prison."
Liliana froze for a moment, then nodded firmly. "Okay! I'll do it right now!"
This time, I wouldn't wait for the so-called "answer" James promised.
I would seek justice for myself and my child.