Chapter 251

Chapter 251

He said: "I will never push you away again, not even once."

Elena was suddenly stung by something, her eyes burning with the urge to curse at him, but helpless against Dante's insistence, she could only use her strength to lie against Dante's shoulder.

But how could the muddy mountain path be easy to walk, especially while carrying the weight of an adult? After just a short distance, Dante's face was indistinguishable between rainwater and sweat, and his breathing began to grow heavy.

Elena knew well that if this continued, even if Dante exhausted himself to death, they wouldn't escape this predicament.

"Dante, put me down."

Dante didn't listen, continuing forward. Thunder roared overhead, wind and rain intersecting, lightning tearing across the sky, constantly warning of approaching danger.

Elena found strength from somewhere and pounded his shoulder, shouting: "Put me down! Even if you walk yourself to death, we won't get out! Why rush like this - can't you rest for a moment!"

"If you don't listen to me and stop, I'll get down myself!"

Everything depended on Elena holding onto Dante. Dante's hands were fully occupied supporting himself against the surrounding trees - only this way could he stabilize his footing and not slide down the mountain.

If Elena really let go, Dante couldn't stop her.

He stopped, slowly crouched down, and Elena grabbed a handful of wild grass, sitting bit by bit on the wet ground.

She caught her breath and analyzed calmly: "Dante, only one of us can walk out of this place, and that person can obviously only be you."

"If you get to the halfway point up the mountain and get people to help, I'll be rescued too. If you keep insisting like this... we'll both just die."

She received only silence. Elena bit her teeth and glared angrily at Dante. "Don't you understand? Do you think that by dying together like this, I'll be moved and forgive you? You're being too naive. You're just being selfish - you're depriving me of my chance to live too—mmph!"

Dante suddenly leaned forward and kissed her chattering lips. He cupped the back of Elena's head, kissing her forcefully. The invading breath almost occupied Elena's entire mind, though she vaguely tasted bitterness, as if sampling tears...

After an unknown time, Dante released her, pressing his forehead against her neck and shoulder, his voice hoarse: "Stop lying to me. Even if I really reached the halfway point and could find people to help me, how many would risk the danger? And even if there were some, could your body hold out?"

Elena choked up, unable to speak, only staring at him with her dark, bright eyes. "At least one of us could live."

Dante said: "I live, and then what?"

Elena was stunned. Why was he asking her this question?

To live on would naturally mean endless wealth and glory. Dante was, after all, Dante - the ruler of New York. He represented supreme honor. As long as he lived, he could have anything in the world, and many people needed him.

But she, Elena, certainly didn't amount to much. If she died like this, perhaps it would be a good thing for her - a liberation.

Elena frowned. Dante said: "Either we live together, or we die together. I know you're unwilling and reluctant, but I feel incredibly relaxed. Dying with you is my life's greatest dream. In life I was powerless, but in death I'll cling to you until you're sick of me, annoyed by me."

"You're insane..." Elena's pupils shook uncontrollably. She was stunned to hear such words from Dante's mouth. He was like an abnormal madman - how many men desperately wanted to live!

Wasn't he supposed to be cold and heartless? Wasn't he someone who couldn't be warmed even by someone's bloody, dripping body? But what was he doing now?

Dante ignored the shock in Elena's eyes and reached back to touch the wound on her ankle.

He handed Elena the phone to shine the light while he examined it, finding it swollen but with no obvious external injury - clearly the problem was with the bone.

It was fractured.

He pressed along the bone and asked Elena: "Can you bear it?"

Elena's eyes reddened, understanding Dante's meaning. She took a deep breath and nodded.

As soon as she nodded, Dante suddenly twisted his wrist. The intense pain forced tears from Elena's eyes as she bit her teeth silently, her whole body trembling.

Dante said: "Stand up and move around now. See how your foot feels."

Elena supported herself against the tree trunk and stood up bit by bit. Apart from slight pain, there really was no other sensation. The almost deadly pain had disappeared in an instant.

"It's fine," Elena said. "It hurts a little, but I can bear it."

"Good. Now you support me, and we'll walk together."

This was obviously the best outcome. If they were lucky, perhaps both of them would be saved.

Elena nodded vigorously.

Unbeknownst to them, the tree trunk above had been swaying precariously under the assault of wind and rain. Suddenly, the trunk snapped with a clear, distinct sound. Dante looked up to see the heavy trunk plummeting down.

"Watch out!" Dante was shocked, forcefully pushing Elena away and throwing himself to the ground, while the falling trunk crashed heavily onto Dante's back.

Almost equivalent to a 200-pound stone falling from height, Dante coughed up blood, the pain making his internal organs feel displaced. Not only could he not speak, even breathing felt like a knife stabbing randomly.

Dante was about to faint on the spot.

"Dante!" Elena screamed. After recovering, she quickly stood up from the ground and crawled to Dante's side, forcefully patting his face.

"Wake up! Dante! Wake up!"

Thunder and lightning flashed across the sky. Under the reflected light, blood flowed from Dante's mouth, his face showing indescribable pain.

Elena felt her mind buzzing. "Dante! Don't sleep!"

He couldn't lose consciousness. Once he did, it would be eternal sleep - this was something everyone understood.

Dante went through several cycles before his mind could barely clear. He opened his eyes. Not only had the rainy night not stopped, it had intensified, constantly tearing lightning cracks across the sky.

Wind and rain mixed together, continuously beating against his face. He closed his eyes forcefully and spoke weakly: "Elena, you should go."

Elena's distinct black and white eyes stared, suppressing the trembling in her fingers. "Are you crazy! What are you saying?"

Dante was very calm. His ribs were broken - he couldn't move anymore, much less survive. Perhaps accepting this reality, he became even more greedy in following Elena with his gaze.

"Several ribs are broken, I can't move anymore. You go first. With my body, I can hold on until tomorrow morning. When there's signal on the mountain, you can call Angelo."

"Impossible!" Elena's soft lips trembled, her eyes burning as scalding tears flowed down her cheeks. She bit her teeth tightly and quickly wiped the tears from her face.

"Listen to me." Dante's words already carried urgency. He steadied his breathing, his thin lips releasing weak sounds: "You go out and find people to save me, otherwise we can only sit here waiting to die. Do you really want to journey to the underworld with me? Don't you hate me?"

"Where would I go?"

"Down the mountain." Dante said: "Angelo has already brought people and should be coming up the mountain. Our position is in the woods - they won't come here. You go down the mountain path to meet them."

Speaking of this, Dante added: "The path is slippery, be careful."

"Alright, stop talking now." Elena knew that every word Dante spoke was equivalent to a knife stirring in his chest cavity.

Her heart ached in waves. Fortunately, her face had already been numbed by the cold wind, unable to show much emotional change. She only said firmly: "You must survive. I'm going to find people to save you."

"Mm." Dante smiled peacefully.

When Elena turned to leave, Dante called out from behind: "Elena."

Elena turned back. Dante looked at her, emotions in his dark eyes deep as the sea, gentle and lingering, as if silently expressing something that couldn't be captured the next moment.

He said: "I... regret not realizing my feelings earlier... Thank you, thank you for being the only person in this world who ever loved me."

These words suddenly made Elena clench her palms. Something stuck in her throat, her chest felt stuffy. She took a breath, her eyes burning hot, and said through gritted teeth: "Save these words for when you survive, Dante. You must hold on. I don't want to owe you anything. After today ends, you can die however you want, but don't die because of me and make me feel guilty for life! Do you understand!"

Dante looked at her deeply, slightly nodded, a trace of smile appearing on his thin lips. "Alright."

Elena suppressed her emotions, suddenly turned her head, and supported herself against the trees, moving bit by bit toward the mountain path.

The repositioned area on her foot had already swollen high, each step painful as if walking on knife points. But Elena seemed to feel no pain, even limping, she had to go down the mountain.

Everything around was pitch black, only relying on weak light. The only warmth on her face was the uncontrollable tears falling from her eyes, until her injured leg was completely numb, her soul seeming to leave her body, only relying on natural reflexes to grab wild grass and step difficultly on the mud.

Suddenly, a beam of light swept from the distance, and Elena heard Angelo's voice: "Miss Elena!"

Angelo strode forward. The moment Elena saw Angelo, tears burst from her eyes. "Save... save him..."

"Save who? Sir? Where is he now?"

Elena gave the location, her whole body seeming drained of strength, and she collapsed, fainting.

...

She seemed to be dreaming, in a pitch-black, quiet night all around. She seemed to see yet not see. Suddenly, a beam of light came, the scene changed abruptly, and she found herself at the Rossi house.

As usual, Roswald sat upright on the sofa, holding a cup of tea, blowing and tasting it. Seeing her, he couldn't help but put down his newspaper and say: "It's so cold outside, and your health isn't good. Why don't you wear more clothes? Always only caring about looking pretty. What's the use of being beautiful if your body develops health problems?"

"Dad..." Elena reached out her hand and could actually touch Roswald's hand - that aged hand where you could almost feel the skin's texture, wrinkled and weathered. She cried breathlessly: "Am I dead? I miss you so much, miss you so much... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been with Dante. I caused your death..."

"Silly child." Roswald was still the same as in her memory, his face radiating a benevolent smile, smiles layered without any resentment or hatred. "I'm with your mother now, very happy. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just be happy - that's enough. Don't hold on because of me. That's what I least want to see."

Speaking of this, lightning flashed through her mind, falling like a hideous scar cutting a path of light across the sky. That light illuminated Dante's handsome but weakened face in the rainy night. She felt her heart twist in pain, though she couldn't taste what it was.

Suddenly, she woke up. White walls and bedsheets, silence all around, even birds singing and flowers blooming outside the window. Sunlight scattered in the room, excessively gentle, even carrying some warmth.

She used her fingers to feel that almost real sunlight, covering her face to wipe away the undried tears.

Was it a dream?

After waking, Elena found herself lying in a hospital bed.

And Dante was still unconscious in the adjacent bed...

Several months later, Elena gave birth to a healthy boy.

But Elena was kidnapped by Patch, and once again Dante saved her.

This time, Elena finally forgave Dante. The two finally got back together, with their son, Allen Rossi.

Dante personally decided that their first child must take the Rossi surname.

As for him and Elena, they would have many, many more children...

Ricardo ultimately died under Salina's gun, and Salina went to a distant place after attending little Rossi's birthday party.

(The End)