Chapter 251: Vivian Died

Chapter 251: Vivian Died

Ethan shook his head, his voice hoarse. "Vivian, Dad's paralyzed in bed now. The family's bankrupt, and the house has been seized. No one can save you. I can't save you either."

"You're lying! You're lying!"

Vivian didn't believe him at all. She was completely hysterical. "You're all lying to me! You're all siding with that bitch Phoebe! I'm going to kill her! I'm going to kill everyone!"

She cursed while stumbling backward.

Her foot caught on some rusty iron pipe on the ground.

With a crisp sound, Vivian lost her balance and fell hard to the ground.

The glass bottle in her hand flew out and smashed against a pile of yellow metal drums nearby.

The bottle shattered, and the liquid inside spilled out, instantly reacting with the gas leaking from the drums.

First, white smoke rose up, then suddenly—flames burst forth!

A violent explosion blew off the roof, and flames instantly engulfed the corner where Vivian was.

Piercing screams echoed through the factory.

"My face! My face! It's burning! Help! Ethan! Save me!"

Vivian rolled in the sea of fire. Her clothes instantly melted, sticking to her skin, sizzling as they burned.

Her legs were pinned under a collapsed shelf—she couldn't move at all.

She could only watch helplessly as the flames consumed her skin bit by bit, smelling the burning stench coming from her own body.

The police and firefighters outside rushed in quickly.

But with this kind of high-temperature chemical fire, they couldn't get close at all.

Ethan stood outside the police line, watching the twisted, struggling figure in the flames, listening to those screams gradually growing weaker, and painfully closed his eyes.

Ten minutes later, the fire was under control.

When they carried out the stretcher, Vivian was already dead.

Her entire body was burned into a charred mass, her features twisted together, her hands still frozen in a clawing position, all her fingernails turned inside out.

Her death was horrific—even the medical examiner turned his head away.

In this abandoned factory, the once high-and-mighty Vivian had taken her last breath in excruciating pain.

No one felt sorry for her.

Even the onlookers were whispering that she got what she deserved.

...

In the intensive care unit, only the monotonous beeping of machines could be heard.

Noah still hadn't woken up.

Phoebe sat by the bed, clutching a warm towel. She hadn't slept properly for three days. Dark circles ringed her eyes, and her face was deathly pale.

A nurse came in to change the medication and couldn't help but advise when she saw Phoebe still sitting there. "Ms. Foster, you're pregnant, and you have an injury on your leg. Please go rest for a while. There are caregivers watching here. We'll call you when Mr. White wakes up."

"No need."

Phoebe shook her head, her voice hoarse. "I'm not tired. I just want to watch over him."

She was afraid that if she closed her eyes, Noah would die.

The nurse sighed, finished changing the medication, and left, shaking her head.

Phoebe struggled to stand up. Her old leg injury had flared up, and with the burden of pregnancy, every movement sent pain crawling up through her bones.

But she gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound.

She carefully wiped Noah's face with the towel, avoiding the bandages.

"Noah."

Phoebe's fingers trembled slightly as she gently touched his exposed fingers.

"Are you stupid?"

Her tears fell onto the back of his hand.

"You've never been this kind before. You turned yourself into this mess trying to save me. If you end up paralyzed or brain-damaged, I'm taking your child and marrying someone else. I mean it."

Though she said this, Phoebe's hand gripped his fingers tightly, not daring to let go for even a moment.

After who knows how long, the fingers in her palm suddenly moved.

Phoebe's whole body jolted—she almost thought it was her imagination.

"Water."

A weak voice came from under the oxygen mask.

Noah opened his eyes.

"Noah! Are you awake? Doctor! Doctor!"

Phoebe was so excited she almost jumped up. Just as she was about to turn and press the call button, someone grabbed her wrist.

Noah had no strength, but his fingers hooked onto her sleeve and wouldn't let go.

"Don't... don't leave."

Phoebe grabbed his hand back, kneeling by the bed, crying uncontrollably. "You scared me to death! Do you know you've been unconscious for three days! The doctor said you almost didn't make it!"

Noah looked at her.

Looked at her tear-stained face, her messy hair.

So ugly. But also so beautiful.

"Can't die," Noah tried to smile, but it pulled at the wounds on his face, making him suck in a sharp breath. "I beat the Grim Reaper."

Phoebe cried as she took a cotton swab to moisten his cracked lips with water.

Noah looked at her hungrily, as if he could never get enough.

In that moment in the sea of fire, he really thought he'd never see her again.

"Phoebe."

"What?" Phoebe sniffled, her hands not stopping.

"Why did you save me?" Noah's voice was very soft. "When you signed the surgery consent form, you could have just let your hand shake a little, and I would have died on the operating table. Then you'd be free. No one would torture you anymore, no one would force you anymore."

Phoebe put down the cotton swab and glared at him with red eyes.

"Noah, you're a bastard."

Noah's eyes dimmed. "I'm sorry."

"But," Phoebe suddenly interrupted him, tears rolling down in big drops, "in the fire, the moment you pushed me away, I knew I was done for."

She took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, looking straight into his eyes.

"I hate you, but I love you more. For these three years, I've hated you every single moment, but I can't lie to myself—you've always been in my heart. If it weren't for that fire, I might never have dared to admit it, never wanted to admit it."

"But Noah, I don't want to miss you again for the sake of some stupid pride."

Noah froze.

In those eyes that were always calculating people's hearts, there was now nothing but disbelief.

After a long while, he suddenly gripped Phoebe's hand tightly, and his eyes actually reddened too.

"Say it again."

"What?"

"Say it again—that you love me." Noah stared at her intently, as if trying to confirm this wasn't a dream.

"No. Good things aren't said twice." Phoebe turned her face away to wipe her tears.

Noah panicked and tried to sit up, but groaned in pain.

"Don't move! Your injuries haven't healed yet!" Phoebe jumped in fright and quickly held him down.

Noah gasped for breath, watching her anxious expression, and suddenly laughed.

Laughed like an idiot.

"Phoebe, I was wrong."

He put away all his sharp edges, his tone more serious than ever before. "I was too arrogant. I thought I could control everything. It wasn't until I watched you almost die in front of me that I realized how wrong I was."

"I'm not just a bastard—I'm blind too."

He reached out and gently touched Phoebe's cheek. "From now on, I only have you. Whatever happens, I'll listen to you. I won't make decisions alone anymore. We'll discuss things together, okay?"

Phoebe sniffled and nodded hard.

"Okay."

Two wounded hearts finally came together in this hospital room filled with the smell of disinfectant.

...

However, things on the White family's side were far from peaceful.

In the special care ward on the top floor, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was suffocating.

Although Larry had inhaled smoke, with the best treatment available, he recovered faster than Noah. But these past few days, his expression had been very grim.

The rumors about Brian's true parentage had spread like wildfire and reached his ears.