Chapter 17
17
$75 BOAR
Before Irvin could start, I coughed up a few mouthfuls of water and slowly regained consciousness.
Seeing me awake, Irvin snapped angrily, “What’s wrong with you? Must you throw your life away just to prove a point?”
In the past, whenever Irvin berated me like this, I would either yell back even angrier than him or lower my head in fear and admit I was wrong.
But this time around, I didn’t shout or apologize I didn’t ask him to hold me, either.
Instead, I stared at him coldly. The chill made Irvin feel uneasy, even afraid. Instinctively, he wanted to embrace me, but I avoided his touch.
I grabbed onto the arm of the man beside him and asked him to take me to the hospital.
Irvin froze, stunned, He couldn’t believe that the woman who supposedly loved him more than anyone else was choosing to rely on a stranger over him.
He wondered what was wrong with me. Why was I acting so incomprehensibly? What had caused me to change so drastically?
Irvin took a large step forward, intending to push the man aside and carry me to the hospital himself. However, Julianne suddenly fainted.
Remembering how frail Julianne always was, Irvin paused. The weather was freezing, and Julianne had fallen into the water. I, on the other hand, had always been robust and healthy.
Even though something seemed off today, he thought I would pull through.
“I’ll come to the hospital to check on you later,” he said to me before rushing to Julianne’s side.
Watching as Irvin ran toward another woman in distress, I let out a soft chuckle. Once again, I hated this foolish heart of mine. Even now, it still hoped for something from him.
While Irvin said he would come to see me at the hospital later, he didn’t show up until the following morning, just as I was about to be discharged.
Seeing me packing my things, he hurried over. “You’re leaving already? Shouldn’t you stay a bit longer for observation?” he asked.
I glanced at him but didn’t respond. If I hadn’t been worried about how the drowning might affect my previous injuries, I wouldn’t have bothered coming to the hospital at all.
When I stayed silent, Irvin began explaining, “Lianne had a high fever last night. She was delirious…”
I ignored him and walked out.
My repeated indifference finally irritated him.
“Lianne is your sister! How can you be so unforgiving? You know she’s been weak since she was a child—” Before he could finish, he saw me smile faintly and walk toward another man.
“Professor Green, I’m ready,” I said. “Let’s go.”
Irvin saw me leaving with another man and flew into a rage. He tried to grab me, but I took a step back and avoided him.
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Just as he opened his mouth to say something, I cut him off impatiently. “Your precious Lianne is still burning up in the hospital. Go take care of her and stop bothering me!!!
Thinking I was jealous and upset, Irvin suppressed his anger and said, “Emilia, I know you’re mad. But no matter what, you shouldn’t just leave with some random guy. Let me take you home, okay?”
I sneered.
“No, it’s not okay. And for your information, I’m not leaving with a random guy. This is the man who saved my life. Without him, I’d already be dead, and you wouldn’t even have the chance to pester me.”
If it hadn’t been for Professor Green’s timely rescue, I would’ve drowned yesterday.
Irvin’s face fell as the realization hit him. Knowing how close I had been to death, he felt his chest tightened painfully.
After a long pause, his expression shifted again before he finally looked at Professor Green. “Professor. Green, thank you for saving my wife. I owe you a great debt. If you ever need anything , don’t hesitate to come to me.”
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