Chapter 24
The pain I expected didn’t come, though. I whipped around to see Eugene standing behind me. He had one hand over his abdomen, and he looked ashen. Blood gushed from where his hand clamped over his wound.
When I saw that he was about to collapse on the ground, I hurriedly caught him and called an ambulance.
He was already starting to slip out of consciousness; pain was all he could feel. Now, he knew how painful it was to be stabbed. He wondered whether I’d also been in this much pain in the past.
Eugene tried to keep his eyes open, and he chuckled when he saw the anxious look on my face. The action tugged on his wound, making intense pain shoot through him.
Stopping the bleeding was all I could think of. I hastily clamped down on his wound. When I saw his eyelids sliding shut, I shouted, “Hang in there, Eugene! Don’t fall asleep! A doctor will be here soon; you have to hang on!”
Just as he was about to pass out, we heard an ambulance’s siren. The medical personnel quickly carried him into the ambulance and started stopping the bleeding. At the same time, they informed the hospital to prepare for emergency treatment.
Eugene gave me one last glance as I remained by his side, looking panicked. Then, he lost consciousness. After being taken to the hospital, he was operated on for three hours before his vitals stabilized.
The doctor said the attack hadn’t given him any critical injuries–there was just a lot of blood because of how deep the wound was.
I sighed in relief and collapsed on a chair. At the same time, I looked at Eugene, who was still unconscious as he lay on a hospital bed. I had mixed feelings about this whole situation.
I didn’t expect him to take a knife for me. Had he been following me? I’d already made things clear to him the day before, so why…
I had countless questions, but Eugene was still out. I had no choice but to keep them to myself for the time being
Eugene’s parents, Michael Ford and Mildred, arrived at the hospital. Their eyes reddened when they saw him lying unconscious on the bed; he’d been fine just hours earlier.
To them, I’d called off the wedding without any warning, and my disappearance had left Eugene unable to move on. And now, just days after my return, he’d ended up in the hospital. How could they not resent me?
Mildred screeched, “What the hell do you want? What has Eugene done to end up in this situation? What does he owe you? You left him on what was supposed to be your wedding day two years ago, and you’ve now landed him in the hospital! Can’t you just leave him alone?”
I didn’t argue with her, silently enduring the brunt of her anger. I didn’t think it was necessary for her and Michael to know the truth of what had happened. Besides, I couldn’t deny that Eugene had saved my life that day.
Mildred wanted to pounce on me, but she stopped when Eugene mumbled weakly, “Riss…”
Michael and Mildred hurriedly asked him how he was doing when they realized he was awake. “How are you, Eugene? Does it still hurt?”
He shook his head and looked at me. Mildred could tell Eugene wanted to speak to me privately. She hated leaving us alone, but relented when she saw how pale he was.
Eugene and I were left alone in the hospital ward once Michael and Mildred stepped out.
I looked at his pale face with mixed feelings. “Was it worth it?”
