Chapter 654
Andrew’s chest heaved with a violent rhythm, and he felt a dampness on his cheeks. He lifted a hand to touch it, but couldn’t quite identify the sensation. His hands were covered in blood, so he assumed it was blood on his face as well.
Only Ricardo could see clearly, It was tears. Was Andrew crying?
Andrew seemed oblivious to it. His nose tingled, his lips pursed and unpursed, but no complete sentence would come out. The pain was so intense he felt like doubling over, yet he resisted. He didn’t want to show any signs of weakness in front of Aubree.
His palm, slashed and still bleeding, turned his complexion pater by the second. In the silence, he heard Aubree’s clear voice cut through.“Just leave.*
The pain was so acute it had become numbness. He just stared at Aubree, and it took what seemed like an eternity before he managed to utter a single question. “Are you… Are you possessed or something?”
That cruelty couldn’t be Aubree’s.
He turned to leave, each step an agony, his fingertips trembling uncontrollably. As he reached the door, Aubree still said nothing to stop him from leaving. His heart ached even more. He rounded the comer and couldn’t help but want to crouch down.
The nervous hotel manager, witnessing Andrew’s bloodied state, dialed 911 in a panic. “Mr. Clements, are you alright? Please, don’t scare me.”
The concern from a stranger amplified the pain tenfold, a hundred fold. He must have been in a nightmare.
He wished so dearly to awaken from it. Come on, wake up.
When Brielle arrived at the hotel room, she was greeted by a scene of chaos.
Aubree was huddled on the couch, legs pulled up to her chest, while the cleaning staff summoned by Ricardo were tidying the room. The bloodstains and the trash emitted a mixed, nauseating, metallic odor.
Brielle was taken aback. She first checked on Aubree, who was unharmed. After ensuring that Ricardo was fine, too, she let out a sigh of relief and slumped down beside them.
“What happened?”
Hearing Brielle’s voice seemed to anchor Aubree back to reality, and a surge of emotions she’d held back broke free. She clung to Brielle and sobbed.
Brielle continuously rubbed Aubree’s back, feeling her heart sink. Ricardo hadn’t provided details over the phone, only that Aubree was in trouble. Now, hearing Aubree’s heartbreaking cries, Brielle deduced Andrew must have come by.
Irritation surged within her, a part of her wishing she could confront Andrew and end it all.
Aubree was exhausted, both mentally and physically drained. After crying in Brielle’s arms for a while, she fell into an uncontrollable sleep.
Brielle draped a blanket over her and turned to Ricardo. “What did Andrew do?”
Ricardo frowned, struggling to explain. Finally, he admitted, “It doesn’t seem like he did much, but he’s hurt.”
There was a lot of blood, but it seemed unlikely he would die. The guy was built tough, after all.
Brielle, still feeling scared, rubbed her temples. “Ricardo, thank you.”
He was taken aback, having felt like he hadn’t really done anything. “Ms. Haywood, don’t mention it. I was
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just an observer.
His tone was nonchalant, though realizing his comment might’ve been inappropriate, he added, “The atmosphere between those two… it’s odd, as if they’re from different worlds.”
Whatever Ricardo did, he was just a bystander looking on. To Ricardo, everything in this world was like a play, unable to stir his emotions.
Remembering the moment Aubree embraced him, his ears inexplicably reddened. “Aubree seemed really distraught, Ms. Haywood. Maybe we should call a psychologist, a woman, considering she’s repelled by men right now. Though, she didn’t seem to reject me.”
This surprised him, but Brielle knew why and felt an even deeper ache.
The blood stench in the room seemed inescapable, so she had them move to another suite.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, several doctors bustled about, tending to Andrew’s wounds. His head was wrapped in gauze, as were his hands.
Andrew sat motionless in his hospital room, unresponsive even when the bandages pulled at his injuries.
The doctors hadn’t administered any anesthesia, yet he hadn’t made a sound throughout, which made them marvel at his endurance. Andrew truly felt no pain. He just stared blankly at one spot until the doctors left. Only then did he quietly lie down.
It was all a dream. He would sleep it off, and everything would be better.
