Chapter 224
Through the dim light filtering in from the streetlamp outside, Victoria could just make out that the person sitting by her bed wasn't Alvin, but William.
Victoria felt her throat had recovered enough to speak, so she croaked out, "Can you not sit by my bed without saying anything?"
The room was still dark, with no lights on, making everything seem even more shadowy.
William remained silent, his head turned to the side.
Victoria was puzzled, not understanding what was going on with him.
The silence in the room grew, and Victoria began to wonder if the figure she was seeing was just a fever-induced hallucination.
'Fine, if he doesn't want to talk, let him be,' she thought.
Victoria's breathing was heavy as she closed her eyes again, soon falling back into a deep sleep.
In the middle of the night, she vaguely felt someone holding her. The person was warm, pressed tightly against her.
She guessed it was William.
Victoria didn't push him away. Her face was hot, and her breath was warm, but her limbs were cold, making her feel unusually chilly.
William rested his head on top of hers, his arms wrapped tightly around her.
In his embrace, Victoria felt like she was being warmed by a heater, feeling an unusual sense of peace.
When she woke up the next morning, William was gone.
Victoria was still feverish, but she felt much better than the day before.
She spent the morning in her hospital room, and Alvin came to see her once, his face still extremely grim, not saying much.
From him, Victoria learned that she would need to stay in the hospital for a while longer for some tests to check for any other complications.
In the hospital room, all she did was sleep and eat. Because of her fever, she couldn't taste anything, making every meal feel bland.
Her phone had been retrieved from the river, and Alvin brought it to her. The phone was completely ruined, but fortunately, the SIM card was still usable.
Victoria inserted the card into the new phone Alvin had bought for her. When she turned it on, a news article popped up on the browser: #Chain Car Crash on Mountain Road Near Silvermist City, Scene Shocking.
Having survived the ordeal, Victoria was curious about how the incident was reported.
She clicked on the article, which briefly described the car crash on the mountain road that resulted in seven deaths. One of the images was of the two cars that had collided the day before.
None of the images showed the faces of the victims, just a few distant shots of bodies covered with white sheets.
Victoria frowned at the picture.
The people who had been chasing them were dead.
Did William do it?
Probably not.
He was with her the whole time.
Victoria scrolled down and saw a pinned comment.
[My uncle works at the police station. He told us this crash isn't as simple as it seems. It might be related to a personal vendetta.]
The comment had many replies, most of them expressing curiosity about the details of the crash.
But the commenter hadn't replied to any of them.
Victoria got out of bed to pour herself a cup of hot water, watching the few people passing by outside.
Feeling cooped up in the hospital room, she put down the cup after drinking and opened the door. Before she could step out, two burly men in black suits and sunglasses standing on either side of the door turned to look at her.
Victoria fell silent.
She quietly stepped back and closed the door.
These two were probably bodyguards sent to protect her, but she didn't know if they were arranged by Alvin or William.
The sight of them had been a shock, and she sat back on the bed, picking up her phone. She noticed that the commenter had replied to their own comment.
[The cause of death for these people wasn't the crash. It was a vendetta. My uncle told me this in secret.]
This reply sparked even more curiosity, but also some skepticism.
[Nice story.]
[What's your uncle's name? Badge number?]
[The news said they died in the crash. If you're making up stories, at least check the facts!]
The skeptical replies seemed to anger the commenter. Victoria refreshed the page and saw that they had added two more replies:
[Believe it or not, what do I gain from making this up?]
[Let me tell you more. Their throats were slit. When the police found them, they were already dead.]
Victoria wanted to see what else the commenter would say, but the network lagged. When she reloaded the page, the comment and all its replies were gone.
She scrolled through the comments, finding only scattered remarks from other users.
Victoria didn't dwell on the comment, thinking it was too far-fetched. Though she was curious about what happened to the pursuers after she and William fell into the river.
If she asked William, he probably wouldn't tell her. Otherwise, he would have mentioned it last night.
Victoria stayed in the hospital for two more days. When she was fully recovered, Alvin came to take her home.
Seeing his still grim face, Victoria felt uneasy and didn't dare to speak on the way home.
Once they were back, Alvin turned to her, glaring angrily. "What did you promise me before? Why are you still entangled with him? He'll get you killed, don't you understand?"
Victoria stared at Alvin, stunned. He had always been loving and gentle with her, never scolding her so harshly.
When he found out that Victoria and William had gone off the cliff together, he nearly broke down. The thing he had feared most had happened-Victoria got into trouble because of William.
Thankfully, they both survived without life-threatening injuries.
But just knowing the details was enough to understand how ruthless William could be.
Victoria had narrowly escaped this time, but what about next time? And the time after that?
Alvin couldn't bear to think about it. He couldn't allow Victoria to continue being involved with William.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't want to lie to you. I really do love him." Victoria bit her lip, her eyes reddening as she looked down at her feet. "I thought being with Samuel would help me forget him, but I can't. I just can't."
Alvin suddenly turned and slapped her hard.
Victoria was stunned, holding her cheek as she stared at Alvin in disbelief. He had never hit her before.
"Victoria! No matter what sweet lies William has told you, remember this: his parents died because of me! Do you think you mean more to him than his parents? He's using you to get revenge on me! I warned you to stay away from him, but you didn't listen. He paid you to sell your body, and you fell for him? Are you really that willing to degrade yourself?"