Chapter 1098: Chapter 1098: I Know You Won’t Stay With Me Forever
"What nonsense are you saying?" Vincent Warner wiped her tears with his hand, his chest tight and aching as he watched her.
The more he wiped, the more the tears fell, and there was no stopping them.
Vincent could tell that something was wrong with Stella Charlie’s mental state, and he was afraid she might really do something stupid if she couldn’t think things through.
For the next two days he didn’t go anywhere, staying by Stella Charlie’s side every second.
He turned off his phone and cut off all contact with the outside world.
With Vincent’s company, Stella Charlie’s emotions seemed much more stable.
But her whole temperament was no longer as gentle and serene as before; she had become withdrawn, rarely speaking, often staring off into space by herself.
As if she were carrying some heavy secret, one she no longer even wanted to confide to Vincent.
Vincent finished making lunch, walked over to the sofa, sat down beside Stella Charlie, patted her head and said, "Stella, time to eat."
Stella Charlie was curled weakly into the sofa, looking drained, only her eyes moving slightly.
Vincent bent down and carried her to the dining table, gently set her on the chair, placed the bowls and chopsticks in front of her, and smiled softly. "It’s all your favorite dishes. Eat more, you’ve lost so much weight lately."
Expressionless, Stella Charlie picked up her chopsticks and mechanically lifted mouthfuls of white rice from the bowl to her lips.
Vincent exhaled slowly and patiently picked dishes into her bowl. "Are you still mad at me?"
Stella Charlie’s movements paused for a moment. She lowered her head, looking at the food he had put into her bowl, but did not look up at him.
She simply and silently put the food Vincent had picked for her into her mouth.
Vincent let out a breath of relief and gave a faint laugh. "This afternoon I’ll take you out for a walk, okay?"
Stella Charlie didn’t give any response, but in the afternoon she followed Vincent out the door.
Vincent drove her to a scenic lakeside and walked with her along the shore.
Stella Charlie, who hadn’t spoken the whole time, suddenly said, "You actually shouldn’t have given me hope."
Vincent’s steps halted; he looked at her in confusion.
Stella Charlie stopped and turned, lifting her head to look up at him with a small smile, the curve of her lips full of desolation. "I know you’re not going to stay with me forever."
Vincent frowned, drew in a breath, and raised his hand to grip Stella Charlie’s thin shoulders. "I told you, give me a little time. I won’t let you down."
Stella Charlie only smiled again, as if mocking something.
"I’m tired of walking. I want to go back."
Vincent went along with her. "Then wait for me here at this corner. I’ll go get the car and drive over to pick you up."
It was only five or six minutes’ round trip to get the car. When Vincent drove back to the corner, he saw a sparse crowd gathered there, murmuring about something, like they had just dispersed after watching some commotion.
Sensing something was wrong, Vincent hurriedly got out of the car and went over to check. On the ground at the intersection there were still traces of blood.
An elderly man out for a run came over to ask an auntie who was gossiping nearby, "What happened?"
"A young girl got hit by a car, her head was covered in blood. The car took her straight to the hospital, I think. Looked pretty serious."
Vincent immediately turned on his phone and saw a message his mother had sent one minute ago.
A photo of Stella Charlie with her head split open, hovering on the brink of death.
A threatening text: [This is the price for you going against me these past few days. If I don’t see you at tonight’s dinner, this girl will be declared dead due to failed resuscitation.]
Vincent got back into the car, started the engine and dialed the phone at the same time. "Where is she now?!"
"You come home first."
"I need to make sure she’s safe."
"I have to keep her life dangling in front of you to make you behave. As long as you don’t act stupid again, I won’t let anything happen to her."
Vincent gripped the phone so hard his knuckles whitened, then smashed it viciously against the front windshield.
Furious, yet utterly powerless.
