Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Chapter 44 An Umbrella Was Useless Now
Nancy and Daphne were busy trying to calm the baby down, but nothing worked.
“What happened? Why is he suddenly crying so hard?” Daphne asked.
“He probably got frightened. Damn, that mute, nothing good happens every time she comes.” Nancy said haughtily.
Josephine was brought into a small room. The equipment was complete here. In the past, this was the room prepared for Daphne. Now, it was also prepared for Josephine. In this room, history was about to repeat itself.
As Josephine was being pinned on the surgical table, a mask-wearing doctor walked in with a syringe. Her eyes widened as she stared right at the syringe that was glowing slightly under the lights. As she struggled desperately, the doctor held her hand down and warned, “If the needle goes in slanted, it’ll do you no good.”
Josephine was not listening as she tried to break free from the maids’ hold. She was like a cornered cattle, attempting a final escape.
The doctor watched as veins were about to pop on Josephine’s forehead. She was gaping, desperately trying to make a noise. Her efforts made her body tremble and turned her face red. She stared at the doctor, her dark eyes pleading.
The doctor knitted her brows, suddenly not having the heart to continue.
“Doctor, Mrs. Alvarez is still waiting,” Mrs. Harrold reminded the doctor.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
The doctor shifted her gaze away from Josephine’s face and lifted her shirt. With the needle in hand, she injected it into her back.
Josephine felt a cold and familiar pain. Even though the needle went into her back, it felt like it pierced through her heart. She finally lost all hope, all of her struggles and desperation disappearing as the anesthesia took effect.
No one cared about a mute’s heartbreak, and no one cared if a mute was in pain. If they didn’t scream, how would they relate to their pain?
Her hand, which was gripping the edge of the bed, suddenly let go, turning limp and falling to the sides. As she turned quiet, her vacant eyes stared at the ceiling. Tears fell from the corner of her eyes, drop by drop, sliding down into her hair. Right until she lost consciousness, her lips were still moving.
The doctor stared at those moving lips of hers and suddenly understood what Josephine had been trying to say the whole time.
“Lewis, save me.”
Right now, Lewis was the only person who could save her. But he never showed.
Josephine had dropped her phone in the courtyard outside. As rain pelted her screen, it suddenly lit up in the dark night. Lewis was calling, the faint ringing muted amidst the sound of the pattering rain. After a few more flashes, the phone went
silent again.
In the living room, Nancy had just managed to soothe the crying child and looked toward the door. Daphne seemed to have understood her concern and said, “Mom, are you worried Lewis will come home?”
Nancy sighed. “I don’t know why, but I keep feeling uneasy.”
Daphne smiled, holding onto Nancy’s arm. “Don’t worry, he’s too busy to care about that mute. He’s celebrating Sierra’s birthday with her.”
At the mention of Sierra, Nancy’s face crumpled in disapproval. She didn’t like Josephine, but Sierra wasn’t any better.
“That jerk is really driving me crazy.”
“What can we do if he likes her? Sierra is much better than that mute anyway.”
Nancy was sullen. “I think he just wants to infuriate me on purpose. Old Mr. Alvarez has been dead for a few years now. I told him to get a divorce earlier on so he could marry a proper woman. It’s one thing that he doesn’t want a divorce, but raising that good-for-nothing mistress? If it isn’t to provoke me, I don’t know what is!”
Daphne shrugged helplessly. “But I think Lewis will want a baby soon. Even though. he said he doesn’t like children, every time he visits Bambam, he buys him a lot of gifts.”
Nancy fell into deep thought. No one knew what she was thinking, but her expression turned somber.
“Mom?”
Nancy woke up from her stupor, absent-mindedly saying, “He’s just being polite.”
“Really?” Daphne frowned. It didn’t seem that way to her.
On the other side, Lewis was sitting in his car. He had made a lot of calls, but they never went through. As the rain pattered against his windshield, he felt an
unexplainable irritancy.
Conrad called. He loosened his tie and answered. “What.”
Conrad was taken aback by his tone and went straight to the point. “Ms. Woods isn’t too pleased with the gift. She asked me to tell you to see her after you deal with
your client. Otherwise, she won’t talk to you any longer.”
“Okay.” Lewis hung up and accelerated, his car disappearing into the dark, rainy night.
He arrived at Alvarez Manor, where Nancy and Daphne were relaxing with their facial masks on.
Daphne saw him first. He was standing by the door, his hair slightly wet. A few strands damp on his forehead, his icy stature matched that of the temperature outside. He looked desolate for some reason.
“Lewis, why are you back?” Daphne took off her mask and looked at him in surprise.
Nancy turned to look at him too, the two of them feeling inexplicably guilty.
“Where’s Josephine?”
Nancy was taken aback and quickly said, “Hasn’t she gone back already?”
“Yeah, she left an hour ago. She must be home by now. Why are you looking for her here?”
Nancy got up and walked toward him. As she pulled on his arm, she fussed worriedly, “You’re all wet, come in and quickly get changed into something else.”
Nancy was nervous. That mute wouldn’t have told him, would she?
But she thought about it and decided it didn’t matter. Last year, he stayed silent when they aborted the child. It wouldn’t be any different this time.
Lewis gave her a glance before turning around to leave.
Nancy got angry and shouted behind him, “Lewis!”
She looked extremely hideous when angry, especially since she had just taken off her mask. But Lewis ignored her. Getting back in his car, he drove to Styx Mansion, where he and Josephine lived.
Lewis pushed the door open and scanned the living room. The television was still on, but Josephine was not on the sofa. He scoured every room, including the toilets, but did not find her.
As his brows knitted further, he subconsciously looked toward the television screen. It was still on the news channel. The images on the television didn’t fit in with the mansion; it should be playing cartoons instead. He picked up the remote and turned
off the television.
The massive living room was truly quiet now-frighteningly quiet.
He loosened his collar, turning to go out again. Just as he opened the car door, he vaguely saw a silhouette not far away. He squinted, staring at the person walking in his direction. It had started to rain harder, blurring his vision.
The figure in the rain was walking very slowly. It even felt like they would be knocked to the ground by the rain. He waited for exactly five minutes before he realized it was Josephine. Soaked to the bone, step by step, she arrived in front of Lewis.
Josephine looked up, her hair falling beside her. The rain was pouring so hard that she had difficulty opening her eyes. Her arms were lifeless beside her, raindrops. dripping from her fingertips, like pearls falling from their strings onto the ground in silence. That was how she looked at him.
“You walked back?” Lewis took out an umbrella from the car and put it over her head, shielding her from the rain.
Josephine looked at him woodenly, her lips moving slightly as if wanting to say. something. But she didn’t even have the strength to lift her hands.
It was too late.
She was already soaking wet; an umbrella was useless now.