Chapter 339: On The Brink Of Death

Without saying anything or asking unnecessary questions, West simply opened one arm.

Liz immediately leaned into him and the dam finally broke.

She buried her face against his chest and cried harder than she had in months.

West gently rubbed her back in slow circles. "It’s alright."

"I’m here now. You don’t have to deal with everything by yourself."

Those simple words somehow hurt the most because she had been carrying everything by herself for seven months...

Bills, work, hospital visits, debt, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the man she loved.

This whole time she had been pretending she was okay...

Eventually, she spoke between broken breaths. "I try..."

"I try..."

"I try so hard..."

"But no matter what I do..."

"...it’s never enough."

She clenched the fabric of his shirt. "I’m just..."

"...powerless."

"...and pathetic."

West’s hand continued moving reassuringly across her back. "No."

"You’ve been carrying more than most people could."

"That isn’t weakness."

"That’s strength."

She cried quietly for another minute before beginning to explain everything.

How the debts had continued growing... how her boss claimed the interest increased... how he’d pressured her to sell the fraudulent property... how she’d refused... how she’d tried to quit... how he threatened her...

How she’d gone to Shadow Reapers intending to deceive the one client who had treated her with genuine respect...

Then how she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Finally... she described what had happened in the office only moments before West arrived and when she finished... the room fell silent again.

West slowly cupped her tear-stained face and gently brushed away the tears beneath her eyes.

He looked directly at her. "He will never touch you again."

"I promise."

Something about the way he said it... made it feel unquestionable.

Liz managed the smallest smile. "...Thank you."

She leaned against him again, feeling safe in his embrace.

However, after another few quiet moments, panic suddenly resurfaced.

"But..."

"What do I do now?"

"My debt..."

"My job..."

"What if..."

"What if he’s dead?"

"What if I get fired?"

"What if nobody hires me again?"

"What if—"

West gently placed a finger against her lips, stopping the spiral before it consumed her. "Stop."

She looked at him. "Don’t think about any of that right now."

"I’ll handle what’s immediately in front of us."

"You’ve spent months solving everyone else’s problems."

"Today..."

"...let someone help you."

She stared at him and for some reason... the panic ebbed away completely and her shoulders relaxed.

She rested her head against him once more.

She had been standing alone against the world for so long... that she had forgotten what it felt like to lean on someone else’s strength.

Minutes passed and neither of them spoke, until she slowly lifted her head.

Their eyes met as she looked at the impossibly handsome young man who had saved her fiancé life once before...

...and had now saved her again.

Emotion overtook reason as she leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss against his lips.

It lasted only a brief moment before West gently placed his hand on her shoulder and eased back just enough to create a little distance between them.

His expression remained warm and kind as he spoke with a soft tone. "Liz..."

"You’re overwhelmed right now."

"I care about you..."

"But I don’t want to take advantage of you when you’re carrying so much."

Embarrassment immediately colored her cheeks as she stiffened. "I..."

"I’m sorry..."

West smiled reassuringly and shook his head. "Don’t apologize."

"You don’t have anything to be ashamed of. Under normal circumstances, I would have folded..."

He picked up a tissue and lightly dabbed away the remaining tears beneath her eyes. "But right now..."

"My priority is making sure you’re okay."

"When you’re feeling like yourself again..."

"When life isn’t crashing down around you..."

"Then whatever decisions you make will truly be yours."

Liz’s eyes shimmered again from gratitude.

She realized, perhaps more clearly than ever before, why she found herself unable to betray this man.

He had every opportunity to exploit her vulnerability but he protected it instead... and somehow... that only made her heart beat even harder.

•••

•••

Elsewhere...

The sterile white corridor was filled with the constant chorus of medical equipment.

Beep...

Beep...

Beep...

Red emergency lights still glowed outside one of the intensive care operating rooms.

Several nurses hurried back and forth carrying trays of surgical instruments while two surgeons quietly discussed the next procedure.

Nearly twenty minutes later, the operating room doors finally slid open.

A middle-aged doctor removed his surgical mask with a weary sigh.

Waiting outside was an elderly woman in an expensive dark dress, accompanied by several anxious relatives and company executives who had rushed over after hearing the news.

She immediately stood. "Doctor?"

He rubbed his tired eyes. "The first operation was successful."

The woman’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

"But..."

Her expression stiffened again.

"...he is nowhere near out of danger."

The doctor continued in a professional tone.

"He sustained catastrophic trauma throughout his body."

"Both arms have multiple fractures."

"Both legs are shattered in several places."

"There are extensive internal injuries."

"Several ribs have punctured surrounding tissue."

"We’ve managed to stabilize the immediate bleeding, but he’ll require at least three additional surgeries."

"The next operation begins shortly."

"And after that..."

"...a third."

The woman swallowed hard.

"...Will he survive?"

The doctor remained silent for a moment before answering honestly. "I can’t promise that."

"We’ve done everything we can so far."

"But his condition remains extremely critical."

"There is still a significant possibility that we lose him."

"We’ll continue fighting for him."

She nodded stiffly. "...Do everything you can."

"No matter the cost."

The doctor bowed slightly. "We will."

He turned and disappeared back through the operating room doors while the family members remained frozen in place.

The elderly woman slowly walked toward the large observation window and beyond the glass... Matthew lay unconscious upon the hospital bed.

Almost his entire body had disappeared beneath layers of white bandages.

His arms were suspended by orthopedic traction frames and both legs hung elevated from metal supports.

His head was wrapped so heavily that only a small part of his face remained visible.

Dozens of tubes disappeared beneath the blankets and machines surrounded him from every direction.

He scarcely resembled the confident businessman who had walked into work that morning. He looked very broken.

The elderly woman’s eyes gradually hardened and without another word, she retrieved her phone.

She dialed a number and the call connected after several rings.

A young man’s irritated voice answered immediately. "...Mom."

"Why are you calling me at this hour?"

"You know I’m busy."

Without wasting time, she responded. "Something happened."

There was a brief pause "What?"

"It’s your brother."

"He got into an altercation with an awakened."

"He’s in the hospital."

"The doctors say he’s on the brink of death."

Several seconds of silence passed before the voice spoke again.

"...Is he still alive?" the irritation in the voice had vanished, completely replaced with such coldness, it made the elderly woman’s skin crawl.

"Yes."

There was another pause before he responded. "Good."

"I’ll be in Misty High City in one week."

"And when I arrive..."

"...I’ll personally deal with the one responsible."