Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation
Rhys Hawthorne looked through the high-powered binoculars and immediately saw the woman in the white dress standing on the rock—it was Victoria Monroe!
Because they were too far apart, he couldn’t hear what Victoria Monroe was saying, but her silhouette was filled with tragic grandeur.
In front of her, Julian Fordham’s body was covered in large areas of blood.
Rhys had a bad feeling and urged them to speed up.
"Boss, this is the fastest we can go."
"Prepare the speedboat."
Rhys looked at Victoria Monroe, as if she were the last leaf hanging on a winter branch, ready to fall at any moment.
That dream certainly foreshadowed something.
Rhys couldn’t wait for the ship to dock, so he took the speedboat and sped toward the shore.
He had missed Victoria Monroe once; he couldn’t miss her again this time.
Victoria, wait for me!
The speedboat raced across the sea, the strong sea breeze whipping Rhys Hawthorne’s hair off his forehead.
From childhood to adulthood, he had everything beautiful in life, but now he truly understood what he wanted.
It’s Victoria Monroe!
He wanted to give Victoria Monroe happiness, to see that genuine smile on her face once more.
Victoria, wait for me.
Getting closer to the shore, Victoria Monroe fell toward the sea.
The leaf ultimately gave up the high branch, choosing her freedom.
Born from death.
She didn’t want to be bound by Julian Fordham’s eighteen years anymore; she used death to break their chains.
Rhys had never experienced such emotional upheaval, he shouted her name at the top of his lungs: "Victoria!"
With a splash, Victoria Monroe fell into the water.
It was just turning night, and visibility on the sea was poor, not to mention underwater.
Though anxious, Rhys didn’t lose his composure; he took off his suit, turned on the flashlight, and then leapt into the sea.
On the rocks, Julian Fordham came rushing over; he wanted to leap regardless, but Corbin Prescott grabbed him.
"Sir, if you jump down like this, it’s certain death!"
As soon as the words fell, they saw a flash of white falling into the water.
Julian Fordham gritted his teeth: "It’s Rhys Hawthorne!"
The doctors and bodyguards arrived upon hearing the news, the doctors hurried to bandage Julian Fordham, while the bodyguards jumped into the water like fish.
Victoria Monroe fell into the sea, and instantly the water surged toward her from all directions.
The deeper she sank, the greater the pressure on her lungs; she held the urn and her lips curled into a relieved smile.
Is this death?
Her consciousness slowly faded, and she gently closed her eyes.
Julian Fordham, live a lifetime in the pain of regret.
Grandma, did you feel this uncomfortable before you died?
Soon, I’ll come find you, take your time, wait on the road to The Netherworld.
The depths of the sea were pitch black; dying this way wasn’t bad.
From childhood, she was a weed growing in barren soil, which is why she longed for the entertainment industry.
Besides earning money quickly, more importantly, she stood at the highest place to embrace the light.
She once thought Julian Fordham was a ray of sunshine in her life, capable of healing the sadness brought by past hardships; they would move forward hand in hand, writing a beautiful symphony together.
But she didn’t expect all the storms of life were brought by him.
He was not her light.
He was the devil pulling her into the abyss.
At that moment, a beam of light shone down from above.
How could there be light in the sea? Had she died and reached heaven?
The beam of light fell upon her, and in the next moment, a strong hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her into an embrace.
Victoria Monroe struggled to open her eyes, but she only saw white; her eyes were painfully soaked by the seawater.
She wanted to see clearly, yet lost consciousness.
Rhys Hawthorne sighed in relief when he hugged her; he instinctively wanted to discard the glass urn she was holding.
Even in unconsciousness, Victoria Monroe was holding it tightly, showing it was an important thing to her.
Rhys didn’t throw it away; instead, he tossed the flashlight to the distance, directing the bodyguards’ attention to the light source.
With one arm around Victoria Monroe, he swam toward the surface.
The bodyguards followed, and due to the poor light underwater, they instinctively went toward the light, unaware that Rhys had already slipped away with Victoria Monroe.
Assistant Woods closely monitored Julian Fordham’s condition; he was badly injured, probably due to the crisis Rhys Hawthorne’s appearance had created.
He fully cooperated with the doctor’s attempts to stop the bleeding and bandage him. So many of his bodyguards were down, surely one would be saved.
When Rhys Hawthorne carried Victoria Monroe onto the speedboat, Julian Fordham’s expression changed slightly.
Just as he was about to move, Corbin Prescott pressed his shoulder, "Boss, do you really want to die? If you die, you definitely won’t get your wife back."
Julian Fordham could only watch from a distance, not knowing how Victoria Monroe was doing.
As the words fell, he saw Rhys Hawthorne climb onto the speedboat and check Victoria Monroe’s breath.
Though weak, fortunately, there was still breath.
At this moment, he couldn’t care so much, as long as he could save Victoria Monroe.
He coldly swept his gaze over the people on the boat, "I need to do CPR on Victoria, all of you turn around."
Those above dared not take another glance, Rhys Hawthorne turned his back to Julian Fordham, using his body to shield her from view.
Julian Fordham had already guessed what Rhys Hawthorne would do next!
Without a defibrillator, he would have to manually perform CPR, which meant he had to remove Victoria Monroe’s outer clothing and the bra constricting her chest.
At that moment, Victoria Monroe’s body would be completely exposed in Rhys Hawthorne’s view.
Julian Fordham’s fingers clenched tightly, his knuckles faintly turning white, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
Despite having been divorced, he still habitually regarded Victoria Monroe as his possession.
In his mind, he once again recalled Victoria Monroe’s desperate expression when she jumped into the sea. She was right, it was he who pushed her to this point step by step.
Due to applying force, Julian Fordham increased his blood flow, Corbin Prescott spoke up, "I’ll send someone to bring the madam back right away."
Julian Fordham, however, closed his eyes, unwilling to watch anymore, he softly replied, "No need, you can keep the person here, but not her heart."
What good would it be to bring her back?
She already loathed him to the extreme, so much so that she would rather jump into the sea than stay by his side.
If he brought her back, would he really lock her up, forcing her to attempt suicide again?
This time, luck was on their side, but what about next time?
Just like Grandma, where the first two times were merely lucky instances, but luck doesn’t always prevail.
As long as she succeeded once, he would absolutely lose Victoria Monroe forever.
Rather than making her live in pain by his side, he could only let go.
At least today, he’s already lost the right to have Victoria Monroe.
In trembling hands, Rhys Hawthorne removed the upper part of her dress, even though she couldn’t hear him, he whispered softly, "Victoria, forgive me."
His hand felt for the clasp on her back, and as the clasp came undone, he quickly removed Victoria Monroe’s bra.
Even though he had applied medicine to her a few times before, this was the first time he had genuinely touched this area.
His wet hand pressed against the woman’s chest, beginning to perform CPR on her.
Rhys Hawthorne’s gaze fell to Victoria Monroe’s lips, his ears reddening as he slowly leaned down...
Years ago, he gave his first kiss to Victoria Monroe, and that feeling remains vivid to this day.
Four years have passed, Victoria Monroe’s lips are cool, with a salty softness from the sea.
Just a light touch and his heart raced uncontrollably.
The skin under his palm was so delicate and soft, like a bundle of cotton.
Yet, he couldn’t indulge in his wandering thoughts, systematically performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR, until Victoria Monroe suddenly expelled a large mouthful of seawater, coughing continuously, Rhys Hawthorne finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The pain from the water pressure nearly burst her lungs, the memory still vivid, Victoria Monroe died and came back to life.
Vaguely, she saw the man before her, soaked by the seawater as Rhys Hawthorne hung his head, the tips of his hair dripping water.
Upon seeing Rhys Hawthorne, Victoria Monroe whispered weakly, "Rhys Hawthorne, am I dead?"
Otherwise, why would he be here?
Rhys Hawthorne covered the woman’s bare body with a suit jacket from the boat, his hand fell on her cheek, his voice no longer cold, but gentle and comforting, "Can you feel my body warmth?"
The man’s palm carried warm vapor, gently touching her cheek with its warm temperature.
In an instant, she felt dragged from hell back to paradise, she was still alive!
After days without seeing Rhys Hawthorne, he had truly found her, Victoria Monroe even thought she was dreaming a fantasy before dying.
But those distinctly jointed fingers lightly pinched her cheek, his magnetic voice resonated in her ears, "Victoria, I don’t know what happened to you that led you to this point."
"But I know you must have suffered a lot of grievances to the point of abandoning even the hope of living. Victoria, if you have lost your purpose, from now on I’m willing to be your reason to live."
"Don’t forget, I am the godfather of your child, I have the right to see my godson born."
Rhys Hawthorne touched the softest part of Victoria Monroe’s heart, Victoria Monroe initially felt that the greatest sorrow was a dead heart.
After hearing Rhys Hawthorne’s words, she suddenly threw herself into Rhys Hawthorne’s embrace.
Like a child without a home finally finding a harbor, she cried loudly, no longer holding back, completely releasing her grievances.
"Rhys Hawthorne, I’m so sad."
Rhys Hawthorne, soaked suit and all, tightly embraced her, kissing her wet hair while softly murmuring, "I know, I understand."
"Cry, with me here, no one will ever hurt you."
Julian Fordham stood high, watching the two people in an embrace on the speedboat.