"I'm tired, please leave me alone."
In the depths of despair, Serena appeared all the more composed.
The windows in the hospital room were already fitted with guards, and no sharp objects were allowed in her room. Phoenix inspected the room once more before turning to leave.
For days, Phoenix stayed by her side, afraid she would ran away, more so that she might contemplate the unthinkable.
Her phone on the table flashed, signaling a message from Evan.
In two days, Phoenix would be occupied with a crucial case, unable to visit the hospital. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the hospital, Evan would divert Phoenix's men, providing Serena an opportunity to escape.
Trust born of childhood friendship led Serena to believe him.
She successfully evaded Phoenix's watch and found the car Evan had arranged.
No plane ticket awaited her inside, but Serena thought nothing of it and drove off, calling Evan only after she was a fair distance away.
Yet, it wasn't long before Serena detected a problem with the brakes.
Continuing driving would inevitably lead to disaster.
She fought to control the vehicle, simultaneously dialing Evan. "Evan, there seems to be something wrong with your car."
Amelia's voice answered instead, chilling Serena to the core. "Serena, did you really think you could escape?"
Serena was struck dumb, engulfed by a cold abyss.
Amelia chuckled softly. "How does it feel to glimpse hope only to fall back into hell?"
Without a doubt, the car's malfunction was intentional. Given the crowds heading towards the airport, Serena quickly rerouted towards the under-construction P Bridge, where fewer people would be endangered by her out-of-control vehicle.
"So, the Nightingale Corporation scandal, my mother's demise, all of it... you were behind it all?" Realizing the extent of the betrayal, Serena grew eerily calm.
"Well, not entirely alone. Evan handled the company, your mother was my doing, and your child... that was Phoenix's doing." Amelia's laughter rang out more brightly as she casually divulged everything. "Serena, facing death, I might as well tell you everything. Yes, I arranged for the car trouble, I admit it. But I was helping you too. If Phoenix catches you, wouldn't you... So isn't death a mercy for you?"
With that, she hung up, promptly deleting the call record.
In the car, Serena struggled to manage the accelerating speed, unable to slow down.
By the time Phoenix called, Serena had given up the fight, drawing closer to the bridge under repair.
"Serena, where are you?" Phoenix's voice trembled with urgency.
Tears trickled down Serena's cheeks, but her voice remained eerily calm. "Phoenix, if I return, will you still blame me for whatever happens to Amelia?"
"No, Serena. Come back, I'm done with her."
Having lost the child, he owed Amelia nothing more.
"Phoenix, I don't believe you." Her voice shifted from melancholy to rage, each word a scream. "Phoenix, I won't trust you again! I saved your life with mine, unconscious for two days, barely surviving. But for Amelia, you've done everything to hurt me! How can I trust you?! You destroyed Nightingale Corporation, drove my mother to suicide, made me lose my child, and watch it be torn apart! Phoenix, tell me, what did I do to deserve such hate from you? My mother know you since you were a child too, that unborn child was yours too!"
"Serena, what are you saying?" Phoenix sensed something amiss. Wasn't it Amelia who saved him? Panic set in, rendering him speechless. "Come back, let's talk this through!"
"Phoenix, how pathetic I am. Despite everything, I still... loved you. I dreamed of marrying you, knew you didn't love me, so I stayed away. Why force me to this end?"
"Serena! Come back, don't do anything stupid!" Phoenix floored the accelerator, panic guiding his actions.
"Don't you want me dead? I'll fulfill your wish! May you live a lonely life, plagued by illness!"
By the seaside,
Serena stepped on the pedal, no longer thinking.
The waves surged, then gradually calmed...
