Chapter 91


    Saving him I stared desperately at the surface of the water, swallowing my tears. I kept ncing at Chris;


    he wasposed at first but became more restless by the second. He held his hand on my shoulder as


    if he was saying that Aren would be all right, but he couldn’t know that. It was unimaginably dark under


    the surface of the water, and the currents were unpredictable. Down there, Max wasn’t Aren’s only


    opponent; he needed to fight the forces of nature as well.


    “Aren…” I wept quietly, my hot and salty tears falling down to the bay waters. Chris cleared his throat.


    “He’ll be all right. He is an excellent swimmer.” He didn’t sound convinced at all. I guess he wanted to


    reassure himself just as much as he wished to bring mefort.


    A few minutes passed, Jack joined us, and finally, Chris admitted that it was time to call for a rescue


    mission. I sat in the same ce, numbly watching the divers go under the water while the lifeguards


    swam in boats, shing lights at every corner. “This cannot be happening,” I muttered, petrified by the


    thought that I could suddenly hear that someone had found Aren’s body.


    It was a nightmare. I still felt his touch on my skin, the warmth of his body against mine. He couldn’t have


    died.


    I stood up, driven by some wild, unexinable force, and shouted, “This is uneptable! You cannot die!


    I won’t allow you to die! Do you hear me?!” My voice cracked at thest note as I stumbled, exhausted


    by my cry.


    Jack rushed to grab me by my shoulders before I fell. I hated being so weak. I hated the fact that I was


    so useless, but most of all, I hated the fact that he wasn’t there with me. “I haven’t even told him…” I


    mumbled breathlessly.


    “You will tell him everything once we get him back,” Jack said, rubbing my cold, stiff arms.” Besides, I’m


    sure that whatever you wish to tell him, he already knows.” ;


    I shook my head. “No… I’ve never told him the way I feel about him…” I murmured, my voice barely


    audible.


    Jack didn’t say a word, and I couldn’t tell if he heard what I said or not, but I didn’t care. I only knew that I


    would have shouted from the rooftops that I loved him if I hade back to me.


    “We found him!” The lifeguard’s voice almost made my heart stop. I was so terrified, wondering if he was


    alive or not, that all sounds got stuck in my throat. “How is he?” Jack asked instead of me, his grip on my


    arms tightening protectively as he most likely thought that I might copse after hearing the news.


    “Something hit his head and he is badly bleeding, but he is alive.” The lifeguards’ boat came closer, and I


    could see Aren lying there with an oxygen mask on his face, his eyes closed. He was pale, probably from


    blood loss and exhaustion. My heart ached as I watched the lifeguards bring him in his state closer to the


    shore. “We found him with his hands wrapped around the bridge pir. He was nearly unconscious, and I


    cannot exin where he found the strength to


    hold on until we got there.” Jack chuckled. “His strength? You are looking at her,” he said to the


    lifeguards, pointing at me.


    I cried andughed at the same time. I was amazingly relieved that Aren was alive, but his condition


    could have turned unstable. The paramedics had been already waiting to transport him to his private


    clinic. I was supposed to go with Aren in the ambnce while Jack and Chris had to stay to take care of


    all the legal issues and testimonies. “What about that other guy? Asian, ck, very short hair, not too


    tall?” Chris asked when another group of guards came back. They shook their heads, and one of them


    stepped forward. “The guy is most likely dead. The currents could have taken his body, and we’ll most


    likely never find him.”


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    Chris nodded in acknowledgment before ncing at me. In his eyes, I could see the same kind of


    anxiety that I felt, and I was certain that Max had survived and that one day we would meet him again… I


    got inside the ambnce and sat by Aren, holding his hand. The paramedics said that his condition was


    stable, although he remained unconscious from the moment hended on the boat. The wound on his


    head had been treated, but it wasn’t clear whether the injury had caused more than superficial damage.


    I kept staring at his face, inwardly telling him to open his eyes and look at me, but he didn’t. I stayed


    silent the entire way. I must have looked pitiful since the paramedics who sat there with me felt the need


    tofort me and kept telling me that my husband was going to get better. I responded with brief nods


    and nervous smiles, but it didn’t lessen my anxiety.


    When we got to the clinic, Miranda was there waiting for the ambnce toe. She didn’t choose to


    treat Aren herself. She admitted that she wasn’tposed enough to keep her mind clear and let her


    colleague, Doctor Park Sol, make decisions on Aren’s treatment.


    “Don’t worry,” she said, squeezing my hand as she led me to the clinic’s ER waiting room,” Doctor Park is


    an excellent specialist. He will take care of Aren better than I would at this moment…”


    I didn’t me her for stepping down. She must have been nearly as panicked as I was about this whole


    situation. Miranda waited for the news with me. She also kept saying that Aren was strong and that he


    would be all right, but I recognized that tone from before and found her words even less reassuring.


    “You don’t have to do that,” I told her with a weak smile. “Don’t say that he will be all right just to make


    me feel better. I strongly believe that he is going to wake up soon and that there would be nothing wrong


    with him, but every time I hear someoneforting me, I be more anxious thanposed.” “I’m


    sorry… I didn’t mean to…” “It’s OK,” I sighed and patted her shoulder. “I know you are worried too, and


    you meant well.” She smiled at me and gave me a hug. Afterward, we waited in silence until Doctor Park


    had finally left the room where Aren had been treated. He looked like he was around his thirties; he had


    dark brown hair and dark eyes, which held a sharp gaze, ennobled by ck, thin-rimmed


    sses. He pulled the sses up on his nose as he walked toward us, looking at usposedly.


    “Mr. Lan’s condition is stable, although he fell into aa. He had a concussion, and that’s what


    currently prevents him from waking up. We took care of the internal bleeding. He also had two broken


    ribs, several bruises, and cuts, but nothing life-threatening. I guess it’s just a matter of time now until he


    regains his consciousness,” he exined calmly.


    “How long is it going to take?” I asked, holding my breath. An ufortable grimace formed on Doctor


    Park’s face. “It’s hard to tell… A day, maybe a few days, or weeks.” “W-weeks?” I breathed out, feeling


    that my head had started to spin. “I apologize that I cannot be more specific,” he said before bowing and


    walking away. My reality froze at that moment, and every following hour felt the same. The uncertainty


    and the waiting drained my life force with every second that Aren was unconscious. Miranda took me to


    his room, where hey, plugged into all sorts of monitoring equipment. His face was pale and lifeless. His


    state reminded me of my Grandmother’s; the only difference was that my Granny was well diagnosed


    and I knew what should happen for her to wake up, and her procedure had already been scheduled for


    three months from now. With Aren’s condition, everything remained unknown and unpredictable. I sat by


    his bed, held his hand, and stroked his cheeks. His bodycked the warmth I used to treasure so deeply.


    I couldn’t stand it.


    “Miranda… is there anything else we can do?” I asked with a barely audible voice. She sighed and


    ced her hand on my shoulder. “We treated Aren the best way we could. With his condition, he could


    only receive more specialized treatment at a neurological clinic.”


    My eyes widened as I looked at her. “You mean… like Crawford’s Neurological Clinic?” “Yes. If you want


    to transfer Aren there, then I will support your decision,” she said. My face turned into a big question


    mark. “What do you mean by saying if I want to transfer him?


    She gave me a warm smile and stroked my hair. “Cora, honey, haven’t you figured this out already? You


    are Aren’s legal wife and the only family he has on his medical card. Every procedure and every kind of


    advanced treatment would require your signature.”


    My lips curved into a sad smile. “It might sound stupid, but I had no idea that he made this kind of


    decision…” Miranda smirked, “Well, his life is literally in your hands. So what do you want to do, Cora?” I


    took a deep breath before announcing confidently, “Make the arrangements to transfer Aren to


    Crawford’s Neurological Clinic.”