Chapter 6
His face turned pale as he shot to his feet. “Lyra!”
Lyra bolted.
“Wait!” Mason chased after her, grabbing her wrist in the hallway. “Let me explain-”
“Explain what?” Lyra yanked free, her voice breaking. “Explain how you threw me a birthday party while throwing one for your baby mama at the same time?”
She turned and rushed down the stairs, Mason right behind her.
In the darkness, they ran one after the other onto the street.
“Lyra!” Mason grabbed her again. “It’s not what you think!”
Blinding headlights suddenly blazed!
An out–of–control car came barreling around the corner, heading straight for them!
In that split second, Mason shoved Lyra aside.
“Bang!”
The screech of brakes and the crash hit at the same time.
Lyra hit the ground and watched helplessly as Mason was thrown several feet, landing hard on the pavement.
Blood instantly soaked through his white shirt.
Mason was rushed to the hospital. Lyra stood in the corridor, covered in blood.
“You jinx!” Mason’s mother’s shrill voice cut through the air as she slapped Lyra hard across the face. “It’s bad enough you can’t have children, but now you’re going to kill my son too?!”
Mason’s father was even more furious. “Get out! Don’t ever show your face around my son again!”
Lyra closed her eyes and turned to leave.
But just then, a nurse rushed out. “The patient keeps calling for ‘Lyra‘–he won’t agree to surgery until he sees her. Which one of you is she? Please go in quickly!”
Mason’s mother’s face was livid. “This is a disaster!”
In the end, they let Lyra into the room.
On the hospital bed, Mason was deathly pale with gauze wrapped around his forehead, breathing weakly through an oxygen mask.
He struggled to open his eyes, and the moment he saw Lyra, his fingers moved as if trying to reach for her.
Lyra walked over and let his cold hand grasp hers.
“Lyra…” His voice was weak but stubborn as he explained. “I threw Willow a birthday party… only because her baby’s in the wrong position. The doctor said… if she’s in a better mood, the baby will be safer…”
He coughed twice, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but still gripped her hand tightly.
“Don’t leave me… please?” His eyes reddened like a child afraid of being abandoned. “I really… can’t live without you…”
After speaking, he lost consciousness. The heart monitor immediately began shrieking.
Chapter
Doctors and nurses swarmed in. “Patient is in shock! Prepare the defibrillator!”
Lyra stood in the corner, watching as Mason’s body jerked up and fell with each electric shock.
She suddenly remembered many years ago when she was hospitalized for acute appendicitis-
Mason had stood guard outside her room just like this, not sleeping for an entire night.
Back then, he’d said to her with red–rimmed eyes, “Lyra, if something happened to you, I couldn’t go on living.”
And now, he was saying the same thing–that he couldn’t live without her.
But why… did she feel like he didn’t need her anymore?
After a day and night of emergency treatment, Mason finally pulled through.
Over the next few days, he acted like a willful child, absolutely refusing to let Lyra leave the hospital room for even a moment.
He weakly tugged at the corner of her clothes, his gaze stubborn. “Lyra, don’t go.”
Lyra sat silently beside the hospital bed, looking at his pale face, her heart feeling desolate.
She used to think Mason was her entire world.
But now, his world had long since expanded beyond just her.
The day Mason was discharged happened to coincide with the Vale family’s monthly dinner.
The old Vale mansion was brightly lit, servants bustling about. Lyra sat at the dining table quietly eating, like an outsider.
Until Mason’s mother suddenly put down her chopsticks and announced with a beaming smile-
‘Next month, we’re planning to hold a wedding for Mason and Willow.”
Lyra’s chopsticks froze mid–air.
Mason’s mother continued, “Willow’s been crazy about Mason for years.
Sure, she went a little overboard getting herself knocked up, but bottom line–she’s carrying our heir. At her birthday party, she said her only wish was to wear a wedding dress. Of course we’re going to make that happen.”
Lyra slowly looked up at Mason.
He sat right beside her, his fingers gripping her hand tightly, but… saying nothing.
Vo objection, no refusal.
Lyra’s heart went completely cold.
So he’d known all along.
30 he’d already given his silent approval to all of this.
She calmly looked away, a faint smile touching her lips.
She was slowly disappearing from his life, bit by bit.
But quickly, he pushed down the unease. Lyra loved him too much–she’d never leave him.
Besides, just one more month. If he could just endure until Willow gave birth, everything would be over. Lyra would wait for him.
Willow, oblivious to Mason’s thoughts, clutched the wedding dress in ecstasy and immediately dragged him to the wedding venue for rehearsal.
She couldn’t wait to slip into the million dollar gown. Standing in front of the mirror, she spun around and smiled smugly at Mason. “Mason, do I look beautiful in this dress?”
Mason stared at the dress, his expression complicated.
This was his and Lyra’s wedding dress.
He had personally placed the veil on Lyra’s head and made his vows before the priest.
“You’re the only one I’ll ever need.”
And now, it was on another woman.
His throat tightened as he forced out a smile. “… Beautiful.”
