Chapter 73
A glaring, shocking red.
An invisible fist crushed his chest–suffocating pain, overwhelming guilt, sudden terror drowning him.
He ripped off his coat, strode forward, and wrapped the trembling woman tightly.
His warmth seeped through the fabric.
Seeing the tape over her mouth, he reached out, peeling it away with infinite care.
Her lips were swollen, raw from the adhesive.
Coarse ropes bound her wrists and ankles. As he gently untied them, an angry red burn seared across her skin, stinging his eyes.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
His voice rasped, trembling in a way he didn’t recognize. “I’m sorry,
Lisa. I’m late.”
He repeated it, soothing her, trying to calm his own pounding heart.
“Don’t…touch…me!”
Lisa forced the words out, her face deathly pale. Huge tears spilled over, scalding his hand.
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Only then did Alexander understand true heartache. He swept her into his arms and charged outside.
She felt light as a feather.
Passing the doorway, he didn’t pause or turn, his voice cold as ice shards.
“Tear this place apart if you must, but find her.”
“I want her found–alive or dead.”
The car shot forward like an arrow from a bow, speeding toward the nearest hospital.
The cabin reeked of thick, metallic blood.
Alexander retrieved gauze and antiseptic from the emergency kit, swiftly tending to the deep gash on her arm.
His fingers and clothes were smeared with her warm, sticky blood.
He cleaned and bandaged with meticulous care, his touch feather- light, yet she still trembled.
After securing one wound, he checked for others.
“Where else hurts?”
He asked, voice strained.
Lisa’s mind felt foggy, muffled like thick cotton. Her face was paper- white, consciousness wavering.
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Alexander reached out, fingers trembling slightly, to fasten her coat button. His thumb brushed her icy skin, fueling the violent rage burning within him.
Hurt what was his?
He’d make those bastards beg for death!
Tear them limb from limb!
Grind their bones to dust!
Lisa lay limp in his arms, eyes closed, weak and nearly unconscious.
“Drive faster!”
Alexander roared, tightening his grip around her.
From the moment he found her, his nerves had been stretched taut. He feared she’d vanish if he loosened his hold.
He didn’t understand this fierce protectiveness—perhaps it stemmed from the lost child.
She’d endured that pain alone, and now this injury… guilt tore at him!
Finally, the car screeched to a halt at the ER entrance.
Alexander kicked the door open, charging inside with Lisa in his
arms.
“Doctor!
Now!”
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His shout echoed through the empty ER lobby.
Doctors and nurses swarmed with a gurney. “What happened?”
“Trauma. Knife wound on left arm. Severe blood loss. Prior car
accident.”
Alexander briefed them tersely, carefully placing Lisa on the gurney.
The doctor examined her swiftly, lifting her coat. Seeing the wounds, even the experienced physician frowned deeply.
“Deep lacerations. Prep for debridement and sutures now!”
“Patient’s hemorrhaging. Check BP! Prep for transfusion!”
Orders flew, nurses sprang into action.
Lisa was wheeled into the treatment room.
Alexander stood guard outside, watching the door shut, separating
them.
He leaned against the cold wall, her blood’s scent clinging to him.
Each passing second was agony.
Sounds leaked through the door: medical staff bustling, instruments clinking… and Lisa’s stifled gasps of pain.
Soon, a nurse hurried out.
“Sir, she’s allergic to anesthesia. Refuses it. Wants sutures without.”
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Alexander shot upright. “What?”
He charged to the door and shoved it open.
Inside, the doctor held a needle holder, poised to stitch the longest gash on her arm.
Lisa slumped in the chair, face even paler than before, forehead glistening with cold sweat.
She looked at the doctor, her lips trembling slightly as she whispered with startling clarity, “Just stitch it. I can take it.”
Alexander’s heart clenched–she was allergic to anesthesia.
He suddenly recalled Matthew’s words: “She passed out from the pain during surgery.”
The weight in his chest grew heavier. Stepping forward, he asked, “Is there anything to replace anesthesia? Something to ease… her pain?”
The doctor frowned. “Sir, her medical record confirms the allergy. Forced administration carries high risks.”
Lisa closed her eyes. When they reopened, her gaze held eerie calmness–or numbness. “Doctor, begin.”
The doctor nodded. “Alright, I’ll be as gentle as possible.
If it becomes unbearable, scream.”
The wound stretched long and deep. Acupuncture needles pierced flesh.
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Lisa’s body jerked taut. She kept her head bowed low, teeth sinking into her lower lip until blood beaded.
Her other hand clenched into a fist, nails carving crescent moons into her palm. Not a sound escaped her.
Alexander swiftly moved to her side, extending a hand to gently guide her head toward him.
He let her lean against his abdomen.
He could distinctly feel her entire body trembling uncontrollably from excruciating pain.
Subtle yet unceasing.
