Chapter 7
The high fever came on fiercely.
I was in a state of confusion, my whole body was in excruciating pain, and I curled up in bed, tossing
and turning.
The north wind was howling outside the window, and in a daze, I dreamt of the past.
I was lying on Terrance’s back and asked, “Terrance, what would happen if I died?”
He carried me steadily forward on his back, whispering to me, “Don’t talk nonsense, it’s just a
fever, you’ll be fine after getting the injection.”
“Hey, do you have enough money for your living expenses? Vaccinations were expensive.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“How could it be okay? How many jobs did you work?”
Terrance didn’t answer. He placed me at the nurse’s station and squatted in front of me, saying
earnestly.
As long as you are safe and sound, it doesn’t matter what happens to me.
I huddled in my thick down jacket, agonizingly saying, “When Mom and Dad stop arguing, I will ask
them to give me the living expenses to pay you back.”
Terrance touched my hair and looked at me with gentle eyes, “Believe me. We will have money in
the future.”
But I did not have a peaceful and safe life as he had hoped.
The night when Terrance went to another province to participate in the competition, I came home and pushed open my parents‘ bedroom.
Dad held another woman in his arms.
My glamorous life started to crumble from that moment.
Following that, intense arguments erupted between the parents, and the father left without a word. The Cordova family found themselves burdened with mounting debts.
One late night, a group of middle–aged debt collectors showed up at the door.
The swaying lamp above, the man’s excited shouts, the dull pain and nauseating touch of the skin, and the mother’s heart–wrenching scolding, all mixed together into a mess, surging and churning
in the mind.
The scene sped up as if the fast–forward button had been pressed.
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My mother was forced to death in the bathtub by the creditors.
Alma discovered my nakedness and took me to the distant Vertdeer.
On a rainy day, I huddled in a corner of the hospital, dressed in mourning clothes, with a disheveled
look.
“Did she have any relatives with hereditary depression?”
Alma looked at me with concern and said, “I had a boyfriend who was participating in a competition
out of town.”
“Notify him to come over,” the doctor’s words, mixed with some professional terms, “She is
currently showing clear suicidal tendencies, and the treatment is very challenging. For the next few
years, she will need constant support, and the family should be prepared for a long battle.”
At that time, my mental state couldn’t support me to report to the police and seek justice.
Alma and I were like two outcasts.
A
He discarded his armor and helmet and fled from the place where he had lived since childhood.
On the same day, Terrance’s name was the first one on the list of winners in the competition.
He obtained the opportunity to go abroad.
I made a phone call.
When I picked up the phone, there was a howling wind on the other end.
“Elliana,” Terrance’s voice was incredibly gentle, “I promise you,
marry you.”
three years
from
now,
I will
I looked at the slowly closing iron gate and could no longer find my way back home.
“Terrance, I… may not be able to be with you anymore.”
I held back my sobbing, and tears silently fell down.
He held his breath, “Why?”
I opened my mouth, and at that moment, I hesitated.
His future was bright.
Do you really want to selfishly trap Terrance’s later life in the continuous rainy Vertdeer?
Outside the window, a girl cried uncontrollably, separated by a fence.
The boy’s face was filled with sadness and disgust.
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I saw the look of love disappearing from the eyes, which was despairing.
The wind blew the hair, revealing the bruised and pinched marks under the neck.
I wiped away my tears and said, “Terrance, you’re fine, let’s just forget about it.”
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