“Please, I beg you, save Edmund! He’s still out at sea!”
I never imagined Edmund would risk his life to save mine. At that moment, between life and death, Stephen still chose to abandon me, but Edmund, without a second thought, gave me the last chance to live. Only then did I truly realize what a good man he was and how many times I had pushed him away, refused him, and overlooked him. He hadn’t even heard the words I most longed to say.
When we finally returned to shore, I begged the rescue workers again and again, even dropping to my knees. “Don’t worry, ma’am. We’re doing everything we can to search for all the passengers.”
Wrapped in a towel, shivering, I made one phone call after another and hired a private rescue team. “No matter the cost, just bring Edmund back alive! Hurry!”
“Ms. Lancaster, it’s windy here. You should go back and rest.”
I shook my head. I stayed rooted by the shoreline. I had to be the first to hear news of Edmund, had to be the first face he’d see when he opened his eyes. Soon, Catherine arrived to accompany me.
But when the golden 24-hour rescue window passed, I stood frozen by the waves, my eyes dry and aching from scanning the sea too long, yet still, I never saw even a glimpse of Edmund in the crowd. Hopelessness came in wave after wave.
“No… no way…” I kept whispering to myself. “Edmund will definitely be saved!”
Someone nearby muttered, “Hey, it’s been 24 hours and he still hasn’t turned up. You should probably prepare for the worst.”
I instantly shouted, “Shut up!!” Catherine supported my trembling body.
“Auntie, you haven’t eaten for over a day. Go rest. I’ll call you if there’s any news.”
The despair, the exhaustion, and the hunger crashed over me all at once, and my vision started to blur. Just then, a commotion stirred ahead.
“Make way! Ms. Lancaster! Good news! Mr. Dalton has been found!”
My eyes snapped open. Someone rushed over, breathless, with the message: [Mr. Dalton was rescued at a nearby port. We just got the word!] Even with the dizziness flooding my head, I ran with Catherine straight to the hospital where he was being treated.
I flung the door open, and there he was. The man I had longed to see was waking up in his hospital bed.
“Edmund! Oh my god, you’re alive! Thank heavens, you’re okay!”
I rushed to the bed and threw my arms around him, my face soaked in tears.
“Excuse me. Who are you?”
I froze. Tears clung to my lashes as I trembled, unable to process what I had just heard. But the confusion in Edmund’s eyes made my heart sink, inch by inch.
“I… I’m your lover.”
I forced the words out, steady and sure, before turning to call the doctor. How could he forget me? Hadn’t he loved me for over thirty years?
Suddenly, a hand caught mine. I turned back, only to see the sly grin on that old fox’s face. Two seconds later, I realized I’d been tricked.
“You! You know that’s not funny at all!”
Edmund pulled me into his arms, his smile warm. “Sorry. I won’t joke like that ever again.”
“But just now, what did you say? Whose lover are you, Victoria? Say it again, I didn’t quite catch it.”
At the door, Catherine stood giggling. She finally composed herself and walked in. “Dad, are you okay?”
She gave him a quick check, and after confirming it was only mild water inhalation and some lung irritation, she finally let out a sigh of relief. The wave of emotion, coupled with my long starvation, hit me all at once. I fainted straight into Edmund’s arms.
When I woke, I was lying in the hospital bed right beside him. “The two of us oldies ending up in the hospital together, pretty romantic, huh?”
Edmund reached over and held my hand, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he winked.
“Not romantic at all.”
I got out of bed, and food was immediately brought in. Clutching his hand tightly, I said, “You have to get well soon. We need to launch our show.”
“Alright, I promise.” He gave my hand a firm squeeze. I ate a little, then stayed quietly by Edmund’s side as he drifted back to sleep.
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway. Stephen appeared at the door.
“Victoria, are you alright? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to leave you. It was just too crowded and chaotic.”
“Who are you?”
I rolled my eyes coldly. “Did you get the wrong room, sir? Please leave. Don’t disturb my lover’s rest.”
The moment I said “lover,” Stephen’s face turned ghostly pale, then flushed bright red. “You’re mad at me, aren’t you?”
I almost laughed at how shameless he was. “You must be mistaken. I don’t even know you. How could I be mad? My partner really needs rest. If you’re here to be admitted, the registration desk is downstairs to the left.”
His face twisted even more as he muttered, “I really didn’t mean to leave you, it’s just that Eleanor wasn’t feeling well, so the yacht left…” I immediately stood up and shoved him toward the elevator.
“That’s enough. I told you, my boyfriend needs rest. Can’t you understand plain words?”
Just then, a swarm of reporters flooded the hallway. Microphones and cameras swarmed around me like vultures.
“Ms. Lancaster, is it true you dumped your husband of thirty years after seducing the man behind Dalton Corp?”
One male reporter leered, eyes shamelessly sweeping over me. “You worked hard to drop the weight, from fat woman to hot cougar, just to crawl into President Dalton’s bed? Is that true? Still sexy at your age, must have some real bedroom skills. Care to share your secrets?”
They circled like bloodthirsty beasts. I kept pushing them away, voice firm through the chaos. “What nonsense are you spouting? I’ve never done anything like that!”
And Stephen? He just stood on the sidelines, saying nothing. His silence cut deeper than any words; like I deserved this humiliation. The insults worsened.
Enraged and humiliated, I shoved back, only for someone’s camera to slam into me. I crashed to the ground, pain flaring as my feet were trampled. Only then did Stephen finally step forward to “help” me up.
“Get lost!” His concern was nothing but a hollow performance.
That’s when I spotted Eleanor standing at a distance, her lips curled into a cold, wicked grin. It hit me then. This entire ambush was her doing. She orchestrated everything to destroy me. Fury burned through me.
I rose, marched over, and slapped her across the face hard. A loud smack echoed in the air.
“Don’t think smearing my name means you’ve won. You saw it yourself, Stephen wants to crawl back to me. Keep this up, and I’ll go back to the Mortimer family and make sure you stay the little rat mistress you’ve always been.”
Eleanor clutched her face and shrieked, “Stephen was always mine! I’m just taking back what belongs to me. You shameless whore, just because you latched onto Dalton Corp’s CEO, don’t think you can trample all over me!”
I raised my hand again, ready to slap her, but Stephen stepped in, covered her mouth, and said, “Stop it. She’s pregnant, just emotional. Don’t be mad.” Then he led Eleanor away.
Once they were gone, the reporters finally dispersed. I stared at their retreating backs and sneered. Fine. If Eleanor wanted to play dirty, then I could play even dirtier. Because in my hands was the evidence that her so-called award-winning works had all been either bought or stolen. And there were even darker secrets yet to be exposed.