Chapter 358 Out of Your Mind

Dalton couldn’t swim.

On this freezing winter day, a thin layer of ice had already formed on the pond’s surface.

He shivered uncontrollably as the cold water enveloped him.

The once proud and arrogant man now appeared utterly helpless, flailing in the water, a shadow of his usual self.

“Help… help me,” he gasped.

At that moment, brilliant fireworks exploded in the sky. The Aniston family had planned a fireworks display tonight.

The best view was from the terrace, far from the pond.

So, no matter how loudly Dalton cried for help, it was unlikely anyone would hear him.

Meryl rushed to the lake’s edge.

She hadn’t expected Lydia to truly leave Dalton to drown.

Though she had seen them argue, she never thought Lydia would actually go so far as to try and kill him.

Dalton swallowed several gulps of water. While the lake wasn’t very deep, it was dangerous enough for someone who couldn’t swim. When they fall into cold water, the more they struggle, the more dangerous it becomes.

“Give me your hand, I’ll pull you out,” Meryl said.

She knelt by the edge and stretched out a hand toward Dalton.

She couldn’t just stand by and let him die. After all, their grudges hadn’t reached the point where she’d wish death upon him.

Dalton grabbed her hand instinctively.

It took considerable effort to pull him onto the shore, and once there, Dalton’s legs began to cramp violently.

He lay on the ground, writhing in pain like a fish stranded on land.

Meryl sighed, exasperated.

She had intended to leave once she pulled him out, but seeing him like this made her hesitate.

In the end, she decided to help him.

“Where does it hurt?” she asked.

She held his calf, massaging the muscles to ease the cramping.

The cold night wind made Dalton’s soaking clothes feel even more frigid. He shivered uncontrollably, his lips turning a deep shade of purple.

Meryl’s voice was cold as she said, “Don’t look at me like that, Dalton. Let me remind you again, it’s never going to happen between us. I belong to your uncle.”

His eyes dimmed at her words, and his lips pressed into a thin line.

He knew she was drawing a clear boundary between them, not even leaving room for a shred of hope.

“If you have no feelings for me, why did you save me?” Dalton’s voice was low, almost sulking.

Meryl responded, “Consider it repayment for the favor you did for me years ago.”

She was well aware that Dalton had once protected her from the shadows.

Back when she was in college, if it hadn’t been for his support, the classmates who bullied her would never have let her off so easily.

The car accident Dalton had at the age of eighteen was also because he was driving through the rain to pick her up and lost control, crashing into a power pole. He had fallen into a coma after that.

Dalton froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected Meryl to use saving him as another way to distance herself from him.

He let out a bitter laugh and scoffed, “Who asked you to repay me?”

As she spoke, she actually raised her hand, pretending to push him back into the water.

Dalton blinked in surprise, then said, “You don’t need to. I’ll go back in myself.”

With a sudden splash, Dalton threw himself backward into the lake again, leaving Meryl staring at him in stunned disbelief.

“Dalton, you’re insane.”

This time, he didn’t struggle. He closed his eyes and let himself sink into the water.

“Dalton, have you lost your mind?”