Chapter 729: Dream of Three Lives
The Red Velvet room was filled with his men. He’d planned to subtly cause the child's death; it would have been easy. But he hadn't anticipated her sharp awareness. She gave birth prematurely, lying on the bed, drenched in cold sweat. Fragile as she was, she exuded fierce determination, dismissing the doctors and nurses. With low amniotic fluid and the fetus suffocating, she took a doctor's scalpel, opened her abdomen, and delivered the baby herself.
She performed a cesarean section without anesthesia, collapsing backward before even seeing the child. The baby fell into his arms. He held the tiny, premature Marvin, who didn't cry. Anabelle lay weakly on the bed, blood soaking the sheets, dripping with a steady "plop, plop." With difficulty, she reached out, grasping his shirt: "Give me back the baby!"
He held Marvin, looking down at her. "You know, I can't stand this child," he said. Her eyes immediately reddened. "Besides, he didn't cry. He's already dead," he lied.
Overwhelmed by the news of the child's death, she wept and fell into a coma. He then gave Marvin to Lily to raise, who never knew the child she raised was stillborn and Anabelle’s son.
Anabelle’s physical wounds healed, but the wound in her heart remained. She grew quiet, refusing to speak to him. He kept her confined until one night, waking to a sharp pain—she held scissors, the blade having pierced his vital organ.
The Red Velvet room's bright lights illuminated the scene as doctors rushed in. His expression was grim. He found her on the room's high podium. She was strikingly beautiful that day, her almond eyes soft as she gazed at the world. But she didn't look at him. He didn't realize it was her final farewell. She was leaving.
"Anabelle, come back! Why are you there?" he urged, sensing the danger, trying to reach her.
She opened the window, climbing onto the high platform overlooking the cliff and the crashing waves. She turned, calling his name: "Alpha." Her voice was hoarse, her almond eyes shining, "I'm leaving."
Those words shattered him. Veins pulsed on his neck, his heart plummeting. His worst fear was realized; she was leaving him.
"Anabelle, don't do this! Come down. I won't care if you hurt me today, but if you continue, I will be angry. And you know the consequences!"
She seemed not to hear. She stroked her cheek, saying, "Alpha, you've been by my side all these years. You must have been tired, because… I always cause trouble. I'm sorry." As she apologized, her red lips pouted in a childish expression he'd never seen before. His heart felt ripped away, swallowed by despair. He said, "Anabelle, what do you want? The child? Fine, I'll bring him back."
"Alpha," she repeated, her name a soft murmur. She smiled, "Let me go. Let go of everything."
His dark eyes filled with tears. Let her go? He reached out, "I'm afraid to let you go. I never thought of it." He'd become a wreck since meeting her. He'd never considered letting her go, not even when he felt broken. If her love was a poisonous draught, he'd drink it.
He walked toward her. She looked up, "Alpha, we're from different worlds. You're too grand; your love is too heavy. I can't bear it. I'm leaving. From now on, even if mountains and rivers separate us, there is no future. You… live well."
She jumped, disappearing beneath the waves. "No!" He lunged, but grasped only air as her clothes slipped from his hand.
He searched for years, never believing she was dead. Yet, she vanished, never reappearing. His search spanned twenty years, across the globe. Now that she was back, he asked if she’d ever loved him. She said never.
The sleeping Alpha curled his lips in bitter irony. He'd loved her his whole life.
A knock came. Reuben’s worried voice: "Sir! Something serious has happened!"
Alpha sat up, cold sweat on his forehead. He wasn't sure if he'd slept, or merely dreamt—a terrible dream. He looked at the door as Reuben knocked again. Reuben was always calm; this was serious. Alpha threw back the blanket and opened the door.
"Sir, Lady Bounty… took poison. She's killed herself!"