Chapter3 Outburst

When Amanda wakes up, it’s already the next afternoon.

She is lying in a hospital bed, alone. The sterile white walls of the hospital room only added to the overwhelming sense of isolation and despair. She can hardly tell where it is. It has the same white walls as in the villa, and the same quiet.

“Mrs Griffin, are you awake?”

Riley’s butler enters the room, holding a medical report, and after seeing her awake, he lets out a sigh of relief.

“You don’t know how dangerous it was last night. If we hadn’t gone to the villa to check on you and found you unconscious, I can’t imagine what would’ve happened.”

“Thank you,” Amanda whispers, her voice barely audible. Her face is still pale, drains of all color. The butler smiles politely and hands her a slip of paper.

“On the way to the hospital, our car broke down. Fortunately, a kind gentleman offered to help and even paid for your medical expenses. This is his contact information. Also…”

The butler hesitates for a moment before handing her the medical report as well, he seems so conflicted.

“Mrs Griffin, you’re still very young. No matter what happens, you must stay strong and take care of yourself.”

Amanda’s worst fears have come to life. A heaviness, thick as black-cotton mud, pushes her chest as she skims through the report.

She had been pregnant.

But because she didn’t know, she hadn’t taken care of herself. The stress from work, the alcohol, the secondhand smoke, and the emotional strain of the past few days had all taken a toll on her body. Her baby was gone before it had a chance to come into the world.

And the hemorrhaging last night had damaged her uterus, significantly reducing her chances of ever conceiving again. The doctors advises her to prepare for the possibility of lifelong infertility.

The diagnosis is clear, spelled out everything on the paper. Amanda’s already pale complexion grows even more ashen, her face like fragile porcelain, ready to shatter at any moment. She looks like she's gonna pass out again.

That child had been hers and Riley’s baby who is also her last blood-related family member. But the baby had left before it had the chance to see the light of day. Perhaps the child, too, had deemed her unworthy of being its mother.

Amanda is in a state of great panic and despair. She struggles to hold back her tears, not wanting to make herself look too messy. With the last shred of hope clinging to her, she asks in a hoarse voice, “Did Riley come?”

The air stops for a hundredth of a breath or so. An eerie silence suddenly envelops them. 

“I understand.” Amanda’s voice is shaking with sorrow. She feels as if someone has taken a cold blade and carved out a piece of her heart, leaving her hollow and in agony.

In that moment, Amanda’s heart completely died.

With newfound clarity, she makes up her mind. It’s over. Everything is over.

Amanda doesn’t want to trouble the man who had helped her, so instead of calling, she sends a message to the number on the paper.

“Thank you for saving me last night. Could you please give me your bank account? I’d like to reimburse you for the medical expenses.”

Soon after, she receives a reply.

“Your life was at stake. The medical bill is just a small matter—there’s no need to worry about it.”

After seeing the words “life was at stake”, Amanda’s bottom lip trembles slightly. But she calms down right away. She takes a deep breath and quickly types out another message.

“No matter how much is it, I can’t take it for granted. If it’s not convenient for you to provide your bank account, I can find another way to pay you back. I won’t cause you any trouble.”

It has been a while before Amanda finally receives a reply. Have I said something wrong? Amanda thinks.

“Sorry, I’m in the middle of something. I’ll get in touch as soon as I can.”

Seeing the message, Amanda can only set it aside. She turns off her phone and zones out.