Chapter 4: Pushed to the Edge of the Abyss.

Eventually, everything had to come to pass. Anna slowly regained her composure, her head throbbing with pain and it seemed like there was blood on her head! Her hair was matted together in a very messy and disheveled way, but she managed to force a smile on her lips.

That was her father, after all! Even without merit, he still had the right to give life, and isn't this the proper way to be a human being? He gave her this appearance, and she'll give it back to him! Right? Anna thought bitterly, biting her lip unconsciously, her white teeth sinking into her red lips, leaving a bruised mark. Her mother was lifeless, and she should be the same! She couldn't die, but living was just as redundant. That's how her life was, if she didn't accept it, what could she do?

Anna's face was no longer chaotic, and she tightly held the phone in her hand as if afraid of missing an important moment. Her body was so exhausted that she lay on the floor, and everything around her slowly sank into a restless sleep that had never been peaceful for years.

Suddenly, she had a very strange dream, in the distance was the sea, and in the dream, Anna no longer wanted to live. Her mood was so bad that she just wanted to die and be done with it. She looked up at the blue sky and laughed foolishly, wondering how long it would take her to reach heaven and whether that place called heaven was happy. She sat alone on the sandy beach, humming the song her mother used to sing to her. Her mother? Anna suddenly remembered her mother and began searching frantically, her legs sinking into the sand. The quiet beach suddenly turned into a strong whirlpool, wanting to drag her down. Anna struggled, the sand getting into her mouth, her throat sore as tears flowed out uncontrollably. She tried to stand up but couldn't, the sand slowly carried her away, leaving the small and helpless Anna behind, her hands trying to hold onto something, her feet restrained, and her head raised to the sky. Suddenly, warm hands grabbed her hand. In this moment of helplessness between life and death, Anna still felt that this hand was very warm and very safe, long, slender fingers holding her hand.

Anna tried to open her eyes and scrutinize the person in front of her, but the sand had gotten into her eyes, making her tears flow incessantly. In the midst of that blurry vision, Anna recognized the person in front of her, the person who had saved her from the depths of the sea, the person whom she had not had a chance to thank. She tried to say two words of gratitude but couldn't manage to utter them. It was like the sand had taken over her whole body, robbing her of her voice. Anna was struggling in despair; part of her wanted to grab that warm hand once again, and part of her wanted to give up. She saw the handsome face of that person smiling bitterly, reaching out his hand, but the two of them still couldn't touch each other...

"Celine... Cline..." Kenny's voice called out continuously. He slowly opened his eyes and asked, "What's the matter? You keep talking in your sleep, and it's scaring me to death."

Celine woke up from her dream, and Kenny put his hand on her forehead while furrowing his eyebrows, looking around and asking, "Where are we?"

"I don't know. We'll wait until dawn and find our way back," Kenny replied.

In the desolate mountain forest, surrounded by darkness, Kenny made a small pile of wood and lit a fire to provide some warmth.

"It seems like you have a fever," Kenny said.

Kenny put his hand on Celine's forehead, saying, "Damn, it's too hot!"

Celine sat up, looking exhausted and sweaty. Her breath was hot and intense, and she had lost her vitality because of climbing the forest and wading through streams. Her right arm had been torn by a thorn on her sleeve, leaving a long trail of blood that had dried up and turned dark brown.

Thanks to the light from Kenny's fire, he stared at Celine's injured arm. Suddenly, he stood up and said, "You sit here and rest. I'll go pick some leaves to make a poultice for your inflammation."

After taking a few steps, a deep voice, laced with the chill of the night and the heat of the fever, called him back, "You don't have to go. I'm fine."

Kenny widened his eyes and said, "Fine? Do you know how scared you made me earlier? I wanted to hug you and find a way out of here right away."

With a hesitant smile on her lips, Celine shook her head and said, "It was just a dream. I'm okay."

Celine lowered her head, hiding her vague and worried gaze. He dreamed of seeing the girl wanting to give up her life, seeing her playing alone on the golden sand. He didn't understand why he dreamt of her so clearly. Her desperate gaze looked at him, her beautiful lips trembled in the wind, he reached out but couldn't touch her. Celine sighed, perhaps he still regretted a life in extreme pain.

"Dreaming?" Kenny asked suspiciously, picking up a few more branches of firewood to throw into the fire.

The moon and stars disappeared from the sky, Kenny looked at Celine, feeling guilty in his heart. "I'm really sorry, because I didn't keep my promise."

At this moment, Celine was very tired, he tried to smile: "I don't need that chairman position, why do you make a big deal out of it? We grew up together, we don't need to mention or apologize for these things."

Kenny looked up at the sky, reminiscing about their childhood. When he heard the news that Celine's mother had committed suicide, Kenny ran to stand in front of Celine's house, a magnificent and imposing house with strong iron gates covering the determined and fiery eyes of a grown-up boy. Celine was always quiet and didn't talk much, he often sat alone in an empty corner of the school, not talking to anyone. Initially, Kenny found Celine annoying, not understanding why he wanted to bully him, but he didn't expect this gentle boy to pick up a chair and fight the school's bully.

Kenny unconsciously touched the scar on his forehead left by the chair, the scar that never faded. Celine was the beloved and cherished child who could do no wrong, and all the teachers protected and defended him. Kenny was not so lucky, even his parents didn't care about how to manage a mischievous child, but Celine took the initiative to apologize to Kenny.

The sincere face of that young man made Kenny make a promise, even if he died, he would protect and cherish this friendship. When he heard the news of Celine's mother's funeral, held within the Johnson family, Kenny stood guard at the gate, only hearing the faint crying from inside the house. He decided to climb the wall, the first thing he said when he met Celine was, "I'm here, don't be afraid."

And sixteen years have passed by like a blink of an eye. Both of them have become inseparable, going everywhere together, fighting, smoking, drinking, and trying everything. As they grew up, they realized that indulging in bad things was just for show and they should not get too deep into it. Kenny and Celine always knew their limits.

Kenny looked at Celine and saw his friend leaning against a nearby tree. He quietly kept watch so that Celine could rest. If possible, he wished that the injured person was him, even if he had a fever. In Kenny's heart, nothing was more important than Celine's safety and happiness.

A very long night passed by...

The phone rang, waking Anna up from a nightmare. An unknown number was calling, Anna immediately answered the phone.

"Hello, this is Matthew."

Anna's heart dropped, the person she was waiting for was not Matthew, she was waiting for Make. Waiting for him to call her back, she had never been able to call him, from childhood to adulthood, never!

Seeing Anna silent, Matthew awkwardly said: "I'm sorry to bother you, I just wanted to ask if Jessica is okay?"

Anna sat up, her head throbbing, her lips tightening.

"How did you get my phone number?" Anna asked.

"I'm sorry, I accessed your confidential file without your permission," Matthew hesitated and then said: "I'm really worried about you and Jessica."

Anna's voice whispered, "Thank you, everything will be okay."

Matthew felt uneasy after hearing Anna's tone. He tried to ask, "Are you at home?"

A soft "yes" came from Anna's throat before Matthew heard the phone being hung up. Anna did not have the energy to care about why he was asking her such a question. They were not close acquaintances.

As Matthew drove, his face remained tense. As a psychiatrist, what Anna was showing resembled that of a patient with depression... If he was not mistaken.

Through his keen observation, he discovered Anna's strange signs. She laughed, but it was not a happy laugh, avoiding others, crying uncontrollably, and these signs indicated that she needed help, right now!

Matthew speeds up, it's now 3am on a deserted road with almost no one around. A moment later, he stands under an apartment building looking up, all the apartments have turned off their lights except for one. He locates the position and just as he's about to step up the stairs, he hesitates as there is too much dust and trash. He frowns and grits his teeth, stabilizing his feeling of disgust, closes his eyes, and steps up each stair. Only he knows how this cleanliness is a disease. But if it were anyone else, they would also feel the same resistance because this place is too dirty!

In front of the apartment, the lights illuminate the scattered belongings, the door is also broken and leaning against a corner. Anna is lying there, still wearing the same dress from the morning, but now looking much more pitiful. Matthew runs in and immediately lifts Anna up from the ground.

"What happened? What's going on?"

Anna's eyes are empty and she looks at him before bursting into laughter, "Are you really here?"

Ignoring her question, Matthew eagerly checks the exterior, her head bleeding and forming a clot, her limbs scraped all over. Matthew grits his teeth, "What have you done to yourself?"

Anna whimpers, "I don't know, I don't know what to do."

Anna's mood is extremely chaotic, and Matthew embraces her with open arms, his warm hands gently patting her shoulder to comfort the injuries that Anna is bearing.

"It's okay, it's all right."

Anna sobs loudly, she really wants to scream out loud so that God can hear her heartfelt pain. She feels useless, guilty towards her mother, guilty towards everyone who cares about her.

Anna buries herself in Matthew's chest and cries until she can't breathe. He pats her to console her, "Anna, stop crying, listen to me, it'll be dawn soon, it'll be back to its original orbit. You can't torture yourself, you can't give up because your mother needs you the most."

It's a long time before Anna finally stops crying, by then Matthew's shirt is soaked with her tears and snot. He places his hand on her shoulder, gently advising her, "Can you take a shower? Your mother doesn't want to see you like this! Can you do that for me? Listen to me, then everything will come and go."

Anna nodded and had just stepped into the bathroom when Matthew called her back.

"Wait a minute, there's some medical gauze here. Let me treat your wounds first. Don't let water get on the wound on your head while you shower."

Anna obediently sat on the edge of the bed while Matthew treated her wounds, applying alcohol and blowing air on the wounds.

It was truly excruciating!

Matthew carefully bandaged her wounds and nodded. "Okay, you can shower now."

Matthew cleaned up the basic mess outside, putting everything back in its place.

For some reason, Anna was like a wild tiger. Her wet hair fell down to the ground, and she ran into the bathroom, grabbing her phone and putting it up to her ear.

"How far along are you with the documents?"

"I lost everything."

"Why did you lose them? Are you trying to mess with me? Come and take this useless woman's body back! A bunch of despicable people!"

"I don't know..."

The call was brief, a few words exchanged before the other person fell silent and hung up.

Anna lost control and shouted, "Where's my mother? Where's my mother? Make, you're crazy! I don't know the truth, I don't want this, I can't do anything..."

Anna had never dared to call Make by name, but now she despised her own father. Matthew saw her lose control and ran over to her. "Anna, Anna, he wouldn't do anything to your mother. I guarantee it."

Anna pushed Matthew's hand away and growled, "Go away, go away."

Matthew looked at her for a long time and spoke softly, "Believe me."

"I don't believe anyone. Please leave."

Matthew stood there and stared at Anna. He insisted, "I'm not leaving."

Now Anna was like a drifting iceberg, wanting to turn into water and merge into the sea. She trembled, her limbs twitching uncontrollably, her body movements resembling those of a person about to go insane.

"Anna, snap out of it." Matthew's loud voice brought Anna's mind back a bit, and she looked at him in confusion.

"You still have to face the truth. You can't run away. You need to be strong and brave, and not lock yourself up in negative thoughts. Do you want to die?" Matthew asked bluntly, turning his back and walking into the kitchen. The broken pieces of glass on the ground were like needles stabbing into his eyes. He picked up a piece of glass and said angrily, "Do you want to die? This piece of glass is enough to kill you. Your blood will slowly flow out, draining your strength and consciousness. Each drop of blood will resist and cling to your veins..."