Chapter 5

Marissa was surrounded by intense darkness and coldness. She felt a huge weight sitting atop her chest and the metallic tang of blood in her throat. Before she blacked out, the image of 18-year-old Joshua appeared before her eyes. He was in a suit as he led her through the floral arch at the venue of her coming-of-age ceremony. Suddenly, the arch collapsed just as they were about to reach the end. He immediately pulled her into his arms. Because of that, the metal tore into his shoulders, and blood stained his shirt. "Joshua, are you crazy? The floral arch is more than a hundred pounds. You could have died." Holding in the pain, he gently wiped away her tears. "Protecting you is one of my goals, even if it means I have to risk my life." He still had that winding scar on his back. Alas, he had given an empty promise. How ridiculously fake of him! As tears streamed down Marissa's face, she slowly closed her eyes. … "It's all my fault! Had I not insisted on climbing the mountain, Marie wouldn't have gotten hurt. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Marissa opened her eyes despite the pain when she heard Roxanne crying. She found herself in a spacious hospital ward. Joshua comforted Roxanne, "That's enough. No one could have predicted the avalanche. It's not your fault." Holding her, he carefully wiped her tears away. She cried until she was out of breath. Seeing that, he smiled and gave her a kiss on her red cheeks. "Stop crying. You're badly injured too, aren't you? Be good. We'll treat your wound when you're home." Was Roxanne hurt? Marissa saw a small bump on Roxanne's forehead. Roxanne didn't even suffer a scratch. She wanted to get up, but she inhaled sharply when she sensed the excruciating pain in her waist. Joshua and Roxanne immediately turned around when they heard the gasp. He hurried over with a worried look. "Marie, you're awake. How are you feeling?" She gave him an icy stare. The pain was unbearable, but she was unusually calm. He panicked a little at her cold response. "Why aren't you talking? Don't be mad. I had to save Roxanne because she was closer to me—" She curled her fingers in rage. With a smile, she cut him off, "How's Roxanne?" Taken aback, he quickly looked at Roxanne and replied in a tone that reeked of favoritism, "She's badly hurt too. So, you shouldn't blame her." Marissa put on a speechless and sardonic smile. She couldn't believe that he doted on Roxanne this much. Roxanne was "badly hurt", huh? She did not call them out. There were no resentful and angry complaints. She did not go hysterical either. Feeling extremely calm, she asked, "Since she's badly hurt, why don't you look after her?" Joshua froze on the spot in disbelief. Finally, he gathered himself and questioned, "Marie, are you mad at me? I didn't go to your side because it was an emergency. But I should take care of you now. She has people looking after her. Sorry. I swear I won't leave you behind again." He grabbed her hand with a pale face. All she did was sigh and pull her hand away. "There's no misunderstanding. I'm just worried about Roxanne." Joshua finally heaved a sigh of relief. His messy thoughts came to a halt. "Glad there wasn't a misunderstanding." Later, Joshua left the ward hand-in-hand with Roxanne, claiming that he was going out to get something for Marissa. Marissa finally slumped in her bed, feeling empty and hollow. Just then, the doctor entered the ward. "Ms. Eagan, you broke three ribs in this accident. I'm afraid your recovery will take a long time, considering your old injuries. But there's a piece of good news—we found out you're pregnant with a healthy baby." Marissa's eyes widened. She felt cold from head to toe. "What did you say?" Time seemed to come to a standstill as thoughts buzzed in her head. Just as she was disappointed enough to leave Joshua, the heavens decided to pull a joke on her. She snapped back to reality when the doctor waved his hand in front of her. "Ms. Eagan, rest well in the next few days. Don't get into any accidents." Nodding in a daze, she swallowed the bitter pill. "Thanks, doctor." "Congratulations. I'll leave if there's nothing else." After the doctor left, she turned toward the window. A light snow started to fall. The white layer on the ground was blinding. Suddenly, Joshua's tender voice echoed in the ward. "Darling, what did the doctor congratulate you about?"