Chapter 6

The days that followed became a living nightmare for Vanessa. Lucille made her clean windows with the icy wind howling through open panes. She deliberately spilled hot water to burn Vanessa's hands and even pretended to be sick in the middle of the night just to make her run all over the city buying medicine. ... One night, while Vanessa knelt on the floor applying ointment to Lucille's injuries, Lucille looked down at her and chuckled softly. "I really don't get it. After everything Alexander has done to you, why haven't you left yet?" Vanessa's hand paused for a beat, the ointment spreading across the bruise. "Because the promise isn't up yet." "What promise?" Lucille narrowed her eyes. Vanessa stopped talking and just silently continued applying the ointment. Lucille suddenly kicked her away. "Stop acting all mysterious! I'm warning you. These past few days of torment were meant to make you recognize your place! Alexander will never like you, and you'll never win against me!" She bent down and grabbed Vanessa's chin. "From tomorrow onwards, you don't need to come anymore. Remember, if you dare pull any more tricks, I'll make you wish you were dead." … Vanessa dragged her exhausted body home. Just as she collapsed onto the couch, her phone started buzzing nonstop. "Vanessa, something terrible happened! Lucille's 99th task for Alex was to pick snowdrops from the mountain, but there was an avalanche. Alex is trapped up there, and no one knows if he's alive!" By the time Vanessa arrived at the foot of the mountain, the blizzard had been raging for nearly a full day. She stepped forward, but the head of the search team blocked her path, his expression grim. "You can't go up there now! The avalanche just hit, and a second collapse could happen anytime. Even our trained rescue team won't take that risk!" Vanessa stared up at the endless white peak, her voice trembling. "If we wait any longer, he'll die." "But going up there alone is basically courting death!" "Then so be it," she replied. Without saying another word, she pulled on her crampons, strapped on a rescue pack, and plunged into the storm without looking back. The cold wind cut like blades across her cheeks, and snow particles drilled into her collar, instantly melting into bone-chilling ice water. She climbed upward with unsteady steps, her fingers turning purple from the cold. Even so, she never let go of the rope. Three hours later, she found the unconscious Alexander at the edge of a cliff. His leg was pinned under a fallen rock, and his skin was as pale as the snow around him. "Alexander!" Vanessa rushed over and frantically dug through the snow with her bare hands, not even noticing when her fingernails cracked and bled. She trembled as she patted his face, wrapping the thermal blanket around him. "Wake up... I'll take you home..." Alexander had already lost consciousness, and his entire body was ice-cold. Gritting her teeth, Vanessa used the rescue rope to tie him to her back and staggered down the mountain step by step. The descent was even more challenging than the climb up, and she fell countless times, almost crawling by the end. When they reached the camp, her jacket was torn to shreds, and her knees were a bloody mess. The moment the medical staff took Alexander from her, her vision went black, and she collapsed in the snow. When Vanessa woke up again, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled her nostrils. She sat up abruptly, gasping from the pain in her wounds. The nurse held her down. "Don't move! You lost too much blood and need to rest." "What about Alexander? How is he?" "Mr. Hawke is out of danger now, and he's in the VIP ward." Vanessa yanked out the IV needle and stumbled toward the VIP section. Just as she reached the door, she heard voices inside. "You almost died for Lucille! You've already done 99 things for her. Is she really worth it?" His friend's angry voice came from inside. "Look at this video! If Vanessa hadn't risked her life to carry you down the mountain, you would've been dead by now!" After a moment of silence, the surveillance footage began playing. In the video, Vanessa was covered in blood, carrying the unconscious Alexander through the snow with great difficulty. She fell and got back up again and again, her knees scraped raw and bloody, but she always protected the person on her back. In the final segment, she collapsed from exhaustion but still used her body as a cushion underneath, ensuring Alexander didn't suffer any impact. "She took bullets for you, drank poison in your place, soaked in freezing water until she lost the ability to have children... and you're telling me you felt nothing?" There was another long silence. Finally, Alexander's cold and clear voice came. "No. Even if she dies 1000 times for me, I'll never fall for her." Vanessa accidentally knocked over a flower pot nearby. The hospital room door was yanked open, and in the moment their eyes met, Alexander's eyes widened in shock. However, he saw she had already turned and walked away, her silhouette as fragile. Alexander's friend shouted, "Alexander! Go explain yourself!" Another friend chimed in, "She risked her life for you, and those words were so hurtful! What if she really leaves?" Alexander stared at the empty hallway, feeling an inexplicable tightness in his chest. But he still let out a cold laugh. "She won't leave." "How do you know?" his friend asked. "Because she loves me," he said confidently, turning back to the bed. "She loves me without pride or boundaries. Even if I crush her into the dirt, she'll crawl back." His friends looked at each other and finally sighed. Everyone knew Vanessa loved Alexander to the point of obsession. So, how could someone like that ever walk away?