Chapter 26
In the following days, Asher had pink roses delivered daily to fill Riley’s hospital room.
He said: “Pink roses symbolize eternal love, Riley, I love you.”
Riley’s expression remained impassive as she hired people to remove each flower.
Asher had a custom cake air–shipped every day, saying: “I missed two years of your birthdays, Riley. Make a wish.”
Riley smiled without humor, tossing the cake into the trash.
Vivian appeared daily without makeup or styling, personally creating elaborate afternoon tea for Riley.
She said: “Riley, I’ll make up for all the time we lost these past two years.”
Riley wouldn’t even glance at it, letting the cream melt and the beautiful cakes collapse into waste.
Until the day came when Riley could walk again, and Asher’s condition had improved significantly.
Vivian helped Riley into a car: “Riley, my brother has one more huge surprise for you.”
Riley laughed coldly: “Your idea of a surprise is just recycling what you once gave Nora. Vivian, you siblings really know how
to make me sick.”
Vivian remained silent, giving her an enigmatic smile.
Only when the car approached the hospital did Riley understand Vivian’s “surprise.”
Asher had driven 125 mph on an empty road, causing a deliberate accident. Now he lay covered in blood on a hospital bed, smiling with grim satisfaction: “No anesthesia. Stitch me up.”
The nurse didn’t question: “It will be extremely painful. Prepare yourself.”
At the first stitch, Asher’s fingers dug deeply into the bed rail: “Riley, don’t look–I must be a horrible sight right now.”
As the thread pulled through his flesh, tears welled in Asher’s eyes: “Riley, did it hurt you this much back then?”
By the tenth stitch, Asher’s entire body shook violently, tears of anguish sliding into his hairline as he fought to control his voice: “Riley, how did you endure such pain?”
After the thirtieth stitch, Asher was nearly unconscious from pain. He bit through his lip to stay awake: “Riley, I’m so sorry.”
When they reached his forearm, Asher suddenly shouted: “Wait!”
The nurse paused: “What’s wrong?”
Asher stared at the “NS” tattoo on his forearm, looked around, grabbed a knife, and plunged it into his skin, ripping out the entire tattooed section. Blood sprayed everywhere, splattering his face.
He bit down hard, fighting through the agony: “It’s nothing, continue stitching! Riley, there’s nothing related to Nora on my body anymore…”
When the suturing finally ended, Asher struggled to maintain consciousness, searching for Riley.
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Two Chances, One Bullet: How His “Next Life” Promise Failed
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Instead, he saw her at a handcrafted stall outside the hospital, purchasing two matching plush toys.
The vendor smiled as Riley took several photos: “Are these for your best friend or your boyfriend, young lady?”
Golden sunlight bathed Riley’s face, her smile growing radiant with a hint of shyness: “Neither… they’re for my fiancé.”
“When he lived in this city as a child, he had a similar plush keychain that he lost. He was heartbroken for quite a while. His flight arrives this afternoon, and I want to surprise him with a replacement!”
As she finished speaking, she turned and met Asher’s gaze.
Nearly every exposed part of Asher’s body was wrapped in bandages. He frowned: “Riley, I was getting stitches in there. What are you doing?”
Riley’s smile vanished: “Can’t you see? I’m shopping.”
“Why are you upset? When I was getting stitches in the hospital, weren’t you with Nora?”
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