A Call That Changed Her Entire Life

Chapter 199 I Don't Regret It

Victor kissed her affectionately, tears threatening to blur his vision, when Anne reached out and held his hands. Her hands were soft and warm, reassuring almost, as if she had sensed his desperation. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close, gently kissing his trembling lips. The kiss made the room warmer somehow, her future within its walls seeming a little less bleak.

Victor tasted mixed flavors of salt and bitterness, but he didn't care because all he could focus on was the liquid warmth that was quickly spreading through his body. He looked at Anne's sorrowful eyes, and kissed away her tears tenderly. His heartache was like a hungry beast eating his bleeding heart. It threatened to devour him, eat him whole and leave nothing but scraps behind.

"Hang on for a bit longer. For my sake, just hang on, please... I need you to live longer..." Victor whispered.

At that moment, Victor had abandoned all his confidence, arrogance and superiority. Humbled by desperation, he was just a common man pleading for his beloved to stay with him.

His loneliness swallowed every one of hope he had yet to spare. As a desperate cry for help, he implored,"Anne, I love you with all my heart. So, please..."

After a while, Anne silently closed her eyes and drifted off.

She could not give him the answer he wanted.

What difference would it make even if she had gone through with the heart transplant? She could not live without medicine ever since she was a little girl. Therefore, Anne knew better than anyone else about her own physical strength and limitations.

Anne remembered the wish she had made near the wishing pool when she sneaked out with Emily. She made the wish again silently in her heart, as she lay in her bed with her eyes shut.

'I wish that Victor would find a good girl to be with him and then... then forget about me.'

...

In another ward, Emily let out two sneezes before wrapping herself tightly with the quilt.

For the sake of Anne's health, Victor originally want to have the operation when both Anne and Emily were in their best physical conditions, but he changed his mind and decided to let go through with the operation as soon as possible to avoid any further deviation to his plans.

Victor knew it well, that, even though he had hid Emily in a secret place, he could not ensure that Jacob would not catch up to them, eventually.

Unfortunately, as a consequence, Emily could not keep on delaying the date of the operation on the pretext of having a cold and fever.

Anne could never bring herself to go on with the operation without Emily's consent. In defiance to Victor's insistence, she threatened to go on a hunger strike, as she refused to eat even her favourite strawberry cakes to show her determination.

Victor, however, didn't falter in his resolve. Instead, he ordered the doctors to infuse nutrition solution into Anne's veins.

The relationship between Anne and Victor was rather deadlocked. With each passing day, the gap between them was growing like a deep chasm, which could suck them both in at any time.

The night before the operation, Emily and Anne were forbidden to eat and drink, and they were not allowed to leave their rooms.

As the hour of the operation drew closer, Victor seemed to be in a good mood, as he spent the whole day with Anne, even though she kept ignoring him all day. With not a care in the world, Victor kept

telling her stories with a mild smile on his face.

"In the end, the Princess and the Prince lived happily ever after..." he said.

The original ending of the story was actually tragic, but Victor changed it to a happy ending.

Anne felt so upset by the story that she covered her ears with her hands to insulate herself from Victor's deep, loving voice. "I don't want to hear it," said Anne.

Victor fondled her hair and asked,"What about another one?"

"I don't want to listen to any stories. Victor Gao, you are so tiresome," Anne retorted, deliberately in an impatient tone. She didn't call him Victor as she usually did. Instead, she called him with his full name.

Morose, Victor froze and pursed his lips. Once again he had fallen into dreadful silence.

It broke Anne's heart to hurt Victor deliberately, but she was not one to make a concession so easily, so she didn't say anything neither.

After a while, Anne saw him slowly lowering his eyes. Victor's long eyelashes covered up all his exposed feelings. Victor said mildly and firmly,"I feel sad if you hate me because of Emily, but I don't regret it."

"I don't want to do this," said Anne. Anne looked mournfully at Victor. She didn't know who she pitied more: herself or Victor? "I don't want to hate you at all, and I won't hate you...

You don't think that Emily's life is important, but what if it was me in her place?" said Anne.

"That's enough!" Victor raised his voice. He had run out of the patience to listen to her incessant, yet rational reasoning. The more Anne spoke, the harder it was for Victor to breathe. "Anyway, Annie, I won't change my mind," said Victor.

"You won't change your mind?" She repeated his words and looked directly at his face.

Victor turned away and said,"Yes."

Anne took a few deep breaths, as her chest rose and fell lightly. Then, she said, assertively,"I want some water."

The man was driving her up the wall!

Victor looked at her, hesitantly and said,"You can't drink water now..."

"I said, I WANT TO DRINK WATER!" insisted Anne. NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

Victor was afraid that Anne's agitation would have a bad impact on her health, so instead of giving her the chance to get stressed out, he got up to get her a glass of water. He handed the glass to her and said,"Don't... Don't drink too much."

Anne almost burst out laughing, if she weren't so angry. "Get out. Leave me alone," she said, coldly.

The sudden change in Anne's disposition troubled Victor. He preferred it more when Anne argued with him, than when she spoke to him in a calm and insensitive manner.

Victor could not read Anne's intention through her eyes, but anyhow, he left the room at her request. However, he didn't leave her alone. He stood at the door while still paying close attention to her from the outside.

Just as Victor had feared, something he was dreading happened not long after he left the room.

"Bang!" Just a minute later, Victor heard the sound of glass shattering.

Victor tensed up instantly and dashed into the room. "Annie!" shouted Victor.

Just before Victor rushed into the room, he had imagined all kinds of horrible things that could happen, but what he didn't think of was that, Anne stood on her toes, and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately.

Victor wrapped his arms around Anne's waist. He didn't know what Anne wanted to do.

However, before he knew it, he sensed a taste of sweetness in his mouth.

Anne stuck her tongue into Victor's mouth and fed him the water that was in her mouth. The water tasted sweet, like melted candy.

Victor first assumed that Anne hid a candy again, a strawberry candy. When Anne tried to reached out for his tongue with hers, Victor could not stay calm anymore.

After the deep and passionate kiss, both Anne and Victor lay on the bed. Anne wrapped her arms around Victor's waist and rested her head on his firm chest. "Sleep with me tonight," said Anne.

Victor sensed something different about her, but he didn't want to ruin the moment by angering her. "Alright," he answered.

"Why did you answer in such an unwilling way?" asked Anne.

"I didn't. I really do want stay with you," answered Victor.

Anne fell in silence for a while before she said,"Have you ever thought about what would happen if I don't make it even after the operation tomorrow?"

Victor felt a sudden, crippling pain in his heart as he thought about what Anne said. Then, he opened his mouth lightly but said in an unwavering tone,"You will survive."

Victor would not let anything bad happened to her. His resolve remained unscathed.

Victor interrupted her and shifted the topic of their conversation, as if he was afraid that Anne would say more bad things. He said,"I'll tell you a bedtime story, alright?"

"No, I want to sleep, and you too," refused Anne.

"Alright," answered Victor. Victor tucked Anne in, and stared at her tenderly. When Victor noticed that Anne was looking at him with her eyes wide open, as if waiting for him to fall asleep, Victor closed his eyes.

Soon, he felt sleepy and he drifted off to sleep.

Ten minutes later.

"Victor? Vick?" asked Anne tentatively. Anne nudged Victor gently, realizing that he was in deep sleep. She sat up and stared at Victor's face. At last, she kissed on Victor's cheek and got out of the bed to make a phone call furtively.