Chapter 19
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Steven’s face turned bright red in an instant, as if ignited by flames. His eyes were filled with fury and disbelief.
He roared and charged at Reid like a maddened bull, throwing a punch with all his might.
Reid didn’t dodge; he took the punch head–on. His body wavered slightly as the blow landed on his cheek. Pain shot through him, but his gaze remained resolute, even tinged with defiance.
Seeing that Reid didn’t flinch, Steven’s rage burned even hotter. He threw another punch, this one whistling through the air and landing squarely on Reid’s abdomen.
Reid grunted, a thin trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth. Yet he still didn’t fight back, just icily regarding
Steven.
Blinded by anger, Steven swung again. This time, his fist connected with Reid’s shoulder, causing Reid to step back.
As Steven prepared to throw another punch, Reid blocked it with a sharp movement. His eyes hardened, and with a sudden right hook, he landed a heavy blow on Steven.
Steven grunted, stumbling backward and crashing into the ropes of the boxing ring. The ropes shook violently, creaking loudly. He felt a searing pain in his abdomen, as if a fire were burning inside, his organs shifting painfully.
Coldly, Reid said, “I let you have those three punches because I did sleep with your wife while you were still married. But Steven, it was you who pushed her into my arms.”
Steven’s eyes were bloodshot. He roared like a wild animal, “Reid, you despicable coward! You were my best buddy–how could you do this?”
Clenching his teeth and enduring the pain, Steven lunged at Reid again. His movements were slower, but his ferocity remained undiminished.
He aimed a punch at Reid’s face, but Reid dodged it with a slight tilt of his head. Meanwhile, he grabbed Steven’s arm and executed a shoulder throw that sent Steven crashing to the ground.
“Buddy? What a joke!” he sneered. “If it weren’t for Yvonne, why would I associate with someone like you?”
Steven lay on the ground, dazed for a moment.
“If it weren’t for wanting Yvonne to have a better life, do you think I would bother with your insignificant company?” Reid shouted.
As he spoke, he strode over to Steven, hoisting him up from the ground as if he were a helpless chicken. Then Reid kicked him squarely in the chest.
The force of the blow sent Steven flying backward like a broken kite, landing heavily on the floor. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
“But you squandered that money on other women,” Reid continued furiously. “Steven, because of the way you’ve treated her, I’ve wanted to destroy you for years!”
Steven struggled to get up, but felt as if all his strength had been drained. “How could this be?” he muttered.
Reid walked over to Steven, crouched down, grabbed his collar, and began pounding his fists into him. Steven covered his head, curling into a ball, trying to protect himself from the relentless assault.
Each of Reid’s punches was fueled by his anger and his protectiveness for Yvonne, as if to make Steven pay for every wrong he had done to her over the years.
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“How could this be?” Reid let out a cold laugh. “You don’t think you actually saved her with just a brick back then, do you?”
Steven’s eyes were wide with astonishment. “What do you mean?”
“If I hadn’t been working behind the scenes for you two, do you think you would have had peace for so long?” Reid said. However, by the time he had finished dealing with things, Yvonne had already developed feelings for Steven.
“I don’t believe it. If you did all that, why didn’t you say anything for all these years?” Steven shouted.
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“Because I didn’t want to be like you, morally blackmailing her with some so–called ‘act of saving,” Reid said. “I didn’t want her to be with me out of gratitude.
“I saved you two out of my own free will, just as I’ve never mentioned it to you over the years, nor have I ever expected anything in return!”
Reid stood up, looking down at Steven with a warning in his eyes.
“Steven, in a month, I want you to divorce Yvonne smoothly and stop trying to entangle her,” he said. “She deserves a better life, not one tied to a jerk like you.”
He took off his gloves and threw them forcefully at Steven, then turned and nimbly jumped down from the boxing ring. He picked up his tie from the floor, casually draped it over his shoulder, and walked out without looking back.
Reid made several calls to Yvonne, but unsurprisingly, none went through. He had a nagging feeling that something was amiss and immediately summoned his bodyguard to look into Yvonne’s whereabouts.
After a long while, the bodyguard reported back, “Mr. Simmons, Ms. Stark has booked a flight for tonight at nine. She’s planning to leave the country.”
Reid was furious. He strode briskly toward the exit. “To the airport. Find a way to delay her flight.”
“Yes, sir!” the bodyguard replied.
At that moment, Yvonne had already taken several unlicensed taxis and even a motorcycle. She had been traveling all night and had long left Avaloria behind.
Her original plan hadn’t been so complicated, but that night, the determination in Reid’s eyes had unsettled her.
She just wanted to stay quiet for a month, then go back and finalize her divorce with Steven, leaving her past behind and starting a new life.
In her heart, she had already come to terms with certain things. She and Reid were from entirely different worlds, and their relationship could never have a future. Given that, she felt she had no reason to care about him.
Yvonne believed that Reid’s interest in her was just a fleeting fancy, driven by novelty. She thought that perhaps in a month, he would have already forgotten about her, not even remembering who she was.
When Yvonne left Avaloria, she informed Courtney and even changed her phone number.
She embarked on a journey without a destination, traveling at her own pace. She would linger in places she liked for a few more days and move on to the next if she didn’t.
One day, she arrived in a small town. The town was not large but exuded a unique warmth. Cobbled streets meandered through the area, flanked by quaint shops that gave off an air of simplicity.
Yvonne, with her backpack on, strolled down the street, savoring the tranquility of the place.
Up ahead, a crowd had gathered in the town square, creating a buzz of noise. A somewhat detached voice came from within
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the crowd. “Everyone, move back. The patient can’t breathe”
Yvonne paused, feeling a sense of familiarity with the voice.
Subconsciously, everyone took a few steps back, clearing a small patch of open space. Yvonne stood on her tiptoes, straining to see through the gaps in the crowd.
There, she saw a doctor in a white lab coat kneeling halfway on the ground, performing CPR on an unconscious elderly
man.
The doctor’s profile was sharply defined, his expression focused and serious. Yvonne paused for a moment, realizing that it was Wesley.
Wesley’s hands pressed rhythmically against the old man’s chest, each push steady and forceful. Beads of sweat had already begun to form on his forehead.
At that moment, several more doctors ran over to join him.
While continuing the compressions, Wesley quickly instructed the doctors beside him, “Prepare epinephrine. Check the airway.
His voice was as cool as deep water, yet in the tense atmosphere, it somehow provided an inexplicable sense of reassurance. “Okay,” the doctor beside him immediately responded, springing into action.
Second by second, the old man began to show faint signs of response. Only then did Wesley let out a long sigh of relief and stand up. He was breathing slightly heavily, his hair disheveled at the forehead, but his stern demeanor remained unchanged.
“I suspect it’s a heart–related condition, but I can’t make a definitive diagnosis. Get him to the county hospital for a checkup as soon as possible,” he said to another doctor.
“Alright, I’ll arrange it right away,” the doctor replied.
The crowd gradually dispersed. Wesley turned around and suddenly caught sight of an unexpected figure.
Beneath the sprawling vines, Yvonne stood quietly. Scattered around her were a few withering wildflowers, giving her an air of solitude.
She was dressed in a well–tailored tracksuit, her figure graceful, and her presence contrasted sharply with the desolate surroundings. Yet, her unique aura made her stand out even in this forlorn setting.
Yvonne hesitated for a moment, then slowly took a few steps toward him.
“Dr. Godfrey, could you come over here and take a look at this patient’s medical record?” a doctor called out to Wesley.
“Sure,” Wesley replied, turning around and involuntarily heading in that direction. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked back.
AD
