“Leave me here and drive there first.” Kendrick took a deep breath to suppress the pain and alighted the car. He could not delay saving Niamh.
“But how are we supposed to just leave you alone on the road when you look like this?”
“I’ll be fine. Go save my wife!” Kendrick demanded strictly, his deep eyes swirling with determination and stubborn will that left no room for objection.
Knowing that they could not persuade Kendrick otherwise, the people quickly drove the car over to the villa not too far away.
Kendrick’s shaking fingers reached out to clutch the area above his heart even though it could not relieve him from the sharp stab of pain the poison brought.
He had only taken a dose from the reagents that Niamh ‘conned’ out of Ryan, and it was not too effective.
The following six doses were still in Ryan’s house and he had not brought them over.
With difficulty, he moved to sit under a large tree. Lifting his right hand, he stared at the wedding ring on his fourth finger as if doing so would help ease the pain that seeped into his bones.
“Nia, Nia…” he called out her name softly to clear his mind.
Sitting in the car while leaving the villa, Niamh stared blankly out the window as her mind echoed with the two options Ryan gave her not too long ago.
“One, you follow my men out the villa with your parents in tow. Or two, you wait for Kendrick to find you, only to be met with the bodies of all three of you Montgomeries.”
“Hmph.” Niamh scoffed ironically.
Could this even be counted as a choice?
He was blatantly forcing her to leave.
‘What a cruel man you are, Ryan Jones.’
Sitting by Niamh’s side, Eloise asked innocently as she thought she saw a smile on the other’s face. “What are you smiling about? Tell us, perhaps we’ll get a kick out of it as well.”
Niamh’s heart ached while she also felt hopeless at the words. Staring at her carefree and elegant mother, Niamh broke into a soft smile. “Eveline is just so happy to see her mom and dad again.”
Eloise’s delicate brows furrowed. “Why did you call yourself Eveline? Is that your name too? So is my daughter’s!”
Niamh did not know how to tell Eloise, for she would not understand no matter how Niamh explained it.
She smiled and looked back out the window. What she saw drained her complexion.
“Kendrick?”
Niamh snapped her head around to look at the figure leaning against a tree by the road a distance away.
Moonlight was dim that night, but Kendrick’s silhouette had long been engraved into the deepest part of her heart.
She was even more certain that the expression on his face was one of agony.
Niamh could not keep her cool. “Stop the car!”
She ordered, but the driver did not react.
Both Eloise and Sean were confused to see Niamh so upset.
“What’s wrong, Eveline?” Sean looked out the window as well but could not see anything.
“Stop the car! I said, stop the car!” Niamh was losing control over her emotions.
No matter how Ryan’s demand rang in her mind, she could not find it in herself to ignore Kendrick when he was in pain.
“Madam, Mr. Jones said…”
“Don’t give me that crap. I said stop the car!” Niamh demanded again as she watched the car drive farther away from Kendrick. She could not bear watching the man suffer the pain by himself!
“What’s wrong, Eveline?” Sean was even more confused and worried.
Niamh did not have the time to explain it to Sean now. Watching Kendrick’s figure about to vanish from her line of vision, she made a choice.
She opened the car door as the night breeze blew into the car.
Not expecting Niamh to do such a thing, the driver moved to lock the door but it was already too late.
“What are you trying to do, Eveline?” Sean was stunned. Eloise had no idea either, but she felt worried and reached out to grab Niamh’s hand instinctively.
However, Niamh only jumped out of the car the next second.
Screech! The driver brought the car into an emergency brake.
He could not be responsible if something happened to Niamh.
Suddenly hearing a car screeching to a halt in the distance, Kendrick’s head snapped up from the tree he leaned against. Under the blurry moonlight, he saw a familiar figure jumping out of the car!
“Nia!” Kendrick knew what he saw.
Ignoring the pain to stand, the man willed his feet to move with difficulty and slowly made his way toward Niamh.
Niamh jumped out of the car and rolled a few rounds on the road before she came to a stop. Scratches littered her body, but now was not the time to worry about them.
Seeing the driver and the bodyguard alighting the car to grab her, she quickly got up and ran toward Kendrick.
Sean and Eloise got out of the car as well to help Niamh up, only to see her running into the distance while a shadow approached Niamh at the same time.
Under the moonlight, the two figures drew close and their features were reflected in the other’s eyes.
“Kendrick.”
“Nia.”
Kendrick felt a burst of strength surge within him when he heard Niamh calling out his name again.
The sight of her overwhelmed the searing pain within him.
“Nia.”
He reached out for her.
Niamh reached out her arm as well, but before her soft fingertips could come in contact with Kendrick’s, a bullet shot toward her from behind.
Kendrick did not have the chance to hold Niamh’s hand yet when he saw fresh blood spray across the air.
“Nia!”
Kendrick felt his heart stop.
Thanks to momentum, Niamh fell forward and into Kendrick’s arms.
She had no idea what burning entity pierced through her body, but warmth and content settled over her the moment she fell into Kendrick’s embrace.
“Kendrick.”
She raised her hand to hug the dazed man.
“You finally found me, Kendrick.” Niamh panted, her breaths coming out short.
With a pale face, Kendrick pulled Niamh into his arms. He had no idea where the wound on her body was, but he felt the stickiness of fresh blood.
“Don’t sleep, Nia. I’ll send you to the hospital!” Carrying Niamh up and running frantically forward, Kendrick seemed to have completely forgotten that he too was a patient tormented by the poison inside him.
Leaning heavily against Kendrick’s chest, Niamh felt content.
“I knew you’d find me. I knew, so I was waiting for you all this while. I missed you so much, Kendrick…”
She talked about her yearning weakly.
Kendrick’s vision slowly blurred under the breeze before he realized it.
“I missed you too, Nia. Every second of every day,” he replied.
Niamh’s lips curled happily as she leaned her head against Kendrick’s chest and closed her eyes exhaustedly.
“Mom and Dad are still alive, Kendrick. They didn’t die.”
Kendrick’s footsteps came to halt.
He remembered everything when he knocked his head on the plane.
Eloise and Sean were still alive. After all, he was the one who saved them!
However, Kendrick did not have the time to explain all that right now as all he wanted was for Niamh to be safe.
Kendrick felt the strength drain from his limbs as he ran. The poison was affecting him.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.