“Nia.” He looked down at Niamh who was beginning to fall asleep. “Don’t sleep, Nia. I promised Jack and Lily that I’ll bring their mom back home safely. Don’t sleep, Nia.”
“I’m so tired, Kendrick…”
Niamh managed to peer open an eye, her iris reflecting the anxiety-filled expression on Kendrick’s attractive features.
“Ryan is dangerous. You have to be careful.”
She reminded him, her slender fingers gripping his sleeves.
“As long as I can be with you, Kendrick, I’m not afraid of anything at all. Really…”
Niamh’s head then drooped heavily on Kendrick’s shoulder as she passed out.
“Nia, Nia!”
Niamh did not react no matter how Kendrick shouted.
With red eyes, he summoned all his strength to hold her closer as he ran forward. However, his legs suddenly gave out.
Kendrick fell onto one knee. Under the inky midnight blue sky, he felt darkness engulf his heart.
“I told you. If I can’t have it, neither will you.”
Ryan’s voice suddenly sounded from the front.
Kendrick’s eyes snapped up to see Ryan and his victorious expression. The man was holding a gun in his hand. One could easily conclude that he was the one who fired the gun and shot Niamh.
“Ryan Jones!” Kendrick clenched his teeth as he stared abhorrently at the smiling man. Frost began to fill his deep eyes.
Arrogant, Ryan looked down at Niamh who had fallen unconscious in Kendrick’s arms.
“She has the rare Rh-negative blood type. She’ll die of blood loss in no time if you let her bleed away here.”
Bending down as he spoke, the corners of his lips curled into a confident smile.
“Your only option is to give her to me.”
“Ryan Jones.”
“Stop wasting time, unless you want your beloved woman to die in your arms.”
Ryan extended both his arms confidently.
“Give her to me.”
Kendrick clenched his fists and stared at the unconscious woman in his arms. He hardened his heart before handing Niamh to Ryan.
He knew that with his physical condition now, he was not strong enough to bring Niamh to the hospital.
He could only pass her to Ryan. That was his only option now.
Taking Niamh from Kendrick’s arms, Ryan left a word before he turned around.
“You’ve seen it yourself that there are no limits to what I can do. If you approach her or try to bring her away again, I’ll end her life.”
An evil and a proud smile graced his lips. “Don’t try to catch me either because that’s impossible. You might as well take the time to rid your body of the poison, or you won’t even have the strength to fight me.”
Ryan glanced at Kendrick who was in too much pain to even stand, then turned around with a smile and Niamh in his arms.
The driver drove the car toward him and opened the door for them courteously.
Sean and Eloise sat back in the car they came with and followed to leave.
Ryan brought Niamh to a private hospital and had Adam personally perform the surgery.
The bullet shot through Niamh’s shoulder and made her lose a lot of blood. Thankfully, the hospital had already prepared ample blood bags and Niamh would not be in any life-threatening danger.
Niamh was brought back to Ryan’s living quarters. Staring at Niamh who lay sickeningly pale on the bed, Ryan stood by the side with a solemn look in his eyes.
“I knew that you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from meeting him.
“Do not test my boundaries, Eveline Montgomery. I’m not as stupid as Kendrick to the point that I would rather die before I let you get hurt.
“I will never love you to that point,” he warned by Niamh’s ears. The last sentence was a warning to himself as well.
Still, Ryan felt an inexplicable twinge of uneasiness within him.
He was undoubtedly confident with his gunmanship, yet his hand still shook when he fired the shot earlier. It was almost as if he was afraid that he would hit somewhere fatal.
Ryan gave Niamh one last glance before he left the room.
Sean and Eloise were waiting downstairs the entire time. They had no idea how Niamh was doing.
While it had not occurred to Eloise that Niamh was her daughter, she could not help but feel lured in by the girl. “She’ll be fine, right, Sean? That girl who’s also called Eveline.”
Sean took Eloise’s hand and comforted her gently. “Yeah. She’ll definitely be alright.”
He had just finished speaking when he saw Ryan walking down the stairs.
Sean grabbed Eloise’s hand and strode over to ask for an update. “How is Eveline doing, Mr. Jones? Will she be alright?”
Ryan furrowed his brows worriedly. “I never thought that Kendrick was this crazy. He almost took Niamh’s life.”
Sean was shocked. “What? Kendrick Waldburg?”
“He doesn’t want Eveline and me to be together. That’s why he chased us all the way here. He said that as long as he can’t have her, he won’t let us be together either.”
Sean frowned and sighed. “How did Kendrick become like this? How is Eveline now? Is her life in danger?”
“She lost a lot of blood and is still unconscious.” Ryan blew the story up. “Don’t worry too much, I’ll take care of Niamh. I’ve already got the maids to prepare a guest room for you two. Get some rest.”
Sean did not ask anymore and brought Eloise to the guest room.
Seeing that Sean did not doubt him, Ryan relaxed and went to take a bath.
In the bedroom, Niamh felt her shoulder ache as she woke drowsily from her sleep. Everywhere else felt fine.
She felt her heart clench at the memory of what happened before she got shot.
Niamh slowly sat up. She was about to get out of bed when a shadow approached from the balcony.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the handsome figure in disbelief. “Kendrick?”
Niamh wondered if she was missing Kendrick so much that she was hallucinating him, but the silhouette before her grew clear in her eyes.
She reached out to touch the approaching man, but the mere act of raising her arm tugged the wound on her shoulder.
“Mmph.” She made a muffled sound at the pain.
Kendrick strode over to sit by the bed and pull her into his arms.
“Nia.”
Feeling the solid warmth against her, the corners of Niamh’s eyes burned. She raised her haggard and small face, her expression filled with heartache.
“Does it still hurt? Did the poison torment you again? You still have six doses. Promise me you’ll remember to take them on time.” She reminded in all seriousness, her clear eyes filled with worry and care for the man.
Kendrick held Niamh’s hand. “Don’t worry about me, silly. I’m okay.”
“How am I supposed to not worry about you?” Niamh met the man’s passionate gaze with a concerned one of her own. With difficulty, she raised her hand to caress his face. “I don’t want anything to happen to you again, Kendrick. I don’t want us to be separated again.”
Kendrick cupped her face and leaned down to seal her lips with his before he softly promised, “I swear. We will never need to part again.”
He wrapped his arms around her to carry her. “I’ll bring you away now, Nia.”
Niamh leaned against Kendrick’s chest, fully planning to leave with him until a thought flashed through her mind.
“Wait. Ryan still has my parents.”
“I just want to be with you, Nia.”
“No, no. We can’t…” Niamh rejected. “Quick, leave first. You’re not safe here. If Ryan finds you, then —”
Bang!
Gun in hand, Ryan kicked the door down and entered, interrupting Niamh.
Anger engulfed the man as he raised the gun and aimed it at Kendrick’s heart without hesitation.
“If you’re so willing to die, Kendrick, then let me grant your wish.”
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.