Chapter 229

S21 59. Pray for Barbara

“Barbara, don’t fall asleep. Look at me. Look at me!”

Philip jerked his arms slightly, helping Barbara turn her head, facing his face again.

“Just remember my words. You’ll be fine, okay? We’ll be at the

hospital soon, and your wounds will be treated. You can recover in the blink of an eye.”

Barbara sighed faintly. She wanted to nod, but couldn’t. Witnessing that, Emily started to sob.

“Auntie has to get better. I don’t want Auntie to be in trouble,” she

whined.

Louis also deepened his brow furrows. His lips twitched slightly. “Yes, Auntie has to be strong. When Auntie has recovered, we can play again. Auntie hasn’t seen our animation yet, right?”

Barbara swallowed hard. Her throat felt dry, her heart ached. Honestly, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to see the twins again.

“Kids,” Frank called, walking with wide strides. Arriving in front of the twins, he bent down, holding their shoulders.

“If you want Auntie to get better quickly, pray. That’s what she needs most now. Besides, when she gets to the hospital, she will go straight into the operating room. You won’t be able to see her either.”

“But we can pray in the waiting room, and we can welcome Auntie after surgery.” Louis looked up with a pitiful face.

“And make your aunt sad?” Frank whispered as he cupped his son’s cheek. “She must feel guilty and anxious if you wait for her at the hospital, especially if you don’t sleep.”

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“Yes, you also have to take care of your health, Little Angels,” Ka continued softly. “Auntie doesn’t want you to get sick because y

think about her.”

Louis pressed his lips inward and lowered his head. Emily beside him did the same thing, as if imitating.

“Okay, we’ll stay at home and pray from our rooms,” Louis said, sadly.

At that moment, the car they were waiting for arrived. Philip and Karal rushed to bring Barbara inside. The driver got out, helped them.

Meanwhile, Frank shook the twins’ shoulders, as if to send them strength. “Now go to your rooms and sleep. Don’t forget to pray for Auntie.”

Suddenly, Susan appeared from behind the door. Frank could feel a

little relieved.

“Mom….”

Just one word, but Susan blinked in understanding. “Go save her.”

After one nod, Frank rushed to sit behind the wheel. As soon as the

door closed, the car sped off. The twins could only see the tail.

“Grandma, will Auntie recover? Her face is very pale,” Emily pouted.

Susan sighed faintly. “She will, especially if you gave her the power of prayer. Now, let’s go back to your rooms.” She took her

grandchildren’s tiny hands.

“I will pray all night, Grandma. I hope Auntie will be strong and the operation will go smoothly,” Louis said as he followed Susan’s steps.

Emily nodded slightly. “Me too. Poor Auntie. She must be very worried. I hope Daddy can take her to the hospital without a hitch.”

Meanwhile, in the car, Barbara occasionally closed her eyes. Her

moans could no longer be heard. Afraid that the girl would sleep forever, Philip woke her up.

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“Hey, hang in there. We’ll be there in a minute, hmm?” Philip rubbed the pale face with his hand that was not pressing on the wound.

Barbara opened her eyes, but only half. Her eyelids looked very heavy.

“Cold.”

Her voice was too thin. Philip leaned his head closer. “What?”

“Cold,” Barbara repeated, still incoherent.

However, Philip could read her lips. He started rubbing Barbara’s arm and blowing on her fingers. If there had been no partition or distance between their seats, he would have grabbed her.

“Frank, isn’t there a jacket in the back trunk?” Kara furrowed her

eyebrows.

“Yes, but we don’t have time to take it. Hang in there. We’ll be there

soon.”

Frank stepped on the pedal. Their car went faster.

When she arrived at the emergency room, Barbara was no longer conscious. Philip was secretly frightened. His fists were shaking a bit, especially when he let Barbara into the operating room.

“Hey, calm down. Barbara will be fine.” Frank rubbed his wife’s

shoulder.

Kara nodded. Her brows furrowed slightly. “But it seems I’m not the one you have to calm down now.”

She glanced to the side. Frank followed her gaze. Seeing Philip standing still with his eyes glued to the operating room door, he sighed in resignation.

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“There’s no point in us comforting Philip, Kara. He’s worried about girlfriend. His heart won’t relax until he sees Barbara again. Now, w better get your hands clean.”

Kara looked at her palms. The blood stain had dried. She

remembered that her mother-in-law’s hand was also covered in blood.

“Frank, do you think your mother will be okay?”

Frank’s brow furrowed. After exhaling quickly, he shook his head.

“I don’t know. But I’ve asked the guards to keep an eye on her. When I get home, I’ll check on her.”

Kara nodded. Letting Frank guide her steps, she glanced over. The operating hours seemed to be ticking very slowly.

***

In her room, Melanie was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wardrobe. Her gaze was empty. Her open mouth occasionally let out a sigh.

“Barbara ….”

The fishy smell that lingered on her body kept reminding her. How pale Barbara’s face was, how painful her moans were, and how helpless the girl looked. It all referred to one thing. She was the cause of her suffering.

“I didn’t mean it.” Melanie shook her head faintly. Her tears started to fall. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Dear.”

Suddenly, Melanie heard Barbara’s voice, calling out to her. Not in her usual cheerful or enthusiastic tone, but hoarse and unsteady, just like the moment before she collapsed with her chest covered in blood.

Excruciating pain immediately hit Melanie’s heart. Her chest felt tight, her whole body shaking. Unable to hold back the tearing feeling, she

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began to wail and cry.

“I didn’t mean it, Dear. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m sorry.”

Slowly, her body bent in response to the pain. After a few moments, she was curled up on the floor. Her arms folded close to her chest, as if little Barbara was in there.

“I’m sorry, Darling. I’m sorry!”

She was the one who gave her daughter breath. She taught her to walk. She accompanied her every step. There was no way she was the one who ended it.

“Louis, did you hear that? It looks like Grandma Melanie is crying,” Emily whispered as she glanced to the side.

The toddler who was also leaning against the wall nodded. “Perhaps, Grandma is afraid that Aunt will die. Even though she is evil, she is still her mother.”

Emily bent her knees and folded her arms on them. While propping her chin, she furrowed her brows.

“I really don’t understand. What actually happened? Could it be… it happened because of Grandma?”

Louis imitated his little sister’s pose. “I think so. Grandma Susan told us to hurry into the room. The other servants were also avoiding us. They seemed to be hiding something that we shouldn’t know about.”

Emily let out a faint breath. “Maybe Auntie’s accident was too terrible for us to see.’ But, whatever happens, I hope Auntie recovers quickly.”

“Yeah! Well then, how about we pray again?”

Emily’s glazed eyes opened wider. “Good idea, Louis. We also have to pray for Philip to be strong through all this. He must be very sad.”

Then, while correcting their positions, the twins brought their hands

together in front of their chest. Their eyes were closed, and their

mouths were mumbling.