"The scene of the accident was too tragic; the car body was broken in two. The rescue workers are still working intensely on the rescue."

"There seem to be only two people on the scene: one male driver and one female passenger..."

Chapter 12

Marcus’s heart tightened violently, and a chill spread throughout his body.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

The mechanical prompt coming from the phone reminded him of the voice of the male driver he heard earlier.

"Number plate ending in 1952, hello. The destination is Blue Universe Airport, correct?"

Action came faster than emotion.

By the time he came to his senses, the cold rain had drenched his face, flowing down into his collar through the gaps.

Marcus couldn't even distinguish if it was rain or something else; his heart was so cold it almost felt as if it had stopped beating.

The rain fell like beans; only the howling wind and his rapid breathing remained in his ears.

No one knew how chaotic Marcus’s thoughts were at this moment.

He didn't dare to imagine if it really was her.

On this stormy, rainy night, with Clara trapped alone under the car, how terrified she must be... how helpless.

How much pain she must be in...

A bolt of lightning tore through the overcast sky.

The light of that moment illuminated the road ahead, reflecting his blood-red eyes.

Marcus finally saw clearly what was in front.

Police cars and ambulances had blocked the intersection completely, and he panicked.

Cold—perhaps due to running too fast, he had lost his body's natural warmth.

Pain—perhaps due to shallow breathing, his lungs felt sharp, stabbing pains.

It was such a short distance.

Yet it felt so long, as if it had no end.

Since Marcus was born, this was the first time he had felt so disheveled, his reason stripped away by unease and panic.

He thought of nothing.

There was only one thought: to see Clara.

He wanted to call her name; he wanted to see those clear, bright eyes of hers.

He wanted to see her turn her head in surprise and happily shout his name, "Marcus."

He didn't want to see the petite, gentle figure in his memories become cold and silent.

Everything had happened too fast; it shouldn't have been like this, should it?

Suddenly.

His foot tripped over something.

Marcus fell into the muddy ground in a disheveled heap, his expensive coat covered in mud and water; where was the composure of the "Prince of the Beijing Circle" now?

He lay there blankly for a long time, revealing a mocking smile.

Why was he in such a rush?

After all, she was just a deaf woman.

If she hadn't been so stubborn in her insistence on leaving, how could she have ended up like this?

He clearly didn't love her; all of this was just a pretense.

Marcus drew up his legs and stood up shakily, looking toward the direction where the red and blue lights flickered in the rain; his eyes ached with a dry, throbbing pain.

The person he truly loved, from start to finish, should be Chloe, right?

His fingers clenched tight one by one, and the questions in his heart were all reminders from his reason.

Calm down, Marcus.

The person you love is Chloe; marrying Clara was only to use her.

You are the Prince of the Beijing Circle; don't act like a clown.

Stop thinking about her; stop thinking about Clara!

...

But, but...

Why?

The person occupying his mind, the figure that appeared, was not Chloe.

It wasn't Chloe, who liked to speak in a娇 (coy) voice, who always pulled him to drink, or who rubbed her legs against him while wearing silk stockings.

It was the woman who always liked to pin her long hair up and sit there quietly for the whole afternoon.

Like a fool, spending the whole day revolving around those flowers and plants.

Even in her free time, she didn't know how to make friends, and even when she was scolded, she couldn't hear it, only offering that gentle smile.

Clara...

Marcus walked forward slowly.

In the past, even if there was a speck of dirt on his clothes, the Prince would have discarded them without hesitation.

But now, covered in rain and mud, he didn't care at all as he walked toward the crowd.

Weiwei...

He walked against the flow of people; the closer he got, the louder the sound of the police sirens became.

When Marcus saw that taxi broken into two halves, although the car body was damaged beyond recognition.

That unique color scheme was indeed the car he had seen Clara get into on the surveillance footage.

Not far away, two striking pieces of blue cloth were laid out on the ground.

Chapter 13

"How could this happen? Honey?! Open your eyes and look at me..."

A family member had already rushed to the scene, kneeling on the ground in a complete emotional breakdown, calling out his name with heart-wrenching, soul-shattering cries.

She called out again and again, hoping for a response from someone who was already gone.

Marcus stood to the side, his brain suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness; he could barely keep his footing.

The sound of sirens, the wailing, the crackling of burning metal, and the shouts of the rescue workers—

These sounds intertwined, composing a terrifying symphony.

Cold frost enveloped him, his last shred of hope frozen solid, leaving only an endless void.

"Sir? You cannot enter here..."

A police officer saw him trying to push forward and spoke up quickly.

Marcus shoved the officer aside and walked inside, his face expressionless.

"Don't stop him, he’s probably a family member."

Another captain looked at this man, filthy, soaked to the bone, and with eyes full of numbness, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Another broken family; this is a scene no one wants to see," he muttered to himself.

Marcus’s chest felt so tight with pain he could barely breathe.

He looked at the blue cloth covering the body; the outlined silhouette seemed so much like her...

Marcus walked to the side of the blue cloth, his knees giving way, and he collapsed, unable to utter a complete sentence.

"Weiwei..."

His voice trembled, filled with despair.

The cruel reality was like a sharp blade, dissecting his chest, forcing him to face the bloody truth.

"It can't be you, right? Tell me it isn't..."

Marcus’s six-foot-one frame was trembling faintly.

He turned his back to everyone, his eyes reddening in silence, but he fought to keep the tears from falling, afraid of disturbing something.

"How could you leave? I didn't give you permission to leave... I was going to watch over you for the rest of my life, at least until I got bored of you, then you could go, right Weiwei?"

Marcus rambled incoherently, saying things only he could understand.

His ears were ringing, as if they were broken; the world in his eyes had turned silent.

"Weiwei, Weiwei... Clara!"

He called her name over and over again.

"Get up and look at me!"

As he growled, suddenly, he tasted something salty and froze in place.

He was actually crying?

Marcus’s laughter was low and shaky, sounding so unfamiliar, yet the tears continued to fall.

He recalled the last time he saw Clara.

He had hit her.

That was when he knew she had just suffered a miscarriage, and he knew the engagement banquet was set on the mountaintop of the manor.

He wanted to punish her because she had hurt Chloe, so he deliberately made her go home alone.

What kind of absurd things was he doing? Marcus?

The taste of unprecedented regret plunged Marcus into a quagmire, as if he were possessed by madness.

Twenty-eight years of smooth sailing had finally caused him to take a brutal fall.

He had broken his head, and it took breaking his soul for him to wake up.

If he truly had not a shred of affection for Clara, why did he smile involuntarily when he saw her?

Why was he always so careful when mentioning Chloe, terrified that Clara would find out?

And why was it only when he held Clara’s waist that he could feel a moment of peace and relaxation?

What was he afraid of? What was he worried about? What was he terrified of facing...?

A sudden clap of thunder exploded in the sky, as if piercing into the depths of his heart.

He was afraid—afraid that he had actually fallen in love with Clara.

Chapter 14

"J..."

Marcus let out a breathy sound, wanting to call her name, but the rolling emotions choked him in his throat.

He could only struggle to suppress his breathing, attempting to stifle his inner collapse, but he couldn't hide the traces of agony.

"The cleanup here is almost done. Family members, please move aside; for the sake of traffic flow, please step back."