Chapter 23
Ever since that phone call, Saoirse rarely encountered Julian, except for their occasional meetings in the elevator or hallway.
Julian would greet her every time, but Saoirse never responded as she pretended not to see him and walked past him.
Seeing her hurriedly avoiding him, Julian was filled with despair, and his mood would be down for quite a while. But whenever they met again, he would still greet her with a bright smile.
Life moved on quietly and steadily. Other than having this somewhat annoying neighbor, Saoirse’s life was going smoothly. As the summer heat. gradually dissipated, her internship was also nearing its end.
One day after work, thinking that autumn was approaching and she needed to buy a few jackets, she decided to go shopping alone. After
picking out a few well–fitting items and paying, she planned to take a cab home
by detouring through a small alley.
With headphones and a baseball cap on whenever she went out, Saoirse was always lost in her own world. She hadn’t noticed the two men following her.
When she ventured deep into the alley, the men with knives blocked her path. She suddenly realized she was being robbed. With no one around. and facing the cold gleam of the knives, she didn’t dare say a word and obediently handed over her belongings and wallet.
The two tall and burly robbers ran away as soon as they grabbed the
items.
Terrified and feeling drained, Saoirse leaned against the wall, gasping for air. Suddenly, a figure ran past her. She thought there might be more trouble and quickly looked up, only to see Julian chasing after the two
robbers.
After catching up to them, Julian grabbed one of the robbers by the shoulder and snatched the wallet back. The robber cursed and fought with
Julian, while his accomplice, hearing the commotion, turned around to help.
The three men were soon entangled in a scuffle. Thinking about their knives and fearing that things might turn bloody, Saoirse anxiously turned to the alley and shouted for the police.
As expected, the robbers were alarmed by Saoirse’s screams. They
started to make their escape. However, Julian was still holding onto one of them and refused to let go.
In a state of panic, the robber, who happened to have a knife, disregarded everything and stabbed Julian in the abdomen.
The sharp pain forced Julian to finally let go.
Seeing this, the robbers kicked him hard before running off.
Saoirse’s heart sank when Julian collapsed. As she rushed forward, she saw him clutching his abdomen with his hands covered in blood.
Her mind went blank.
Trembling, she took out her phone and dialed emergency services.
Julian bit his lip hard, struggling to keep his tired eyes open as he constantly reminded himself not to fall asleep.
As his face grew pale, Saoirse’s heart raced in her chest. Her eyes were. filled with panic and urgency as she desperately called his name and pulled out a newly bought silk scarf from the robbers‘ discarded bag to use as a makeshift bandage.
Time seemed to pass by agonizingly slowly. Human willpower couldn’t hold out against one’s physiological response, and Julian was nearing the point of collapse due to excessive blood loss. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, the sound of the ambulance finally came from outside the alley.
Saoirse jumped up from the ground and ran toward the source of the sound, waving her arms and shouting to help the medical personnel locate her.
Chapter 27
As Julian watched Saoirse’s blurry figure gradually recede, he heard the pounding of his own heartbeat in his chest. The overwhelming weakness spreading throughout his body made it impossible for him to keep his
heavy eyelids open.
With a faint smile, he closed his eyes.
