Chapter 4

Liam Fairdew arrived very quickly, even faster than the police. He carried Vivian out from the car and wrapped her with his trench coat. Then, he carefully carried her into his car.

Vivian was still trembling, so he could only hold her tightly in his arms, soothing her ears with whispers, “It’s alright, Viv, it’s alright. I’m here. The police will be arriving soon. I’ll take you to the hospital when they arrive.”

The police cars arrived swiftly with flashlights blinking continuously. Then, they carried the skinny man’s body out of Vivian’s car and put it into a body bag. A policewoman approached Vivian to check on her condition, and tried to question her about the details of the case.

Liam held his anger back as he spoke in a restrained tone, “My girlfriend has been severely injured. She needs to go to a hospital.”

Fortunately, the policewoman was fair and reasonable, so she immediately asked someone to send Vivian to a hospital. Liam was allowed to stay by her side. Vivian’s vitals gradually stabilized, but her voice was extremely hoarse. She kept urging Liam nervously, “Don’t let my mom and dad find out. Don’t let them find out.”

Liam’s eyes were more bloodshot than hers. He held her hands tightly and gently replied, “Don’t worry. They won’t find out. Don’t be afraid, Viv. I’m here.”

Vivian’s soul and energy seemed to have been completely spent from that altercation between life and death. All that was left was an empty shell that obediently complied with their instructions: do a body check up, check her wounds, get treatment. She even accepted an interrogation from the policewoman. Only when faced with Liam would she display mild signs of life behind her gaze.

“Liam,” she mumbled, “Did I experience a nightmare?”

Liam hugged her closely and replied determinedly, “It’s only a nightmare. It will pass very soon.”

He would never lie to her. Just as he had promised, things did get better with each passing day. Every time he came to visit her, he would bring her a piece of good news.

On the fifteenth day, he came back and told her, “That fugitive, Sean, has been apprehended. All three of them are from the underworld, and two of them are plastered with rape, robbery, and all sorts of wicked charges. It wouldn’t be too much to hack all of them to pieces. You’re fine, Viv. You will be alright.”

Initially, she had been in a daze. Then, she burst into tears. That shapeless terror buried deep inside her heart finally found release. “I’m scared, Liam. I’m so scared. I’m scared that those people will come back and take their revenge. You didn’t see the way he looked at me. He will kill me”

Liam held her tightly in his arms, and spoke to her in a calm and determined voice, “He won’t. He’ll never be able to hurt you again. He won’t get out. The lawyers say that he’ll never get out. Don’t be afraid, Viv. I’ll always be by your side. Let’s get married when this is over. We’ll get a big house and have two kids, then get a dog and a cat so that our home will always be merry!”

Vivian stared into space, still in a daze. The scene that he had described to her, gradually played out in front of her.

“Don’t be afraid, Viv. Time will heal everything slowly. You’ll forget that nightmare,” Liam gently assured her.

…

Four years later in Golden South City.

Golden South City was surrounded by hills and water, and had been famous for its pretty landscape since ancient times. Vivian’s parents initially never made plans to leave their hometown in their old age. However, they loved the landscape here too much. Furthermore, Vivian had decided on marrying her fiancé soon, so they gritted their teeth and sold off their old home, then followed their daughter to Golden South City.

The house they bought was right across Vivian’s neighborhood, separated by a narrow road. It would not take them more than ten minutes to arrive. Even Liam could not resist teasing her, “Your mother’s home is so close by. Going over will be so convenient. I’m just worried that you’ll get annoyed by your parents watching you, and you’ll come complaining to me in less than a few days.”