Unrecognizable Corpse Mitchel crumbled to the ground.
He tried standing but to no avail.
His legs refused to support him, rendering him motionless on the ground.
Moreover, a numbness spread through him.
It was if his heart had stopped beating, leaving him feeling hollow and lifeless.
"Mr. Dixon!" Matteo arrived with a team.
His eyes quickly followed Mitchel’s gaze to the motionless figure on the ground
amidst the pool of blood.
Although already used to horrifying scenes, Matteo was still shaken by the scene
before him.
"Mrs. Dixon..." Matteo managed, his voice strained with emotion.
Mitchel brushed off Matteo's assistance and pointed at the figure.
"Go... Confirm," Mitchel ordered in a barely audible voice.
He had to see for himself before he could accept it.
“Of course." Matteo approached the figure in hopes of discerning the identity.
The person, face down and severely injured, was unrecognizable.
Moreover, the blood, mixed with a gruesome, viscous substance that might have
been brain matter, soaked the floor.
The sight was so horrific that nobody wanted to look at it.
One of the bodyguards was unable to stomach the scene and retched on the
spot.
Matteo squatted near the body and searched for any form of identification or
jewelry but found nothing.
Regardless of the identity, it was clear it couldn't be left in such a state.
Matteo instructed a person from his team to cover it with a large piece of black
fabric.
"Is that her?" A chilling voice suddenly cut through the silence.
Matteo turned around, realizing Mitchel had approached silently.
After a moment's hesitation, Matteo admitted, "Mr.
Dixon, I'm sorry, but I can’t confirm the identity." "Move aside!" Mitchel
commanded.
Matteo understood Mitchel’s intentions.
But personally confirming the identity of the corpse would be agonizing.
If it were Raegan, the memory of the sight would haunt Mitchel forever.
In a gentle attempt to dissuade him, Matteo suggested, "Mr.
Dixon, maybe we should wait for the forensic team to confirm.
This isn't something you should see...” His words were cautious, but the grim
reality was unmistakable.
The gruesome mixture of brain matter, skull fragments, and blood was a sight no
one should have to witness.
However, Mitchel disregarded Matteo’s advice.
He pushed past him with determination and knelt down by the covered body.
Mitchel seemed outwardly calm, but his inner turmoil was evident in the way he
dismissed Matteo.
Moreover, his body quivered with barely contained emotion.
Seeing Mitchel in distress, Matteo tried to intervene once more.
"Mr.
Dixon...” Mitchel paid no heed and reached out his hand to the black fabric. His
fingers trembled as they inched closer. A few agonizing seconds later, he finally
grasped the corner of the cloth.
For five long minutes, he remained motionless, silent, and not even drawing a
breath. Then, in a sudden movement, he brought his arm up to his forehead, his
body shaking uncontrollably. "Mr. Dixon..." Matteo rushed forward to support him.
Just then, Mitchel stood up and declared, "It's not her.” Mitchel's intense reaction
was one of immense relief. He looked like someone who had walked through hell
only to find a sudden ray of hope. Amidst the chaos, one of the bodyguards
called out, "There's another one over here!” Everyone rushed over and found a
man on the ground. He had miraculously avoided serious injuries, except for a
sharp bamboo stick impaling his leg. Then, like a gust of wind, a figure rushed
over, knelt beside the injured man, and cried out, "Henley! Henley!" Henley!”
Matteo's eyes widened in disbelief. It was Raegan, very much alive. Upon
noticing Matteo, Raegan quickly asked, "Where's the ambulance?" Matteo was
stunned for a second and then blurted out, “It's outside.” "Bring it in!" Raegan
urged. She then noticed the cold, handsome figure standing behind Matteo. Just
as she was about to say something to Mitchel, the injured Henley on the ground
grasped her hand. "Raegan...” Raegan shifted her gaze back to Henley and
worriedly asked, “Henley, how are you feeling?" Henley mustered a smile, but
blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The severity of his internal injuries, if
any, remained unknown. "I'm fine...
If something happens to me, can you take care of my parents?” "You'll be fine!”
Raegan firmly disagreed with tears cascading
down her cheeks.
"Henley, you're going to be okay. I know it..." Raegan’s mind remained hazy.
Exhaustion had overwhelmed her, and she teetered on the brink of surrender.
Tessa's knife had left a cut on her skin. At that critical moment, Henley had
appeared out of nowhere. He had charged at Tessa, and both of them had
tumbled down the stairs. All Raegan saw was the blood spattered across the
floor. She had feared the worst for Henley, and the thought of him dead because
of her brought her to the edge of despair. Eventually, she found the strength to
crawl down the stairs. There, she found Henley, still conscious, though injured.
Relief flooded through her upon learning he had survived. Raegan would never
forgive herself if anything had happened to Henley on her account. But soon,
relief gave way to lingering fear. It had been such a narrow escape! Just a matter
of inches! She was so close to death.
Had it not been for Henley's prompt rescue, she would have been the one lying
there motionless, and her face would have been beyond recognition. Mitchel,
who was silently watching Raegan break into sobs for Henley, felt a profound
weight on his heart. Ever since she had disappeared, his heart had been in a
constant state of unrest and unable to find peace. When he thought the
miserable body on the ground was Raegan, he felt as though an invisible giant
hand was tearing his heart apart, and the pain still lingered. Only God knew the
overwhelming relief and joy he felt upon seeing her alive and with only a few
minor injuries at most.
How he wished he could hold her in a tight hug. But what about her? Her gaze
was fixed solely on Henley.
Not once did she shift her gaze toward him all the while.
In that instant, Mitchel felt as if his heart was pierced yet again, andanumbing
coldness spread through him.
After the suffering he went through to save Raegan, standing there without
getting Raegan's attention seemed like a cruel twist
of fate.
The joy that had once lit up his face at the sight of her safe and sound slowly
drained away and left a hollow space in his heart.
In just a few moments, his expression turned into one of indifference.
It was as if he had encased his heart in an impenetrable layer of ice, and the air
around him turned frigid.
Just then, the sound of sirens broke the deafening silence.
Police cars and ambulances had arrived.
The medical personnel attended to Henley and carried him away on a stretcher.
Only when the medical personnel approached Mitchel with another stretcher did
Raegan's attention finally shift to him.
Raegan noticed the severe wound on Mitchel's legs.
The injuries had worsened from lack of immediate medical attention and the
strain of his exertions, evident from the persistent
bleeding.
His injuries hadn't been noticeable, partly due to the low light and his black
trousers.
But under the harsh glare of the emergency lights, the severity of his injuries
became apparent.
The blood had soaked into the black fabric of his pants, turning them a deep,
dark brown.
How much blood was lost to saturate a pair of pure black pants? Raegan's face
drained of color as a wave of pain and anguish
washed over her.
This was unlike the guilt and self-blame she felt when she feared Henley would
sacrifice himself to save her.
For Raegan, the emotions she felt toward Henley were driven by guilt and self-
reproach.
With Mitchel, however, it was different.
Her heart had already softened into a warm, flowing current when he bravely
stepped in to save her.
He had put his life on the line not once but twice for her.
Any lingering resentment from their past seemed to dissolve because of his
sacrifice.
Moreover, in those moments when she thought she would die, the only person
she wanted to say goodbye to was Mitchel.
At least he was the last person she saw before she died.
To Reagan, that was enough.
But now, both of them were still alive and clung to hope that maybe...
Raegan felt a sharp pain in her nose.
She longed to reach out and support him.
But when she extended her fingertips, Mitchel coldly brushed them away.
Assuming Raegan loved Henley, Mitchel was no longer interested in her words or
explanations.
He simply turned away.