In the end, Benedict was the one to end the call.
However, before he did, he reminded Edmund to quickly take Sabrina back to Yorksland once she recovered.
That was what Edmund planned to do as well.
Yet, when Sabrina returned to the waking world, he realized there was something different about her.
One morning, when Edmund came to the local hospital and was about to head to Sabrina’s ward, a nurse walked over and told him, “Mr. Cooper, Ms. Sabrina has woken up. However, she’s not displaying any signs of negative emotions like you said she would. She’s rather quiet.”
Edmund froze.
Quiet?
He did not quite believe in the nurse’s words. After all, from the moment he got to know about her, he had only seen her being anxious and angry.
With that thought in mind, Edmund came to her ward.
Like the nurse had said, he was greeted with the sight of a conscious Sabrina when he entered the room.
Oddly, she was looking out of the window, neither crying nor kicking up a fuss. It was as if she was in a whole different world from him.
She never even made any sign that indicated her noticing his entrance.
“Ms. Sabrina?”
Edmund’s heart skipped a beat as alarm bells rang in his head.
To his relief, the woman slowly turned around and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Edmund did not know what to say to her.
He stared into her empty, dead eyes as he digested the emotionless words that left her lips a second ago. His heartbeat, which had slowed down when she responded earlier, quickened again.
“Nothing. I just wanted to ask how you’re feeling. Are you feeling any discomfort anywhere?”
“No,” was all Sabrina said before turning her head to look out of the window again.
Was there anything out there?
The answer was no. What was outside were the tall buildings of Bellridge and the fire tree planted downstairs.
Fire trees were everywhere in Zarain—by the sides of the road, by the garden, and more. Its flowering period was around June and July, and when the flowers bloomed, the tree would turn into a brilliant shade of red.
However, that was not how the fire tree looked at that moment.
It was mid-fall in Zarain. The tree that would have caught the attention of many during summer had nothing but yellowing leaves billowing in the autumn breeze.
That tree was just like what Sabrina now was.
Edmund’s face turned ashen. After a while, he walked over to her bed and tentatively suggested, “If you’re fine, then let’s discharge and go back, shall we? Your brother has called a few times by now. If we don’t go back soon, I think he’ll actually come here himself.”
“Okay,” the woman agreed, much to his surprise.
Edmund lowered his eyes as his heart sank even more.
“But before we go back, can I take a trip to the forest? I want to take a look at the place he…was last at,” Sabrina added.
She did not even want to say that he was dead, for she had described the forest as the place he was last at instead of the place he had died at.
Edmund clenched his hands when he heard her request to the point his knuckles turned white, but in the end, he agreed to it.
Over an hour later, the two drove to the forest Devin was last at. On their way there, the warm sun let its rays shine on the trees, casting a spotty shadow over the land.
It felt like the sun was taunting them, for it was a beautiful scene.
Is it because of the lost life here?
Edmund soon stopped his car near a stop sign.
“The local government has forbidden anyone from entering this place because of your husband’s incident. If you want to go in, we’ll have to walk.”
“Okay.” Sabrina nodded, still expressionless.
Then, she pushed open the door and stepped out of the car.
Edmund was not lying when he said that the road was sealed off after Devin’s incident, for several other nations’ teams were involved in that operation back then as well.
After Devin’s death, the team leaders had swiftly informed their higher-ups about the incident. Later on, Zarain received countless criticisms from various countries; they criticized Zarain for letting their government join the ranks of the criminal organizations and kill a high-ranking foreign military officer despite them entering Zarain to help with its crimes.
Due to the pressure from the various countries, Zarain was forced to make a formal apology to them, including Devin.
Then, Bellridge’s security tightened, and the surrounding forest was sealed up.
Sabrina ambled along the side of the road.
She was still much weaker than she used to be. After labor, she had not received an adequate amount of rest, and the fight at the casino had not helped. Thus, for every short distance she covered, she had to stop to rest.
Edmund stayed by her side the entire time.
“Do you need some water?”
“No, I’m fine.”
She continued walking.
A moment later, she stopped again. This time, Edmund took out a container and said, “Eat something. You haven’t had anything since morning.”
She shook her head again.
Colors were drained from Sabrina’s face, and the sweat beading on her forehead was almost drenching her hair.
