Finally understanding what he had just heard, Ned felt his blood rush to his head. He charged into the hospital building like a madman, ignoring everything as he sprinted up the stairs. He had to stop this—he absolutely had to stop it from happening.
Faster, faster! Why did this have to happen?
He hadn't even confirmed yet whether Sarah was truly his biological mother. At the very least, they still had an agreement today that hadn't yet begun.
If Sarah really died by jumping, then he and Sophie would never have any chance of being together again.
His plan, his love, his Sophie—she would never forgive him…
No. This absolutely could not happen.
No one had ever seen the usually reserved Ned act so crazily. He ran upward floor by floor at the fastest speed of his life. Almost there—just one more flight.
Finally, gasping for breath, he pushed open the iron door to the rooftop. "Sarah—Sarah—" he shouted at the top of his lungs, using every ounce of strength he had.
He scanned the surroundings, looking as far as he could to locate Sarah. But in the end, his pupils contracted sharply. All he saw was a single arm hanging in mid-air, rapidly falling downward.
Ned dashed toward that direction and watched helplessly as Sarah, dressed in a hospital gown with only a short coral fleece jacket over it, seemed to hear his call. Her hands clawed desperately upward, but nothing could stop her rapid descent.
Down in the small plaza below, patients and their families who had gathered around witnessed the horrifying suicide jump. Screams rose one after another. Some people, unable to bear the shock, collapsed to the ground.
Thud—
With a dull, heavy sound, Sarah's body slammed onto the ground. Fresh red blood slowly spread out beneath her.
People sucked in sharp breaths and covered their mouths and noses in horror. Terrified, they supported one another and instinctively backed away in unison. Doctors and nurses from the hospital immediately rushed forward to examine Sarah's condition. It was obvious—the person lying on the ground was dead, with no signs of life remaining.
"Ah! Ah! Oh God!" Sharp cries came from below. "No, don't do this to me! Sarah, you can't do this! I hate you! I will never forgive you!" At that moment, Victoria's screams seemed to echo right in Ned's ears.
He slowly crouched down, tears that had already filled his eyes streaming down his face. Hugging his head, he roared like a trapped beast: "Why did this happen? Why did it turn out like this? Someone tell me…"
His hands trembling uncontrollably, he pulled the phone from his jacket pocket and, with great difficulty, dialed his father's number. "Hello, Father… Sarah jumped! I saw it with my own eyes! I didn't make it in time to save her…"
"Chairman—oh! What's wrong, Chairman—Chairman——Call an ambulance, quickly call an ambulance—" came the anxious voice of the chairman's assistant, Sam, from the other end of the line.
Sam took the phone that was still connected and said, "Hello, may I ask who this is? The chairman is suspected of having a recurrence of his heart condition and needs to be rushed to the hospital immediately. If you have an urgent matter, please tell me first—I'm his assistant, Sam."
Hearing this devastating news, Ned's heart tightened painfully. He stood up abruptly, pacing quickly downstairs while urgently instructing the person on the line: "Sam, it's Ned. I'm at University Hospital right now. Have the ambulance bring Father straight here. I'll contact the cardiovascular experts at the hospital immediately. Then hurry and send me Father's medical records from the past ten years—the sooner, the better!"
"Understood, General Manager. I'll have the secretary send them over right away. Please check your messages promptly," Sam replied dutifully. "The ambulance should arrive at University Hospital in about twenty minutes. Please contact the relevant experts as soon as possible!"
Twenty minutes later, Sarah's body had been moved by medical staff to the hospital morgue corridor. After the police completed their investigation and evidence collection, a specialist would register it and proceed with the next steps. Before that, the dedicated nurse for the VIP ward had already called the patient's family member, Sophie, at the first opportunity.
Ned could no longer attend to his mother, Victoria, who had fainted from grief in the plaza. After briefly instructing the nurse to arrange a bed for her to rest, he hurried off without pause to contact the hospital's cardiovascular experts.
The ambulance siren blared loudly as it sped onto the hospital's emergency platform. The medical staff swiftly and efficiently carried out their tasks. Jonathan was carried off the vehicle on a stretcher, receiving oxygen and an IV drip; his face was a bluish-gray, his brows deeply furrowed. Sam, who had accompanied him, wore a grave expression.
After a series of quick and efficient examinations, the specialist reviewed Jonathan's medical checkup records from recent years. He immediately instructed the medical team nearby to wheel the patient into Operating Room No. 1.
Outside the operating room, he informed Ned, "Your father is suffering from a severe myocardial infarction. He has likely had similar episodes before, only managed with medication. This attack is so serious—it must have been triggered by extreme emotional stress. You need to prepare yourselves. If the surgery is unsuccessful, there's a high chance he could become vegetative."
The always calm and composed Ned could now only nod mechanically. He couldn't utter a single word, silently watching as the operating room doors closed and the red "In Surgery" light illuminated.
He told himself, "Stay calm. The worst possible things are all happening at once. Right now, I must sort out my thoughts. I can't panic—I can't panic…"
Leaving the operating room entrance, Ned first went to the ward to check on his mother. Tears still clung to her face, but she remained unconscious. Ned gently wiped her cheeks with a tissue, then asked the nurse about her condition.
His mother had fainted due to intense emotional upheaval followed by further shock. The reason she hadn't woken up yet was likely subconscious—she couldn't accept the reality and didn't want to face it. However, this state wouldn't last long; she would soon regain consciousness.
Then he asked about Sarah's condition. The nurse shook her head and said regretfully, "I'm so sorry. Sarah has gone to heaven. We've already notified her family in time. Someone should arrive soon to handle the follow-up arrangements."
After learning the full situation, Ned let out a long breath. He forced himself to maintain a steady mindset, because the next person to collapse was already on her way. The only person she had relied on had left her in such a drastic way—her emotions would undoubtedly shatter completely. In recent days, he had already hurt her beyond repair. He couldn't bear to imagine what Sophie's reaction would be when she heard this devastating news.
All he knew was that Sophie needed him now. He had to pull himself together. Ned couldn't picture whether Sophie would lose control, whether she would break down completely, whether she would… He truly didn't dare to think further. The only thing he could do right now was go to the hospital entrance to meet her, so that seeing him might offer her some small measure of comfort—that was all.
Doing his best to remain calm, Ned paced to the main entrance of the hospital and waited patiently for Sophie's arrival.
After at least ten taxis had come and gone, a green taxi finally pulled in with its hazard lights flashing. Sophie, in a panic, flung open the door and rushed straight toward the elevator hall, completely missing Ned, who had been waiting for her the entire time.
"Sophie, Sophie—" he called out loudly, trying to snap her back to awareness.
But Sophie, running ahead, didn't hear his voice at all. She had already turned into the elevator hall.
Ned quickly sprinted a few steps and grabbed her arm, stopping her from entering the elevator. "Your mother isn't in the ward."
"Let go of me! Let go!" Sophie struggled, trying to break free from his grip. "No, she's in the ward."
"Sophie, calm down. Listen to me—your mother isn't in the ward. I know where she is. I'll take you there!" Ned said patiently.
"No, I don't want to! I'm going to the ward to see for myself." Sophie refused to listen, continuing to struggle. She even bit down hard on Ned's wrist in an attempt to force him to release her.
Only when she realized Ned was holding firm and showed no intention of letting go—his wrist now bearing clear bite marks and traces of blood—did she finally collapse to the floor in tears. Sobbing, she pleaded, "Mom… I need to see her. She wouldn't abandon me. Just let me go see her. Just one look—one look is all I ask."
In the end, Ned gave in. He accompanied her to the VIP ward where Sarah had stayed. The room had already been thoroughly cleaned; there was no trace left of the month or so that her mother had spent there. Sophie searched under the pillow, in the drawers, in every corner of the wardrobe—nothing her mother had left for her remained.
She crouched down, whispering in agony, "Mom, where did you go? Don't you want Sophie anymore? Didn't we promise to go to America together?"