Albina hurried to turn on the flashlight function of her phone.
The dark elevator was partially illuminated and Albina hurriedly picked up her phone to look for the man, and it didn’t take her long to see him.
The tall man was now almost curled up in a ball, his whole body cowering in the corner of the elevator. His body was shaking continuously, and he looked terrified.
Albina was relieved to see that he must not be in much pain.
But a big man, taller than her and imposing in appearance, how could he be so afraid!
She hesitated, sighed and resigned herself to walk towards him. She squatted down in front of him and patted him on the shoulder, then said in a soft voice:
-Don’t be afraid, the elevator has stopped now, and someone will come to rescue us soon.
The man’s trembling body paused for a moment as Albina continued persuasively:
-There are enough people in this building, if there was an accident with the elevator, it could be found quickly, and believe me, we won’t be trapped for long.
As soon as Albina’s words left her mouth, the man suddenly rushed towards her. His long, slender arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders, his warm, cool breath coming close as the man’s head shrunk against her neck.
Albina’s face was almost buried in his chest and she was sweating.
-Sir, can you let go of me? It’s hot,” Albina’s voice was muffled.
Who knew that when she said that, the man hugged her even tighter and rubbed his large head against her neck, his hair sweeping shaggy against her skin.
Albina’s face darkened, this man wasn’t taking advantage of her was he?
As she was about to push the man away forcefully, she suddenly sensed that he was not in a good mood.
She looked over her shoulder and saw that all the indifference was gone from the man’s face, and he was in an extremely agitated and fearful mood.
It was as if he had seen something extremely frightening. His body was shaking constantly, and despite the fact that the elevator was very warm and crowded, the man’s hand against her arm was cold.
Albina frowned, if she was right, this person should be claustrophobic.
As soon as the thought came to her, she dismissed it again.
No, no, if it was claustrophobia, he wouldn’t have entered the elevator. His abnormality had been when the elevator had broken down.
Albina guessed that perhaps he had experienced something similar before and it had cast a shadow over him and that was why he was like this.
She hesitated for a moment and reached behind the man with a free hand and stroked his hair, then said in a soft voice:
-It’s okay, we’ll be out soon, don’t be afraid.
Albina’s movements were a little stiff and awkward. This man was a stranger to her and comforted her with a slight note of embarrassment.
But, miraculously, after saying this, the man’s mood stabilized, his body stopped shaking.
The moment he regained consciousness, Mateo realized that he was holding a woman in his arms.
The woman seemed not to realize that he had come to his senses, her small, delicate hands gently stroked his hair one after the other, and her mouth spoke words of comfort.
He moved a little stiffly, but gently enough, racking his brains for the words: we’ll be out soon.
But those words gave him infinite strength and kept him from being afraid of that dark, enclosed environment.
Matthew was already awake and should have released her at that moment, but he hesitated and his arms shrunk even more, holding her tightly in his arms and his head pressed more intimately against her.
He wanted to let go at this moment, to stop straining his emotions and let go of what was in his heart.
It was the first time in over twenty years that she had embraced warmth.
It was clear that she was afraid of her surroundings, but Matthew wanted to make the time pass more slowly.
Of course, Albina felt the man’s arms tighten as his face was in the back of her head and she couldn’t see the man’s gaze at all, she just thought he was scared again.
She had no choice but to let him hold her, stroking her back expressionlessly and praying that help would come soon.
If they didn’t come, he might end up suffocating in this man’s arms.
There was no telling how much time had passed, but suddenly there was light above the elevator and a hoarse voice emerged in the light:
-Is anyone in there? Answer if there is.
Albina seemed delighted and hastily craned her neck, letting go of the man and pulling him with her other right arm, waving frantically at the top.
-Yes, yes, yes, yes, there’s someone in the elevator. There are two of us, I’m fine physically and emotionally, but he’s a bit under the weather, and I’d better call an ambulance.
She was logical and immediately reported the situation of the two men.
There must have been quite a few people coming to the rescue, and she guessed there were quite a few onlookers. It was a mess up there, but it didn’t take long for someone to poke their head in, ready to pull the two out.
Albina was quick to push the man forward and pat him on the shoulder.
-You go out first!
Matthew froze for a moment and then pursed his lips, his heart indescribably warm.
This woman was really kind.
It was clear that people were selfish in the face of profit and life, but she gave him the opportunity to be the first to escape.
Matthew turned slightly to the side and, in turn, pushed Albina’s back.
-It’s okay, you can leave first. I’m emotionally stable now, no problem. Ladies first.
Albina froze for a moment, then felt a small cramp in her belly, she just remembered she still had a baby in her belly.
She nodded and stepped out of the elevator with the help of the staff.
As soon as she stepped out, fresh air came in and Albina felt alive as she was exposed to the sun and the gentle breeze.
-Are you all right? Nothing happened? -the curious onlookers beside her asked eagerly.
Albina shook her head and was about to speak when suddenly she saw the Santangel family driver come running up with a sniffle and tears in his eyes as he stood in front of her.
-Madam, I’m sorry I didn’t take care of you.
Albina really didn’t feel well, but fearing that the driver would be overwhelmed, she shook her head.
-It’s not your fault, you didn’t know the elevator was going to have an accident either, did you?
After such an incident, Albina couldn’t bring herself to look at the studio renovation, and left the elevator entrance with the driver’s help.
Matthew had just exited the elevator when he only saw her back as she was leaving, and hurried to try to chase after her.
He had not yet had a chance to learn the woman’s name and thank her.
But since Albina had said beforehand that she was in shock and in a bad mood, a rush of first responders and building officials moved in to silence him, chaotically blocking his path.
Mateo’s face went cold, and the coldness in him surfaced again.
-I’m fine, please stand back.
His voice was calm, and the group finally turned away, but the woman’s trail was already gone.
Mateo’s face became even uglier.
He looked at the person in charge of the building, as well as the crowd of onlookers surrounding him, and frowned as he asked:
-The woman who was with me a moment ago, do any of you know her?
At those words, the crowd looked at each other.
None of them knew Albina, and the person in charge of the building had been greeted by the Santangel family, but did not know her either.
Seeing the confused look on the crowd’s face, Matthew sighed inwardly.
Sogen City was so great, would he get a chance to see her again?