2days later, Livy returned from seeing her mother and sadly told me that she had agreed to head Luthel Inc and the Verc while Judy prepares to have the heart surgery.
But she wasn’t feeling so down about it after we both went out together, and we were still happy up until 5days ago, when she heard that Judy had entered into a coma after the surgery, even though it had been successful.
I watched her and saw the light slowly leaving her face as she slumped to the ground at the hospital.
She kept muttering words like, “Its all my fault… I did this… why didn’t I listen?”
She was ranting hysterically as I tried to hold her and pull her together.
Ever since then, she had become a shell of a person. I’ve only been able to see her a couple of times at home since she now works at Luthel Inc, and goes to the hospital from work.
She comes home very late some nights, looking like a shadow of herself, while other nights she stays at the Luthel mansion.
I tried talking to her but she’d completely shut me out and it was back to square-one all over again.
I thought maybe she might be hurting because her mother slipped into a coma but, it was more than that because she was purposely avoiding me.
I didn’t know if my heart could take on any more of her silence and rejection for the second time, but I kept trying to reach out to her and to assist her in anyway I could.
Until yesterday evening when I came home and saw her lying lifeless in the bathtub.
I never should have asked her to convince Judy into doing the surgery- I don’t know, maybe things would have been different?
I held her hand with both of mine and kissed them gently. She still haven’t regain consciousness and I was scared to my bones.
“Livy please… please wake up- I’m begging you. If not for anything, but for the sake of the happy future you dreamed of having. I haven’t even told you that I finally found you after all these years. I haven’t showed you just how much I love you. Please, wake up, huh?” I requested in tears.
I felt like someone was ripping my heart out but the pain is just stuck in my throat making it hard for me to breath.
I heard the door swing opened and I looked up to see Heather and Daniel walk in.
“Markian! Oh my God, how is she?” Heather asked almost yelling.
When I stood up to welcome them, she locked me in an embrace, consoling me heartily.
“I’m so sorry, I should have been here.” She added.
“It’s not your fault. Thank you so much for coming” I managed to add.
I can’t believe they both flew from Shanghai down here just for Livy, and I felt proud.
“Hey man, is she going to be okay?” Daniel asked, as Heather finally released me from her hug.
“The doctor said she’ld be fine, she just… haven’t regain consciousness yet.” I replied looking back at Livy, as Daniel patted my shoulder- consoling me.
I could tell he was worried sick but tried to act cool, they both were and, I was I bit relieved to have them here.
Heather went over to the other side of Livy’s bed and held her other hand, trying to keep it warm.
“How did this happen? Why would you do this, Livy?” Heather asked sadly and annoyed.
She looked up at me and asked, “What happened, Markian? How could you let this happen?”
“I really don’t know. She has been feeling quite guilty since Judy entered into a coma after having a heart surgery done- I really don’t know. Heather… I was the one who told her to convince her mother to undergo surgery and now…” I stated, feeling depressed and wallowing in my own self-guilt.
“There must have been something else. Her mother becoming comatose isn’t enough reason for her to want to take her own life,” she commented in grievance.
“I really don’t know. I’ve been sitting here for the past 22hrs, trying to think of what could have driven her into doing this, but nothing else comes to mind.” I replied unsettled.
I was feeling very frustrated as I tried to comb my messy hair back with my fingers.
“You need to rest, Markian. You look terrible” Daniel suggested innocently.
“I can’t. I need to know that she is alright first before anything else” I stated firmly, and thankfully they didn’t pressed me further.
We just sat in the room praying for Livy to wake up, until she did- 20mins later.
“Livy? Livy… Are you waking up?” I asked, as I heard her groan in pain as she held her head and slowly opened her eyes.
“Livy, are you feeling better now?” Heather asked excitedly.
“Where… am I?” Livy asked irritated.
“At the hospital. You were rushed here in an ambulance after I found you unconscious in the pool of your blood in the bathtub.” I explained, as I held her hand tightly and looked into her eyes.
She looked disappointed and upset as she stared back at everyone in the room, starting from Daniel who was standing close to me, to Heather who was at the other side of the bed, then back at me.
She suddenly pulled her hand from mine gently and I was shocked at her action.
She tried to sit up but when I approached her to assist her, she pulled out her palm, stopping me from coming close to her.
Both Heather and Daniel saw it, but Heather just gave me a casual smile, mouthing silently to me to ignore Livy’s actions.
“Livy, what the hell were you thinking? Why would you do something as stupid as this?” Heather questions playfully while trying to look serious.
She is trying to lighten the mood in the room, since tension rose after Livy had been stopping all my advances to assist or hold her.
“To get away from all of you. Why else would I want to commit suicide?” She asked rhetorically.
What the hell?
We were all baffled by her confession and it wasn’t funny at all.
“Livy?… what do you mean by that?” Daniel asked confused.
I was completely shocked and was unable to say a single word after that.
“Exactly what you heard,” She replied again rudely.
I could tell Heather was starting to fume in with anger.
“Livy? We both flew for almost 16hrs from Shanghai down here and this is all you’re gonna say? How dare you?” Heather asked angrily.
My head was banging and i was finding it quite difficult to focus.
“What are you both doing here, by the way? Did I ask you to come back? This… pathetic show of affection is just disturbing. You do whatever you want to, don’t blame me for it.” Livy replied rudely.
What has come over Livy all of a sudden? Is she having a relapse or something? Maybe there’s somethings her drugs making her delusional, spilling such vile words.
“Maybe I should go get the doctor…” Daniel suggested, but stopped at Livy’s remark.
“There’s no need for that now, they saved me already. I’m not delusional, it’s just that no matter how much I try to escape all of you and your vicious family, I just can’t. Why the hell did you save me, Markian?! You won’t let me live, you also won’t let me die!!” she yelled frantically, scaring me.
“And why wouldn’t I try to save? You became my life- my family, and saving you was the only logical thing I could do” I answered exhaustedly, as the headache tries to tear my head apart.
“Family? Really? (giggles)… None of you know the real meaning of family. They say blood is thicker than water but look how easy it was for me to tear your family apart.” She proclaimed evilly, sounding hysterical as she kept giggling and smiling with tears in her eyes.
“What do you mean by that?” Heather asked with gritted teeth.
She looked so pissed off, boiling with fury but was trying her hardest to stay calm.
“The 3 of you managed to destroy each other all thanks to me. But It’s also thanks to me that you got to see what kind of people you call family. The Winfrey cousins who were tighter than siblings, destroyed by a simple weak woman. (scoffs)… Pathetic.” She cursed heartlessly, as she looked at all three of us and laughed.
She then faced Heather and said, “your own blood brother didn’t even think twice before he betrayed you because he wanted to proof to me that he is better than Markian. He took what was yours because his he let his deflated ego get the better of him. And Markian helped too in giving Daniel your position, you can ask him. The last shareholder was bought over by Markian to vote against you. So, even though I had voted for Daniel, you would have still won if that shareholder hadn’t voted against you too. Go on, ask him… Markian is right in front of you…” She requested conceitedly, then looked at Daniel.
“… And to think that you’re so gullible, so foolish to insist on staying by my side even when it’s perfectly clear that I was only using you and that I don’t have any feelings for you whatsoever, is just pitiful. You broke your cousin’s trust and spat on your sister’s love because of your covetousness- how convenient. You should also know that your sister’s little act of a ‘handover’, is really just a sabotage. So this- little family reunion right here, with all your fake emotions, means nothing to me. And just face it, family means nothing to any of you,” she ranted cruelly.
“Livy… this isn’t you. You’re not thinking straight at the moment.” I said to her.
“Why don’t you two wait outside- and Daniel, please call the doctor here.” I ordered, as both Heather and Daniel left the room reluctantly.