Nana had been holding tightly onto William’s hand, and just as his fingers twitched, she suddenly woke up.
As she opened her eyes, she saw William finally coming to his senses. Nana’s heart, which had been hanging by a thread for the past few days, finally found some relief. She hugged William, a mix of excitement and joy filling her, her eyes reddening as tears streamed down uncontrollably.
“William, you’re awake, you’re finally awake! This is just wonderful… I was so worried!” William furrowed his brows, feeling intense pain all over, especially in his right leg. What had happened to him? Memories slowly returned to him. He remembered being in the classroom, teaching, when suddenly a massive earthquake struck. He organized the students to evacuate the classroom, but he didn’t make it out in time and was trapped under the collapsed building.
At that moment, he felt as though he wouldn’t survive and, with his remaining consciousness, he called Nana. Now, why was Nana here with him? When William turned his head and saw Nana by his side, there was a brief moment of surprise in his eyes, followed by an immediate cooling off, speaking in a flat tone, “Nana? What are you doing here?”
Nana, teary-eyed and overwhelmed with mixed emotions, looked at William. “I was so worried about you… I’m so relieved you’re okay. William, trust me, your right leg will be fine… I’m here for you.” Her words came out intermittently, her voice trembling with tears, almost incoherent.
“William, it’s such a relief that you’re awake. You frightened me! When I received your call, learning about the earthquake, I was so scared. Jane and I rushed to the city to find you. We finally found you!” William lowered his eyes slightly, looking at his tightly bandaged right leg, deliberately avoiding eye contact, gazing into the emptier space. “Why did you save me?”
“What…” Nana was taken aback, looking somewhat lost. “What are you saying?” William turned his gaze away from her, masking a hint of heartache, adjusting his emotions, and even sounding somewhat indifferent as he continued, “I mean, why did you save me? Haven’t we broken up? We’re done, Nana. I’m no longer involved with you.”
He still didn’t look into Nana’s eyes, making a great effort to control his emotions. Nana’s heart sank like a stone dropped from a great height. She hesitated for a moment and, with a nasal tone, said, “No, William… I was so worried about you. You were just being impulsive, not really wanting to break up, right?”
“I don’t believe you’ve fallen for someone else. That’s just an excuse…” Nana looked at William almost beggingly. William wearily closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the urge to embrace Nana. After pausing for three or four seconds, he looked distant. “Haven’t I made it clear enough before? I’ve fallen for someone else. Don’t waste your time on me.”
“No, that’s impossible!” Upon hearing this, Nana’s face flushed, tears streaming down uncontrollably. “It’s been five years… five years, how could you possibly have fallen for someone else? It can’t be true.”
Jane and Carl sat on the side, Carl’s eyes filled with sorrow. How could William, that jerk, treat Nana like this?! Jane also furrowed her brow. She walked up, clasping Nana’s shoulders, gently patting her back. “Nana, don’t cry.”
After that, Jane lowered her head, looking at William on the stretcher, speaking coldly, “William, I shouldn’t be saying this today, but what you said was just too hurtful. You were teaching in the mountainous area and as soon as Nana heard about the earthquake, she immediately had me come with her to find you overnight. You know the situation in the mountains, constant aftershocks… We nearly risked our lives to find you, Nana almost had an accident trying to reach you! Do you have no idea about this? You should understand her feelings for you.”
Listening to Jane’s words, William’s mind raced. He lifted his eyes slightly, looking at Nana, who seemed lost in despair for a moment. There was a fleeting moment of tenderness, but in the end, he moved his lips slightly, saying nothing.
Her parents were right. He was just a poor boy now, completely incomparable to Nana’s family background, and he couldn’t possibly provide her with happiness. Furthermore, after the earthquake, his right leg was so severely injured that he had no sensation in it now, and he might be disabled in the future. He wasn’t worthy of Nana and didn’t want to burden herany further.
“And what if that’s the case?” William sneered, questioning Jane. After a pause, William continued in a cold tone, “I’ve already told her it’s over. My encounter with the earthquake is my own business. I didn’t ask for her help, nor did I ask her to come and save me. Even if she cried, almost faced death, what does that have to do with me? It was her own choice.”
Nana lifted her head, looking at William in disbelief, unable to fathom these words coming from him. Why? How had William become like this?
Jane also furrowed her brow, about to say something, but before she could, Carl, unable to contain himself, immediately stood up, glaring at William with anger. He pointed at William, gritting his teeth, “William, you ungrateful brat!”
William chuckled disdainfully, looking at the man in front of him, “So what? Are you going to defend Nana?”
“You!” Carl’s face turned red with anger, even raising his fist, but Jane quickly restrained him. Jane held Carl’s wrist, advising, “Calm down a bit. Let’s talk about this when we get back to Guavo.”
She had heard about William’s situation from Nana before and felt that there might be more to it than meets the eye.
Reluctantly, Carl relented, sitting back in his chair, discontent evident in his heart. Nana, with tears in her eyes, still wanted to have a clear conversation with William, but he simply closed his eyes, ignoring her. Witnessing Nana’s heartbroken state, Jane let out a sigh.
Three hours later, the plane landed, and the group left the airport. While on the way to the hospital, William kept his eyes closed, not saying a word to Nana.
Once William was settled into the hospital room, Jane finally breathed a sigh of relief. Worried, Nana spoke up, “I wonder when Uncle Newton will be able to come. William’s leg…”
Carl couldn’t bear it anymore and retorted, “I think this kid deserves a good beating. After saying those things to you, Nana, why are you still worried about him?”
“Please, stop,” Jane frowned at Carl. “Carl, if you have nothing to do, you should go back to the company.”