The Person I Love Who Has Been Missing For Three Years - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: There Will Be a Risk to Life (1k collection…)

When Song Xiangwan groggily woke up, it was evening. The sunset’s glow, like ink spilled onto brocade, shone onto the white bedsheets through the fading light.

It was the hospital in the mountain city, the ward she had stayed in before.

Her slender, curled eyelashes fluttered gently before she opened her eyes. After a moment of confusion, she seemed to recall something and sat upright immediately.

“Sister Wan.” Cheng Cheng, who was guarding her side, quickly reached out to support her.

“I’m fine.” She stabilized herself, looked around, and blurted out, “Where is she?”

“Sister Cao went to pay the fees,” Cheng Cheng quickly replied.

“Not Sister Cao, Ming Jin, where is she?” Song Xiangwan’s tone was anxious, and she was about to get out of bed.

She remembered that the person who came to save her was Ming Jin. She had cried heartily in Ming Jin’s arms, was taken back to the hospital, and then fell into a groggy sleep.

She remembered it; this shouldn’t have been a dream…

She caught sight of the light apricot short trench coat on the bedside table, snatched it up, and smelled a faint woody fragrance.

It was the scent on Ming Jin’s clothes.

Her clothes were always steamed with spices when dried. No perfume smelled like this.

“Sister Wan…” Cheng Cheng couldn’t stop her at all. Seeing Song Xiangwan slip into her slippers, she hurried out.

3602, 3602… Song Xiangwan chanted the room number, ran all the way to the ward door, and abruptly pushed it open.

Inside the room, a white-haired grandmother was on the bed, and a middle-aged woman was guarding the bedside. Both were startled.

The middle-aged woman asked, “Girl, are you looking for someone?”

She was gone. She had left.

The breath Song Xiangwan was holding suddenly dissipated, and she felt utterly deflated.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured softly, then closed the door, walked a few steps down the corridor, and slumped onto a waiting bench in the hallway.

She didn’t know what Ming Jin meant. Didn’t she have a new lover? Why did she keep appearing in front of her?

Her fingers clutched the fabric of the trench coat, tightening slightly. She felt her vision blur, quickly lowered her head, and wiped her eyes with the heel of her palm.

The wheels of a carbon fiber wheelchair came to a steady stop. A composed and familiar voice drifted over from beside her: “Why are you here alone?”

Song Xiangwan suddenly looked up, meeting those shallow brown eyes.

Long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyes. Her gaze was not sharp but carried an innate penetrating power, like a moon reflected in a cold pond. The person sitting in the wheelchair had a back as straight as a pine tree. Though physically limited, she was enveloped by a sense of composure and control deeply rooted in her being.

“You…” Song Xiangwan’s tone paused, and she whispered, “Didn’t you leave?”

“No, I had some things to handle.” Those eyes fixed on Song Xiangwan, holding a hint of struggle, a touch of reluctance.

“Come on, let’s talk back in the ward,” Ming Jin said.

Xu Zhiyan placed her hand on the wheelchair’s push bar but heard a soft voice from the front: “Ayan, let her do it.”

Song Xiangwan was startled for a moment, realizing “her” referred to herself. She hesitated for a moment, walked two steps forward, and placed her hand on the wheelchair.

She felt a momentary stubbornness, wanting to retort, No, why should I come and go at your beck and call?

But when her eyes fell on Ming Jin’s excessively pale face, the words in her throat were suddenly swallowed.

The journey was silent. Xu Zhiyan went ahead and opened the door.

The person inside immediately stood up: “President Ming.”

Cao Xin’s attitude was respectful. She held several documents in her hand and handed them over: “President Ming, everything has been negotiated.”

“Mm.” Ming Jin nodded. After taking them, she scanned the amount on the contract and said slowly, “President Wang sure knows how to… ask for an exorbitant price…”

Hearing the displeasure in her tone, Cao Xin quickly said, “This is just President Wang’s initial offer. I can negotiate further; it will just take more time.”

“No need. I’ll add another 20%, demanding that all contracts be completed within three days,” Ming Jin handed the documents to Xu Zhiyan casually.

“Also,” she continued, “you can resign from Changning. Someone from Rongxing here will handle your onboarding.”

“And that little assistant, you’ve had an attachment for two years. If she is willing, she can come along.”

“This is the first task I’m giving you. Money is not an issue. It must be clean and swift, and the contracts must be clear.”

“Yes, President Ming.” A flash of delight crossed Cao Xin’s face. She nudged Cheng Cheng beside her, and the two left together.

“Ayan, you go out too,” Ming Jin said slowly.

“Okay…” Xu Zhiyan’s eyes held concern for Ming Jin, but in front of her long-respected sister, she dared not voice any objection.

Everyone in the room retreated, leaving only Ming Jin and Song Xiangwan.

The silence lasted for a while. Neither of them spoke. The silence was broken by Ming Jin’s lightly suppressed cough.

She tried to hold it back but couldn’t. The knuckles pressed against her lips were slightly white. The quiet, repressed cough caused her body to tremble slightly.

She turned her head away, but then felt a gentle pressure on her back. A hand rested on her back, lightly stroking it to help her breathe.

Then came a low voice: “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine… maybe I have a bit of a cold recently…” Ming Jin pursed her lips and turned back.

Song Xiangwan was squatting beside the wheelchair, looking up at her, her phoenix eyes filled with worry and anxiety.

“Get up. Don’t squat; your legs will go numb later.” Ming Jin couldn’t help but soften towards her once again.

Watching Song Xiangwan stand up, she quickly took two steps to pour a cup of warm water and handed it to her, as obedient as a rubbing cat.

The warm water transmitted a gentle sensation through the cup, seemingly carrying Song Xiangwan’s body temperature.

The sleeve of her patient gown slipped down a little, revealing the blue and purple marks on her wrist, which were strikingly conspicuous against her fair, rosy skin.

Ming Jin’s eyelashes lowered slightly, concealing the emotion in her eyes. She asked, “Does your hand still hurt? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere after waking up?”

“No.” Song Xiangwan shook her head, quickly pulling her sleeve down.

“I have already negotiated the termination fee with Changning. In the future, your management contract can be signed back to Rongxing.”

“Cao Xin and the little assistant can come along and continue to follow you.”

“Of course…” Ming Jin’s tone paused, and she continued, “This is my suggestion. You are free to make your own decision.”

Song Xiangwan didn’t like being managed. She was still asleep, and the termination process was almost complete. In the past, she would have probably made a fuss.

But this time, she was surprisingly obedient, nodding: “Mm, I’ll listen to you.”

“You don’t need to continue filming Allure. It’s only a supporting female role, not a great resource. There will be better scripts later…”

“Ming Jin.” Song Xiangwan interrupted her, her phoenix eyes slightly watery, but she insisted on looking straight at her, “Does this count as… going back?”

As always, buying her jewelry, spending money on new resources for her, treating her to a meal… Is this an apology, and then everything returns to the original relationship?

Ming Jin’s fingers gripping the cup tightened slightly, but her tone remained composed as always: “Don’t misunderstand. I just think you have great talent, and it shouldn’t be buried.”

Her heart ached for her. The Persian cat she had cared for and pampered meticulously had gone out for a while and returned as a drenched, miserable creature, crying in her arms after being bullied.

She ultimately couldn’t bear to see Song Xiangwan suffer injustice and wanted to pull her under her wing to protect her.

But for anything else…

Ming Jin’s eyes deepened.

Sitting there, she felt like she was on pins and needles. The cold seemed to seep into the gaps of her entire lumbar spine, and the slightest movement made black spots flash before her eyes from the pain.

She had left earlier, not to handle something, but to undergo a simple physiotherapy session. Otherwise, she probably wouldn’t be able to sit here now.

She wanted to protect Song Xiangwan, but anything beyond that was too much.

This was as far as it would go.

The mere thought of it made her breathing tighten slightly.

But no emotional fluctuation showed in her tone or expression. She slowly said, “Don’t overthink it. I value your commercial potential and admire your talent.”

“If you have any requests in the future, you can bring them up to the company. The company will try its best to fulfill whatever is beneficial to you.”

“I hope you can soar, continue doing what you love, and become a dazzling superstar.”

Song Xiangwan bit her lip tightly, barely holding back the tears that almost instantly streamed from her eyes.

Ming Jin truly didn’t want her anymore.

Cheng Cheng always felt that Song Xiangwan was unusually quiet today.

Usually, when facing such things, she would openly express her emotions, cursing and wanting to rush over and punch someone.

But today, she didn’t mention Liu Tianming at all. She just ate quietly and then said she wanted to rest.

Cheng Cheng was afraid that this would be like last time, where Song Xiangwan would try to jump off a building or do something else after she left, so she didn’t dare to leave and just sat by the bed.

Song Xiangwan closed her eyes but felt Cheng Cheng sitting by the bed.

She turned over, presenting her back to Cheng Cheng.

Cheng Cheng wanted to speak but stopped: “…” What did she do today to upset Song Xiangwan?

Almost the moment she turned her back, a wet sensation slid down from her eyes, tracing down to her nose.

Valuing her commercial potential… Is that all? Why? Why can’t they go back? Is it because of that girl?

She should have straightened her back and told Ming Jin no. She had her own dignity; she wouldn’t lower herself.

Yet, the thought that Ming Jin really didn’t want her anymore hurt her terribly, leaving her speechless.

She didn’t want to cry, but she couldn’t stop the tears from sliding down.

But Cheng Cheng was right behind her, so she didn’t dare to wipe them or even sniffle. She only felt that the fabric under her cheek was soaked and cold as ice.

For the next two days, Ming Jin did not appear again, but the exquisite patient meals were delivered as usual.

Cao Xin and Cheng Cheng were beaming with joy. Rongxing offered them a salary five times higher than before.

Rongxing only had Song Xiangwan as an artist. In the future, she would surely rise to prominence, and they felt they would benefit greatly as well.

On the third day, new assistants arrived, seven or eight people inside and out, surrounding Song Xiangwan, taking care of her meticulously.

However, Song Xiangwan seemed unhappy. She told the company’s representative twice that she didn’t like having so many people around.

She had hoped that by making a fuss, Ming Jin would come to see her, but she didn’t. The assistants were quickly dismissed.

Ming Jin had never been this accommodating before.

This made Song Xiangwan cry secretly again. Ming Jin was truly indifferent to her now.

The case investigation was extremely fast. After collecting evidence, Song Xiangwan’s phone was returned.

This phone number, hadn’t it become a dead line before?

Song Xiangwan’s eyes paused. Her fingertip lightly touched the screen, and she dialed the number.

She held the phone to her ear, hearing the ringing. It rang for a long time. Just when she thought it wouldn’t be answered, the call was picked up.

“Hello.” It was Ming Jin’s voice, clear and calm, transmitted through the receiver.

The moment Song Xiangwan opened her mouth, she felt her nose clog up. She softly said, “I’m sorry to bother you. I thought you weren’t using this number anymore.”

“I’m still using it,” Ming Jin said slowly. “Do you need something?”

“About the assistant…” Song Xiangwan’s heart skipped a beat. She somehow hoped that Ming Jin didn’t know about this and that it was merely a decision made by the company’s upper management.

“I know,” Ming Jin’s words shattered all of Song Xiangwan’s hope.

Ming Jin continued, “It was my oversight. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to use them. Is there anything else?”

“No…” Song Xiangwan murmured, feeling that the other side was about to hang up, and quickly asked, “Can I call you in the future?”

“You can,” Ming Jin replied almost instinctively, then added, “But I may not always have time to answer.”

“Is there anything else?” Ming Jin asked again.

“You…”

“I’m busy. Hang up,” Ming Jin’s voice was flat, interrupting Song Xiangwan’s words. Then, the dial tone buzzed in the receiver.

She hung up.

Song Xiangwan was stunned for almost half a minute before regaining her composure.

In the past, Ming Jin never hung up on her. All their calls were ended by Song Xiangwan.

She looked at the sky outside the window, watching the rolling clouds until her eyes hurt. She genuinely didn’t know how to approach Ming Jin anymore.

It felt as if every step she took forward, Ming Jin retreated three steps, maintaining a cool, detached, and polite distance.

She had no idea that almost the moment the call was ended, the fingers holding the phone lost strength and suddenly released it.

The phone hit the floor with a dull thud.

Ming Jin looked up, her shallow brown pupils filled with coldness: “Get out.”

“Sister.” Xu Zhiyan hesitated, then looked at Lin Rong, “Are you reliable?”

“Xu Zhiyan, get out,” Ming Jin’s voice was very cold, a sense of undeniable pressure overwhelming them.

“Still not leaving?” Lin Rong raised her eyebrows, looking over, a slightly teasing smirk in her smoky eyes. “Little girl, are you not even listening to your sister anymore?”

Ming Jin closed her eyes and didn’t speak further. Xu Zhiyan obediently backed out.

Lin Rong’s hand pressed on Ming Jin’s waist, feeling the layer of sweat that had already broken out.

“So what if she sees it?” Lin Rong’s tone was somewhat languid, but the force of her pressure was heavy.

The muscles on Ming Jin’s back instantly tensed. All the color drained from her face in an instant, and the cry of pain was heavily suppressed as she opened her mouth.

Her shallow brown eyes were slightly unfocused from the pain. Her fingers tightly clenched the bedsheet in her palm.

“How about we…” Lin Rong released her hand.

“Continue,” Ming Jin’s voice came through faintly, though her voice was trembling slightly.

Lin Rong sighed, continuing the movement of her hands. She had never encountered a patient who could endure so much.

How Ming Jin maintained that air of calm composure in front of Xu Zhiyan and Song Xiangwan, she didn’t know. She was simply an iron woman.

After Lin Rong retreated, Xu Zhiyan was finally allowed into the ward.

The overly bright light stung her eyes slightly. She rubbed them twice, then heard Ming Jin say, “Why are you crying?”

“I’m not crying.” Xu Zhiyan pursed her lips, sat down by the bed, and gathered Ming Jin’s hand: “Sister…”

She called out softly, but couldn’t articulate the rest of her words.

Ming Jin’s complexion was truly poor. Each massage and physiotherapy session was torture, draining her limited energy, making her face look like golden paper now.

But on the bright side, at least she could sit up now.

She wanted every appearance of hers to be proper, polite, and to still look like she had the ability to shield others from the wind and rain.

“It’s fine. The worst-case scenario is another surgery,” Ming Jin’s tone was light, as if speaking of something unrelated to her.

After the car accident, she underwent a major lumbar spine surgery, which failed to restore control over her legs but at least gave her the dignity to sit here.

However, with prolonged sitting, the stress on her lumbar spine increased again, inevitably leading to a slipped disc deformation…

According to Lin Rong’s assessment, the deterioration of her lumbar spine injury would likely require a second open surgery.

But currently, she was also showing signs and symptoms of heart failure.

It was hard to guarantee what would happen on the operating table…

Xu Zhiyan knew this. She only felt a heavy weight in her heart but didn’t say anything, just gathering Ming Jin’s fingers, and softly said, “Everything will be alright.”

She said this, unsure if she was comforting herself or Ming Jin. She only felt empty inside, unable to grasp any sense of security.

“Is the contract drafted?” Ming Jin asked.

“Mm.” Xu Zhiyan nodded, subconsciously reaching for the documents in her bag, but stopped her hand after touching them, “Sister, you should rest first.”

“Hand it to me to look at,” Ming Jin simply insisted on her own idea.

She couldn’t not personally review Song Xiangwan’s management contract.

Although she knew Ming’s lawyers were professional and Xu Zhiyan wouldn’t dare pull any tricks behind her back, she still needed to read it herself to feel at ease.

She read it very seriously, going through one clause after another. Time flowed by, and outside, the sky was full of stars.

Xu Zhiyan left, and silence returned to the ward. Ming Jin couldn’t sleep. She picked up the contract and read it thoroughly three or four times.

Then, she heard the phone on the table vibrate slightly.

It meant another call request had been rejected.

Song Xiangwan looked at the cold, detached message on her phone, pursed her lips, and threw the phone onto the bedside table in anger.

Thump, the sound startled Cheng Cheng: “Sister Wan, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, go to sleep.” She turned over and lay down, but five minutes after closing her eyes, she suddenly opened them.

She got up and pressed her ear to the door.

Cheng Cheng was puzzled: “Sister Wan, what’s wrong…”

The sound repeated several times.

She seemed to understand something. She turned to Cheng Cheng and said, “Wait here, I’m going out for a bit.”

“No way.” Cheng Cheng was anxious upon hearing this. With this ancestor out of sight, no one knew what trouble she might cause.

“I won’t run around, just in the hospital, and I won’t cause trouble. Good Cheng Cheng.” Song Xiangwan smiled brightly, looking harmless.

She was beautiful, her eyes bright, her smile like a dew-kissed rose petal—full of vitality, exuding an assertive and enchanting energy.

“But…” Cheng Cheng wasn’t fooled by the smile.

“Fine, I’ll forgive you for telling Sister Cao to unbind my Weibo last time. We’re even,” Song Xiangwan continued.

“Otherwise…” She adopted a serious expression, “I will stay angry and ignore you from now on.”

“My contract is being terminated from Changning soon. If I stay angry, I won’t take you with me.”

“Don’t, Sister,” Cheng Cheng lightly bit her lower lip, seemingly going through an emotional struggle, “Then you…”

“I won’t let Sister Cao know.” The person had already flown out like a gust of wind.

Cheng Cheng looked at the closed door, her hands twisting her fingers together. Forget it, she could only trust her not to cause trouble now.

Song Xiangwan was no stranger to the paging sound. She had heard it a lot over the past few days in the mountain city hospital.

Moreover, she seemed to have heard the paging sound in the background during the short call with Ming Jin today.

Ming Jin was still in the hospital.

She just didn’t know which ward.

Song Xiangwan, wearing a mask, started searching from the first-floor wards, going up floor by floor.

After checking five floors and failing to find Ming Jin, she came out of the fire escape and couldn’t help but fall into thought. Could she have misheard?

But when she looked up, she ran into a familiar person.

There was nowhere to hide now. Song Xiangwan could only turn her back, lower her head, and hide her face.

Xu Zhiyan brushed past her. There were so many people in patient gowns in the hospital, and she paid no attention to the person next to her.

When she reached the end of the corridor, she made a phone call.

Song Xiangwan took this opportunity to slip into the ward next to Xu Zhiyan.

Most of the patients in the ward were resting. The accompanying family only glanced at her, thinking she was family of a co-patient, and didn’t pay it any mind.

Song Xiangwan pressed her ear to the door and listened to the content of Xu Zhiyan’s call.

“Doctor Liu, you should have received the latest examination results.”

“Mm, her condition is currently stable. Doctor Lin is keeping an eye on it here. We can stabilize the situation for now.”

“Good, please tell me.”

“Second surgery… Doctor Lin said so, so I wanted to ask if you have any other suggestions…”

“Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?” Xu Zhiyan’s voice rose.

Lin Rong twirled the phone in her hand: “What, little girl, you don’t trust me?”

“Of course, I need to ask for more expert opinions. Give it to me,” Xu Zhiyan reached out, looking up, her eyes full of dissatisfaction.

“Here, here, take it. Even if you ask 300 doctors, can you ignore the patient’s own wishes?” Lin Rong lightly arched her brow, handing the phone back, leaning against the wall casually and languidly.

Xu Zhiyan took the phone, apologized to the person on the other end, and then hung up.

She turned to confront Lin Rong: “Am I your boss, or are you my boss? You’re getting too arrogant.”

“President Ming is my boss,” Lin Rong scoffed, her tone indifferent. “Conservative treatment, do you think she’d agree?”

“In the current situation, conservative treatment can’t completely cure it, only delay time. Although it’s relatively safe, the situation will only slowly worsen, not improve.”

“She can still sit now, but if it deteriorates further, she might…”

Completely lose sensation below the waist, become unable to care for herself, and even suffer from incontinence.

Lin Rong didn’t continue, but Xu Zhiyan had asked many doctors and, of course, knew the consequences.

“Do you think she can accept that?” Lin Rong chuckled softly.

For someone as proud as Ming Jin, living like that would be worse than death.

“Little girl, you can’t win against her,” Lin Rong reached out to rub Xu Zhiyan’s head, but Xu Zhiyan stepped back to dodge.

However, Lin Rong was persistent, leaning in and using a technique for petting small animals to rub Xu Zhiyan’s head.

Hot. Xu Zhiyan felt that this woman’s body temperature was like a furnace, transmitting heat through her scalp.

She reached out and grabbed Lin Rong’s wrist, pulling her hand down and pressing it hard against the wall.

Lin Rong didn’t resist, just looked at her with her smiling, flirtatious eyes, and softly said, “President Xu, are you trying to assault me?”

Wearing high heels, she was taller than Xu Zhiyan. She looked down, her eyes languid and composed, an innate sense of abandon written in her bones.

A strong floral fragrance, intensified by her slightly hot body temperature, rushed forward like a net, suddenly trapping Xu Zhiyan.

“Crazy…” Xu Zhiyan muttered. As if touching fire, she instantly released her hand.

“You say I’m crazy, so I am,” she chuckled lightly, seemingly heartless and uncaring about anything.

“I heard about Doctor Moni in Germany…” Xu Zhiyan said.

“You really did a lot of research, didn’t you? That’s my senior colleague,” Lin Rong put both hands in her pockets, leaning against the wall, her hair falling casually, looking relaxed.

Xu Zhiyan raised an eyebrow: “Do you have a way to invite your senior colleague here? I won’t trust you to do it.”

“I wasn’t planning to do it myself anyway,” Lin Rong raised her eyebrows. “What? With this small amount of money, you want me to take action?”

“I am the top genius of my school, and even my senior colleague can’t compare.”

Seeing the little girl in front of her about to explode with anger, Lin Rong reached out and ruffled her hair: “Alright, I already contacted her yesterday.”

“She will fly to Haicheng next week. She happens to have time for a consultation.”

“Oh, right…” She changed the subject, “Such a huge favor, little girl, how do you plan to thank me?”

“Name your condition,” Xu Zhiyan, raised under Ming Jin’s guidance, knew the importance of repaying kindness.

But the next sentence made her flare up. Lin Rong said, “How about you kiss me?”

“You’re a lunatic…” Xu Zhiyan frowned, took a step back, widening the distance between them, her face showing disgust.

“Just kidding. You can’t even take a joke,” Lin Rong straightened up, her expression calm, “No thank-you gift needed. It’s what I should do.”

“However, I still need to remind you to prepare yourself mentally.”

“Even if my senior colleague performs the surgery, the chance of a life-threatening complication is still very high. Doctors aren’t immortal beings…”

“Stop it, stop it, stop it.” Xu Zhiyan raised her hand and covered Lin Rong’s mouth, looking at her coldly, “Hurry up and spit, get rid of your jinxing words.”

Lin Rong laughed softly, pressing her lips to Xu Zhiyan’s palm.

“It’s all superstition, little girl, why do you still believe this?”

“Hurry up,” Xu Zhiyan stared at her, her expression solemn and serious.

If Lin Rong didn’t comply, she looked ready to hit her.

Lin Rong surrendered, saying softly, “Fine, fine, fine, spit, spit, spit.”

Lin Rong ultimately offered a comforting word: “Don’t always think the worst. Maybe it will be a good outcome, alleviating the underlying danger of the old injury and letting her suffer less in the future.”

“As a doctor, I merely inform the family of all possible outcomes. How can you blame me for being a jinx?”

Xu Zhiyan’s heart felt a little calmer. After instructing her several times not to talk nonsense, she finally left.

Lin Rong turned around, placing both hands on the windowsill, crossed, leaning out the window, looking at the moonlight outside.

She looked down at her fingers, which trembled slightly but uncontrollably for a moment.

She clenched her fists suddenly. The smile in her flirtatious eyes faded, and the look of wild abandon on her lips slightly solidified.

Song Xiangwan didn’t know how she managed to walk back to the ward. She only felt coldness from her back, and a layer of cold sweat soaked her patient gown.

Cheng Cheng was relieved to see her return. No trouble, no incidents—that was the best news.

“Sister Cao called me just now. I covered for you and said you were already asleep. Don’t let it slip when you see her tomorrow.”

“You should get some sleep now that you’re back. The doctor will be making rounds early tomorrow…”

“…”

Song Xiangwan didn’t hear a word of the jumbled noise.

“I said, go to sleep early,” Cheng Cheng simplified and stated the main idea.

“Oh.” Song Xiangwan nodded woodenly, then lay down woodenly.

Her mind was filled with the conversation between Xu Zhiyan and Lin Rong.

Risk to life… Ming Jin’s surgery would have a risk to life… These words were like a pair of hands gripping her throat, making it hard for her to breathe.

She turned over and tightly pulled the blanket over herself, hoping the action would bring some sense of security.

But it didn’t. The feeling of her throat being squeezed grew heavier, like a mountain pressing heavily on her back, suffocating her.