Chapter 1203
“No, you can’t… Ah!” A startled cry escaped Amelia’s lips as she gasped for air. Her eyes snapped open abruptly to a dimly lit room.
The remnants of a haunting dream and stark reality tangled momentarily until she heard the voice of Warren by her ear. “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?” he inquired.
Immediately afterward, the room was illuminated, and Amelia noticed Warren’s face, which appeared to hold a trace of eager concern, drawing nearer to her.
She found herself rather taken aback and she thought, “Such earnest concern… Is he really worried about me?”
“What’s the matter? Are you feeling unwell?” His worry deepened as he observed her bewildered expression. He gently placed a hand on her forehead.
“I… I just had a bad dream,” Amelia mumbled. “I dreamt of Riley. I dreamt that she was being tortured and abused in the hospital…”
She suddenly clutched his hand tightly. “Warren, I beg you, let me see Riley as soon as possible. I need to find out what’s really happening. What she’s going through now isn’t treatment. It’s abuse!”
“I can take you to see her as soon as possible. I can help you investigate what’s happening. But… it doesn’t mean I’m willing to become heavily entangled in this matter,” Warren stated. “Don’t forget, our initial deal was just me agreeing to secure probation for Alicia. Now, I’ve accompanied you here, but if Riley’s situation proves too difficult to handle, then we will go back.”
“But…” Amelia began, wanting to add something, but Warren interrupted her.
“There aren’t that many ‘buts,’ Amelia. You’re not infallible. There are matters you can assist with, but what about those you can’t? Do you intend to spend your entire life in Lommore, then? Moreover, don’t forget what your top priority is right now! There are perhaps less than two months left before you give birth. If anything jeopardizes the baby due to your actions, I will not forgive you!” Warren said.
Amelia’s expression shifted slightly. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something more, but in the end, she merely replied, “I understand.”
“What he’s truly worried about is the child growing inside me,” she pondered.
Two days later, Warren did indeed arrange for Amelia to meet Riley once again. However, that meeting was even more discreet. He secretly brought Amelia to Riley’s ward, granting them a mere 15 minutes.
“We have at most 15 minutes. If we exceed that time, and the spies from the Summer family catch wind of it, it will be much harder to see Riley again in the future. After all, her legal guardian now is Harriet,” Warren cautioned.
Harriet, as her guardian, had every right to prevent outsiders from seeing Riley and even transferring her to another hospital or hiding her in an undisclosed location. Such actions would only add to the complexity.
“I see,” Amelia answered.
Fifteen minutes, would that be sufficient to find the answers she sought?
Amelia followed Warren into the ward. Inside, she saw Riley, who had gone from plump to emaciated, curled up in a ball.
Amelia wanted to rush over but was held back by Warren.
“If you have something to say, say it from here. Don’t get too close. We can’t be certain yet if Riley is truly a psychiatric patient,” Warren cautioned. After all, if Riley indeed had a mental illness and became aggressive, Amelia’s physical condition could not withstand any attacks.
Amelia had to stand about three feet away from Riley and called out, “Riley, it’s me, Amelia. If you’re not suffering from a mental illness, please raise your head and look at me. I’ve gone through so much trouble to find you. I’m waiting for you to tell me what happened and why you ended up with mental illness.”
Amelia maintained a constant stream of dialogue, raising her voice and narrating the past prison events, all in an effort to trigger Riley’s memory of her.
At that moment, unbeknownst to her, as Warren listened to her recount the prison incidents, his facial expression underwent a subtle change, and his eyes revealed a nuanced shift.
As time inched forward, Amelia felt like hope was slipping away. Just then, Riley, who had been keeping her head lowered, finally lifted it ever so slowly. Those eyes, devoid of their radiance, shifted to meet Amelia’s gaze.
“Riley!” Amelia exclaimed, her face lighting up with joy.
“Can you recognize me? It’s been so many years, and I know I’ve changed in some ways since then, but I brought a photo from those days. You can see my photo, and there’s also Aiden. Remember Aiden? I showed you this picture back then, too!”
As Amelia spoke, she reached into her pocket and retrieved a photograph. In the picture, she was hugging a three-year-old Aiden.
When she had previously visited Riley after her release from prison, she had not brought Aiden with her. Yet, Riley had expressed an interest in seeing how much Aiden had grown and what he looked like, so at that moment, Amelia had shown that photo to her.
In the photo, although there was a faint trace of sorrow in her eyes, Aiden was beaming with an innocent and radiant smile.
Amelia still remembered how Riley had gazed at the picture of Aiden for a long time, softly saying, “I wonder when I can become a mother. If I have a child, I’ll cherish him like this…”
Warren took the photo from Amelia’s hand and placed it in front of Riley.
Riley stared blankly at the photo, deep in thought.
Warren checked the time and saw that their 15 minutes were almost up.
“Well, it’s about time. We should go. Perhaps she is really mentally ill. She can’t communicate with you like a normal person,” Warren said to Amelia.
Amelia’s face revealed her reluctance, and she silently questioned, “Will we be leaving like this?”
Just as Warren was about to take the photo back, Riley’s maimed right hand suddenly trembled and grasped it. Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Amelia…” Her lips parted, her voice exceptionally dry and hoarse, as if she had not spoken in years. Even those around had to strain to understand what she was saying.
Amelia was shocked. “Riley, do you… do you remember me? Can you tell me… what happened? Why did your family send you to a psychiatric hospital? You really…”
Suddenly, all her words halted abruptly as Riley’s lips moved, and she desperately uttered, “Save… me…”
In an instant, Amelia’s eyes widened.
As they left the hospital, Amelia’s mood was heavy. When Riley uttered “save me,” her eyes were sober.
Those initially dull eyes held a faint glimmer, a glimmer of hope.
At that moment, she was Riley’s hope, wasn’t she?
