“Helena, are you really going to become a war correspondent? Don’t you know that you could die at any moment?”
Hearing her friend’s desperate question, Helena’s eyelashes trembled, but her tone remained firm.
“I’m sure.”
At the other end of the line, Maeve sighed in frustration. Before she could speak, Helena closed her eyes bitterly and added, “Maeve, maybe this is the only way for me to be free.”
Maeve fell silent, still unwilling to give up. She tried to persuade her again. “What about Rafael? Are you really willing to let him go so easily?”
At the mention of the familiar name, Helena’s fingers tightened, the joints whitening from the force.
“He won’t care.”
After hanging up, the doctor finished the examination. Clearly, he had overheard the conversation, and he spoke with a complex tone, trying to convince her.
“Miss Walsh, while the mortality rate from sepsis caused by artificial heart infections is high, there is still a chance of recovery with continued treatment. Why give up now?”
Helena shook her head and smiled softly, as if accepting her fate.
“No need. I want to do something meaningful in the final moments of my life.”
“Thank you for all your care up until now. I will send the treatment fee over as soon as possible.”
The moment she left the hospital, Helena received a call from Rafael.
His voice was cold, clearly holding back his anger.
“Where are you? Who gave you permission to leave without telling me?”
“I’m at the hospital for something-” Before she could finish, he impatiently cut her off.
“Enough, I don’t care what you’re doing at the hospital. I’ve sent you the address. Come here right now.”
Having just undergone surgery, her chest ached faintly, but she pressed a hand to her heart and forced herself to leave.
She took a taxi to the address Rafael had sent, only to find that it led to the rooftop.
As soon as she arrived, a bucket of ice water was handed to her.
Rafael stood coldly, commanding her in a flat tone.
“Kaylee is kind-hearted and wants to do the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness for ALS patients. She can’t handle this kind of pain. Since you two have similar builds, you should do it.”
She had just undergone surgery and was forbidden to be near ice, let alone in the early spring chill. The rooftop was biting cold, but she knew Rafael wasn’t offering her a choice.
Helena’s face turned pale as she took the bucket, the beads of ice making her fingers tremble.
Rafael smirked and walked to the side, holding Kaylee in his arms.
“Start.”
The ice water poured over her head. The already painful wound in her abdomen seemed to be pierced by countless needles, the pain causing her to convulse.
Through chattering teeth, Helena forced her eyes open—only to see the two of them locked in a passionate kiss.
Seeing her look over, Kaylee released her hold on Rafael’s neck, her lips swollen and fake remorse in her voice.
“Sorry, I think it wasn’t recorded. Can we do it again?”
Rafael kissed Kaylee’s neck, glanced indifferently at Helena, and spoke coldly. “Didn’t you hear what Kaylee said?”
Helena lowered her eyes, sweat beading on her forehead from the pain, yet she seemed unaware. She lifted the bucket of ice again.
Over and over, she mechanically drenched herself, numb to the pain, while Kaylee always found new excuses.
By the time all the buckets were empty, Helena was shaking uncontrollably, barely able to stay upright. It felt like she could collapse at any moment.
Only then did Kaylee finally speak, sounding almost apologetic. “Okay, that’s enough. You’ve worked hard today.”
Rafael had been watching coldly the entire time. In her words, he lovingly massaged her wrist.
“She’s tough, she’ll be fine. As for you, recording it yourself, the camera’s so heavy. It must be exhausting holding it.”
Kaylee playfully leaned into his embrace. “But I have you to take care of me.”
The two of them acted as if no one else existed, walking away hand in hand.
As they passed by Helena, Rafael stopped, took a card from his wallet, and tossed it at her with an air of mockery.
“There’s a hundred thousand on it. It’s your reward for today. Helena, it turns out you’d really give up your life for money. Tsk. How cheap.”
Helena’s lips turned purple from the cold, and only after they left did she dazedly pick up the card from the ground, as though unaware it was meant to humiliate her.
