Chapter 321 Stalemate
Thinking back, Amanda had it rough. Just a little over two, and she had to watch Dorothy and Henry go at it every day. Now, Dorothy was even threatening to jump into the river with Amanda in her arms. If Dorothy were here right now, Susan would probably want to slap her silly!
"Can you step on it?" Susan knew Seb was already pushing it, but she couldn't help but yell.
Seb's lips tightened, and he floored it a bit more, but the traffic was nuts, almost causing a few fender benders. Still, Seb didn't ease up.
They screeched to a halt under the bridge at Riverside Park. Susan looked up and saw a crowd had already gathered on the bridge.
Next thing, Susan was out of the car in a flash.
"I'll go with you," Seb said, frowning as he got out too.
"No need, don't let this mess up your date. You can bounce now, thanks for the ride!" With that, Susan bolted towards the bridge without a backward glance.
Seb's frown deepened. He regretted snapping earlier but still got out and quickly followed Susan.
Susan elbowed her way through the crowd and looked up. The steel bridge looked epic against the colorful sky, but there was a young woman on the railing holding a terrified, bawling little girl.
"Susan, please talk to Dorothy. We can't let her jump. Amanda's already scared out of her mind," Catherine, tears streaming down her face, grabbed Susan's clothes with a death grip, probably from sheer panic.
Susan frowned, glanced at Henry, who was desperately trying to talk Dorothy down, and then at James, standing nearby. She thought, 'James must've put this crazy idea in Dorothy's head. She's always been scared of heights; she wouldn't have climbed up there on her own.'
"Dorothy, why don't you come down first?" Henry was clearly losing it, his eyes glued to Dorothy and Amanda.
But Dorothy shot back, "Promise me you won't divorce me and that we'll live happily ever after, then I'll come down with Amanda!"
Henry's face twisted. "Dorothy, do you really think we can be happy together? We've been married for years. Do we have any good memories?"
Dorothy didn't answer.
Henry pressed on, "If we can't be happy, why stick around? I'll agree to anything else if you come down with Amanda. I'll transfer the house to your name, and I'll pay top dollar for Amanda's child support. Just calm down. Life's too short, and Amanda's your daughter. Look at how scared she is. Can you really do this to her?"
Dorothy hesitated, looking down at Amanda, who was pale and crying so hard she could barely make a sound.
Seeing Dorothy waver, Henry took a step forward. "Dorothy, give Amanda to me!"
At that moment, Susan and the others let out a breath, thinking Henry had finally gotten through to Dorothy.
But just as Henry was about to grab Amanda's hand, Dorothy clutched her tighter and edged closer to the brink. One more step, and they’d both be in the river.
The crowd gasped in horror.
"If you don't agree, I'll jump with Amanda right now!" Dorothy screamed at Henry.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Henry's face twisted in frustration, his fists clenching.
Catherine was so freaked out she collapsed to the ground.
James, on the other hand, was stirring the pot, pointing at Amanda and yelling, "Henry, that's your kid, barely two years old. Are you really gonna let this happen?"
Susan, fuming, shoved James aside. "Shut up."
"I'm just telling the truth," James muttered.
As Susan inched closer to the railing, Dorothy pointed at her. "Don't come any closer!"
Seeing how on edge Dorothy was, Susan raised her hands. "Okay, I won't. Dorothy, don't mess around with your life and Amanda's, alright? She's just a kid; she doesn't deserve this."
"Stop pretending you care. If it weren't for you, Amanda and I wouldn't be homeless and miserable!" Dorothy's eyes blazed with hatred.
Susan was momentarily stunned, at a loss for words.
Dorothy still blamed Susan for her failed marriage with Henry. Maybe the more Susan tried to talk her down, the worse it would get, so she decided to stay quiet.
Then, Susan shot Henry a look and whispered, "Just agree with her for now. Save her and Amanda first!"
Henry's frown deepened.
He was a principled university professor who never told a lie. But with Amanda's life on the line, he might have to change his principle.
Just as Henry was about to speak, Dorothy cut him off. "Henry, I know you're a man of your word. If you lie to me today, that's useless. If I don't die this time, I'll find another way to die with Amanda next time. We can jump in front of a car, lie on the tracks, jump off a building—there are plenty of ways to die. If I really want to die, there's no stopping me."
Dorothy's cold smile was chilling, like she’d already made a pact with death.
Henry was stunned, the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.
Susan looked at the now unhinged Dorothy with deep pain and sadness. How did she end up like this? Not only bitter and mean, but now she was treating her and Amanda's lives like a joke.
Seeing Henry just staring at her, Dorothy sneered. "I knew you were trying to trick me!"
Then, she pointed at Susan. "You put him up to this, didn't you?"
"Fine, Henry, I know Amanda and I mean nothing to you. I'll make you regret this for the rest of your life!" With that, Dorothy jumped into the river with Amanda in her arms.
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