Chapter 559 A Dream Foretelling the Future
Francis cracked his eyes open and glanced at Harper. His eyes were bloodshot, and the fever had turned his pupils a deep red. But he was staring so hard, Harper almost thought he was awake.
Then, Francis softly kissed her hair and murmured in that deep, magnetic voice of his, "This feels so good, I don't wanna wake up."
Harper's nose stung, and she couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears started streaming down her face.
Francis reached out, wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, and whispered, "Don't cry, okay? When you cry, it breaks my heart."
Harper tried to pull herself together, but she just couldn't. With tears in her eyes, she choked out, "Francis, hang in there a bit longer. We're almost at the hospital. Once you're better, everything will be okay."
Before she could finish, the elevator doors slid open. Harper's face lit up with joy; she finally saw a glimmer of hope.
Near the main entrance, not far from the elevator, the police were coming in, fully armed. Outside, there were sirens and the sound of an ambulance. Those repetitive, monotonous sounds were the sweetest music in the world right then, a sign they were safe.
Harper supported the burning-hot Francis and choked out, "Francis, look, it's the police. Just a few more steps, and we can get to the hospital. Once you're better, our family of three, no..."
Harper wiped her tears and corrected herself, "Our family of five can be happy together."
"Watch out!" A low warning suddenly came from outside the door. Harper looked up and saw a man dressed in black, holding a gun aimed right at her. As the warning sounded, the man quickly pulled the trigger.
The light outside was so bright, Harper could clearly see the deep-seated killing intent in those eyes, directed at her! She stared at the man in shock, not understanding why he wanted to kill her.
In an instant, inexplicable fear and panic overwhelmed her.
Somehow, Francis seemed to sense it and suddenly opened his eyes. In just one second, with some unknown strength, he leaned his body and pushed Harper away.
Harper watched helplessly as the bullet shot into Francis's chest. Bright red blood spurted from his chest like a blooming flower, eerily brilliant.
The whole world seemed to hit the pause button. After a brief moment of deafness, Harper screamed, "Francis!"
Francis fell in front of Harper, the whole movement like a slow-motion scene in a movie, slowly falling into her eyes.
In her mind, Audrey's shrill screams suddenly flashed.
"You're a curse to Francis!"
"You two being together is a mistake!"
"You'll kill him."
A metallic taste surged in her throat, and an uncontrollable heat flowed from her chest upward.
Harper spat out a mouthful of blood.
Where Francis lay, a pool of bright red blood had already formed, like a crimson lake. Harper's heart felt like it was being stabbed by something sharp, over and over, causing excruciating pain. She crawled over on her knees, holding Francis in her arms, and broke down crying, "Francis!"
Francis opened his eyes, seemingly wanting to raise his hand, but he couldn't. Any slight movement caused blood to flow from his chest. Harper hurriedly covered it with her hand, but the blood kept flowing through her fingers, unstoppable.
Francis's eyelids couldn't hold up, and he couldn't speak. Slowly, they seemed to stick together, unable to open.
Harper cried helplessly, "No, Francis, wake up!"
But no matter how much she cried, Francis's eyes remained closed, with no response. She didn't know if it was her illusion, but even Francis's body, which had just been burning hot, was slowly getting cold.
Harper had never been so scared, feeling like she had lost an entire world.
This was the second time she experienced such heart-wrenching pain. She thought she would never feel it again. But unexpectedly, it came so suddenly, so soon. This time, it hurt even more, like someone was forcibly pulling her organs out of her body.
Harper's eyes were lifeless, staring blankly ahead like a dried-up spring in the desert. They were about to be happy, but suddenly it turned into a scene of life and death.
Why? Why be so cruel to her!
Some paramedics arrived with a stretcher. They came forward and persuaded Harper, "Ma'am, please let us treat the injured."
Harper grabbed a paramedic's arm and begged, "Please, please save him. I can't lose him, and neither can my children."
Her sobs, one after another, broke the hearts of everyone present.
The paramedic said firmly, "Ma'am, we'll do our best!"
Harper didn't dare to disturb their rescue efforts, so she moved to the side, repeatedly expressing her thanks.
The paramedics put Francis on the stretcher and hurriedly walked out. Harper followed but ran into the man who wanted to kill her at the door. At this moment, he was being escorted into a car by the police.
Harper rushed up like a madwoman, grabbed the man's collar, and questioned, "Why did you want to kill me? Who sent you?"
No matter how Harper pressed him, the man remained silent. The police intervened, "Ma'am, please don't interfere with our duties."
Harper fiercely let go of his collar, her cold eyes looking at the man in front of her, "I won't let you get away. If he dies, I will definitely kill you!"
The man suddenly gave a strange smile and then said, "Beautiful lady, you have no chance. I'm sorry I didn't kill you, but believe me, I'm not the only one after you."
The police shouted, "Shut up!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the man's mouth suddenly spurted blood, his head tilted, and his body immediately went limp. The police were startled, laid him flat, and patted him several times, "Hey, wake up. Get the ambulance!"
Harper saw the black blood flowing from the man's mouth; it was obvious he had been poisoned. But he was fine just a moment ago, and the poison acted so quickly. There was only one possibility: he poisoned himself.
A doctor came to examine him, pried open his pupils, then his mouth, and after checking his teeth, said, "He poisoned himself. The poison was hidden in his inner teeth."
Harper's mind buzzed; she was right!
Who could it be that sent this man? Her mind was in chaos, and she couldn't think straight.
Seeing Francis being lifted into the ambulance, she felt her heart being torn to pieces. She hurried past the now-dead man and followed in the direction of Francis, but due to the sudden movement, her vision suddenly went black. Without warning, her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Ms. Murphy," Victor called out in alarm when he saw her. He immediately picked up Harper and placed her in another ambulance.
Harper had a long dream. When she was giving birth, Francis was by her side, never leaving. When a doctor was about to push her into the operating room, she tightly held Francis's hand and nervously said, "Don't leave, wait for me here."
Francis squeezed her hand and promised, "Don't worry, I won't leave. I'll be right here waiting for you and the babies."
For some reason, Harper felt very uneasy. She still held on tightly, unwilling to let go, suppressing her discomfort, and repeated, "Don't lie to me, you must wait for me."
Francis's lips curled into a warm smile, "I said I won't leave. Why are you being so clingy?"
He gently tapped her nose and said indulgently, "Are you going to be this clingy with the babies too?"
Harper felt she should be reassured, but the unease seemed to turn into a demon, haunting her mind, unable to be shaken off.
A nurse urged, "Ma'am, it's time to go into the delivery room."
Harper reluctantly let go of Francis's hand, but her eyes remained fixed on him, not letting go for a second. Francis waved gently at her, and just as Harper was about to wave back, the cold, heavy iron door suddenly closed completely.
She was placed on the operating table, and after a long time, the babies were born. Their cries woke her up. Harper opened her eyes to see two furry little heads, very cute, with a faint resemblance to Francis's handsome features, destined to be two little heartthrobs.
The door to the operating room opened, and Agnes ran in happily. "Mommy, I want to see my two little brothers!"
Clayton held Agnes and coaxed, "Be quiet, don't wake them up."
Agnes looked at the babies in the cradle, clapping her little hands in delight, "So cute, they're so cute!"
Jasper laughed, "Agnes, let me keep the babies for a couple of days, okay?"
"No way!" Agnes crossed her little arms and pretended to be fierce, "If you want kids, why don't you have them yourself?"
Jasper laughed heartily, "That's impossible, I don't have that ability!"
Agnes, arms crossed, didn't understand, "Mommy can have kids, why can't you?"
Agnes's words instantly brought a burst of laughter.
Harper looked at the harmonious scene before her with eyes full of love, but she felt something was off. She asked Agnes, "Agnes, where's your daddy?"
Agnes looked at her in confusion, "Mom, what's a daddy?"
Harper was stunned and quickly said, "Your daddy, he was just outside. Go get him."
To be honest, not seeing Francis first made Harper a bit disappointed. She wanted Francis to be the first to see their children.
But Agnes still looked confused, "Mommy, we've never had a daddy."
Harper was stunned! How could that be?
Harper asked Clayton, "Dad, did you see Francis? He was just outside. Can you get him for me, please?"
Clayton said softly, "Harper, didn't we agree not to mention him in front of the kids?"
"Why?" Harper didn't understand. Why couldn't they mention him? Francis was the children's father, her husband. Didn't he need to be here? And Francis was just comforting her gently, so why was he nowhere to be seen now?
"Jasper," Harper looked to Jasper for help, pleading, "Can you go get him for me?"
Jasper hesitated and said, "Harper, where am I supposed to find him?"
Harper said, "He promised he wouldn't go far. He should be nearby in the hallway."
Jasper sighed helplessly.
"Harper!" Clayton suddenly spoke, "Francis has been gone for a long time..."
"Dad!" Jasper interrupted. Then, he said gently, "You take the babies and Agnes out first."
Clayton looked at Harper, a bit sad, and nodded. When only Harper and Jasper were left in the room, Harper couldn't help but ask, "Jasper, why aren't you going? I want to see him."
"Harper," Jasper said with a heavy heart, "Francis..."
He choked up, struggling to speak, and finally said in one breath, "Francis has been gone for a long time. How could you forget?"
"What?" Harper sat up. "Jasper, what kind of joke is this!"
Just over an hour ago, she had seen Francis. How could he be gone?
Harper clung to a sliver of hope, "Where did he go?"
"Harper," Jasper said slowly, "He passed away. Five months ago, he was shot and didn't make it."
Suddenly, the room fell silent.
Harper was in shock, completely numb. Her lips trembled as she stammered, "You mean... Francis is dead?"
"Yes." Jasper paused for a long time, then said hoarsely, "He's dead."
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