Chapter 560 Dare Not Listen to Any News About Him
Harper just froze. Tears started streaming down her face like a busted dam, big drops falling fast.
"How could this be?" Harper cried out, not wanting to believe it. "Jasper, Francis was just talking to me. He said he'd wait for me."
"It's true, Harper." Jasper held her tight, and they cried together.
Through her tear-filled eyes, Harper's memories started coming back. She saw that cold, big iron door with "Morgue" written on it. She pushed it open. In the middle of the room, on an iron bed, a body lay straight, covered with a white sheet.
Harper shuddered at the sight of the stiff body. "Francis!" She screamed his name, feeling like her heart was being ripped apart.
It felt like fate was playing a cruel joke, and Audrey's words echoed in her mind. "You are a curse to Francis! You two being together is a mistake! You'll end up killing him."
Each word repeated in her head, like a haunting curse.
"No, no." Harper suddenly cried out. "God, please give him back! I'll leave him, just let him come back. I'm begging you."
If being together was a mistake, she'd stay far away from him.
"Harper, wake up." In a daze, Harper heard someone calling her. She struggled to open her heavy eyelids, and a blurry figure came into focus—it was Jasper.
"Harper, you're awake." Jasper's voice was shaky but filled with joy. Just now, Harper had been shouting in her sleep, repeatedly saying "No." That helpless and frail look on her face made Jasper's heart ache.
Harper's eyes were blank for a moment, then she said in a hoarse voice, "Jasper, he..."
Jasper knew what she was thinking and held her hand tight, saying, "Don't worry, Francis is still being resuscitated. Wesley is here too, and he brought the best team of experts to operate on him!"
Harper was dazed for a second, not sure if she heard right.
"You..." Her throat was raw from shouting, so it hurt to say even a single word. Yet, Harper endured the pain and asked Jasper, word by word, "You said Francis..."
"He won't die. Wesley said if he makes it through these two days, he should be fine." Jasper, hearing Harper's torn voice, felt heartbroken and quickly explained to save her from speaking. "And the poison he was affected by also has hope of being neutralized."
Jasper helped Harper sit up and gave her some water to soothe her throat, explaining, "Wesley's medical expert friends have identified the components of the poison. The antidote is missing an ingredient that only the witch on Emerald Isle has. It would have been difficult to obtain, but Wesley found an immortality potion Audrey had hidden for Francis. The missing ingredient was in it, and it has been extracted. Once he wakes up, he can take it."
Harper listened, finding it hard to believe. The dream she just had felt so real. The cold white sheet, the stiff body, the gut-wrenching pain—Harper remembered it all too well. But now, everything had flipped. Could it be that God really heard her prayers and gave her another shot?
Harper closed her eyes, then opened them again, making sure everything in front of her was real. She looked at Jasper and pointed to her belly.
Jasper said, "The babies are fine. You were just scared and a bit malnourished. The doctor said you need to rest in bed for a week."
He glanced at Harper's slightly showing belly and said gently, "They're really strong. Looks like they'll be able to protect you and Agnes well in the future."
Harper lowered her eyelids, lost in thought. Jasper asked, "Are you tired? You should rest some more. I'll be right outside. Just call if you need anything."
After Jasper left, she silently processed everything. She wanted to brush off her recent dream as just that—a dream. But the pain she felt when she thought Francis was dead made it feel all too real. Now she couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't.
The next day.
Jasper poured a cup of water for Harper and saw her gesture, as if to ask, "That prisoner?"
He got it and explained, "According to the police, he doesn't seem to be from the Charles family but from another group. It's weird. I'm still looking into it. I've also got people guarding you here, so don't worry."
Harper wrote on a piece of paper: [Was that person targeting me?]
Jasper nodded. The assassin wasn't an enemy of Francis either. He was definitely after Harper. It was strange, and Jasper was still investigating.
Harper fell silent, the pain in her heart spreading. The assassin was after her, and Francis had taken the hit for her.
The mood got heavy, and even Jasper could feel Harper getting more depressed. She seemed burdened with thoughts but didn't want to talk.
Harper stayed in bed for five more days. During this time, she never mentioned wanting to see Francis. Jasper found it odd. He thought as soon as Harper woke up, she'd insist on seeing Francis, even if it meant being in a wheelchair. But she never brought it up, which was so unlike her. Jasper had prepared a lot of things to say to stop her from moving around, but none of it was needed.
Surprisingly, Harper ate and drank as she should every day, without Jasper having to worry. She followed the doctor's orders and focused on her pregnancy, acting like she didn't care about Francis at all. But Jasper knew it was just a front.
She cried in her sleep, murmuring, "No," several times. That heart-wrenching tone made Jasper feel like he was dying inside. When she woke up, Harper would ask the nurse to change her tear-soaked pillow, not letting him find out. Jasper didn't get her intentions but went along with it, pretending not to know.
Once, Jasper even tested Harper's attitude, saying, "If Francis wakes up this time, I won't say anything about you two being together."
Francis was willing to risk his life to protect Harper. This made Jasper feel that Francis was truly trustworthy. Moreover, the will that Francis had retracted was sent out at the start of his fake wedding. To prevent any unforeseen events, Francis had sent a renewed one with more favorable conditions to Jasper's office.
Even that wedding was a ruse to eliminate the threat posed by Stanley to Harper.
After learning the whole truth, Jasper couldn't say a single bad word about Francis. Francis had indeed fulfilled every promise he made to Jasper when he was with Harper. If Francis's body could recover this time, Jasper would not stand in their way.
But Harper remained silent when faced with this question. Jasper couldn't figure out what she was thinking.
During the ten-plus days of Francis's coma, the first few days were the most dangerous, with doctors issuing critical condition notices every few hours.
Harper appeared calm on the surface, not mentioning him. But on the third night, she wheeled herself secretly to Francis's room. She couldn't enter the ICU, so she could only wait silently at the door.
Seeing Victor busy and the critical condition notices, Harper felt the pain in her heart deepen.
She now felt like a coward, unable to bear hearing any news about Francis. For her, no news was the best news.
She couldn't imagine what she would become if she heard bad news. If she had to relive the scene from her dream, she didn't know if she could survive it again. The pain was too much.
Fate seemed to wield a double-edged sword, stabbing both her and him.
A few days later, Harper could walk on her own, and her health indicators returned to normal. During this time, Isla, under Jasper's instructions, stayed with her constantly.
Isla told Harper that Stanley was truly dead, killed by Audrey. What surprised Harper the most was that Audrey was also dead.
Audrey had no close family left—her father was dead, and she only had a stepmother who had been pushed away by Audrey's dominance. Now, her stepmother returned happily after hearing the news of Audrey's death.
The police needed to perform an autopsy on Audrey's body, and she agreed. The examination revealed that Audrey had died from massive trauma, leading to chest cavity fluid accumulation and suffocation. Evidence of Audrey's misdeeds was found in her home, but since she was dead, the law wouldn't pursue it further.
Audrey's stepmother didn't care about her at all, having suffered much under Audrey's tyranny in the Hernandez family. Upon learning of Audrey's actions, she felt incredibly fortunate to have escaped early. She didn't even want to collect Audrey's ashes, sending a bodyguard to dispose of them. She didn't even buy a burial plot, showing how much she hated her.
Although Audrey's end was tragic, Harper couldn't muster any sympathy for her.
Audrey likely never anticipated such an end for herself. If she had known she would end up like this, would she have committed all those wrongs?
Isla also learned some information about the person who tried to shoot Harper; he was also from Emerald Isle.
Hearing where he was from, Harper felt deeply puzzled. Who on this island, which she had never visited, harbored such deep hatred for her that they wanted her dead? But her strength was limited, and she couldn't investigate recklessly.
However, Jasper assured her not to worry; he would handle the investigation.
After nearly half a month in the hospital, good news finally came. Francis woke up, but he couldn't get out of bed or speak, only able to blink, unable to express any emotions. His body was poisoned, with a shattered kneecap and complications from the gunshot wound. Even though he was awake, he couldn't be careless.
After careful consideration, Wesley decided to surgically administer the antidote on the third day after Francis woke up. The poison in Francis's body severely hindered his healing ability. If this continued, the best he could do would be to open his eyes and blink, unable to do anything else.
The day before the surgery, Wesley came to see Harper.
Wesley was as kind and interesting as ever, not letting his deep concern for Francis's condition show, especially knowing that Harper was still recuperating. They didn't have much to talk about. After this experience, Harper seemed more distant than before.
Wesley came mainly to reassure Harper. Before leaving, he said, "Harper, I will definitely bring Francis back. He will be just like before."
Harper softly thanked him, "Thank you for doing so much for him."
That night, Harper went to Francis's room again. Last time, she couldn't see inside from her wheelchair. This time, through the glass window, she clearly saw Francis lying in bed.
After so many days in a coma, Francis's body had visibly thinned, with his cheeks sunken, looking gaunt. His body was covered with numerous tubes. Although he was awake, he was still not out of danger, so the supportive equipment couldn't be removed.
Harper stared through the glass, silently watching for a long time. Even with his emaciated face, Francis was still incredibly handsome.
After a while, Harper seemed to have made a decision. She said to Francis in her mind, 'Francis, I won't be here when your surgery begins tomorrow.'
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