Chapter 277

277
277
Hannah clung to his arm and pleaded , “ Liam , it’s not like they said … ”
She tried to wash her hands of any blame , her words dripping with grievance .
Liam barely took in the words . The image of the little girl’s ghostly pale , bloodless face kept surfacing in his mind .
He couldn’t help but recall the darkest hours when he was battling a severe virus infection .
They were going to burn him alive , just to make sure the virus wouldn’t spread further .
6120
He was lying in a heap of bodies , and no one cared whether he lived or died . Every single second , despair and fear gnawed away at me from the inside
out .
The little girl’s situation was eerily similar to his own .
Liam opened his mouth , intending to comfort Hannah , but the words failed him .
Back then , Hannah had done exactly what Aria was doing .
But all Hannah did was blame Aria , tossing around words like “ corpse ” and “ virus “ -not a trace of compassion for the little girl .
Liam stared at this unfamiliar version of her , his heart churning with conflicting emotions .
Things had subtly changed , Hannah had , and so had he .
Aria leapt out of the car , clutching Violet tightly as she sprinted into the ER and laid her on the crash cart .
The two boys rushed over . When they saw the little girl’s condition , a wave of despair washed over them . One of them choked out , his voice trembling ,
“ Ms. Saxon … ”
Owen had the acupuncture needles prepared in advance , quickly opening the sterile packs and placing them on the nearby table . As Aria undressed Violet for the procedure , she ordered firmly , “ Everyone out , now . ”
Owen said , “ Understood . I’ll be right outside . Call me stat if you need anything . ”
The two boys , having never witnessed such a scene before , stood frozen in place . Owen grabbed their arms and pulled them out .
Aria kept performing CPR on Violet nonstop throughout the ambulance ride .
At that critical moment , acupuncture was the fastest emergency treatment available .
Aria took a deep breath to steady her nerves , then plucked a needle from the table , carefully positioning it above Violet’s philtrum .
As the tip of the needle was about to touch the skin , her hand suddenly trembled violently out of control , causing her to miss the insertion point .
Through the gap in the door , Owen caught sight of Aria’s trembling hand . His heart sank . He averted his gaze , reminded of how shaken she’d been after treating Giana that night .
Her hands were just as unsteady as that night .
Owen couldn’t help but wonder , ‘ What on earth has she been through ? ‘
Aria shut her eyes tightly and drew a deep breath . As she opened them , her hand visibly steadied . Without the slightest hesitation , she inserted the needle swiftly .
Next , she inserted needles into the palm , the sole , and finally a critical cardiac acupoint next to the heart .
1/2
13:13 Fri , 13 Jun G
277
With bated breath and unwavering focus , Aria steadily inserted the needle .
After completing the acupuncture , Aria was drenched in sweat once again , but she was coping better than last time .
Aria groped for a chair and sank into it , exhaling several deep , shaky breaths .
Kate came running to the door , only to be stopped by Owen . He said gently , “ Mrs. Livingston , Aria is doing everything she can to save your granddaughter . The best we can do now is wait . ”
Káte nodded vigorously , tears streaming down her face . Her legs gave way and she dropped to her knees . “ God , please , I’m begging you ! Save Violet ! Help her pull through this ! ”
With that , Kate prayed desperately with crossed fingers .
Kate sobbed desperately , ‘ God , please ! I swear I’ll never play poker games again , never take another penny from Madelyn ! Just let Violet recover . I’d gladly give up years of my life , even trade my life for hers ! ‘
Owen’s heart was heavy , but he could say nothing . For Kate , this was all she could do now .
+20 )
The two young men felt their eyes sting with emotion , yet neither moved to help Kate up . They simply stood by , silently praying for emergency treatment to succeed .
After what felt like an eternity , Aria finally detected vital signs on Violet . A spark of hope flashed in her eyes .
AD