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CHAPTER 3 I am the master of this game

Meanwhile, outside the hospital room, footsteps echoed. Concerned about leaving Lucia alone, her cousin, Jackson Watts, had come to check.

"Lucia, are you asleep?" Jackson cautiously called outside.

"Lucia, are you still there?"

No response.

Jackson's anxiety grew, he opened the door slightly and peered inside.

The sight before him was horrifying. Lucia lay in a pool of blood.

"Lucia! Lucia!" Jackson burst into the room.

He shouted, his voice filled with worry and desperation. "Can you hear me? Wake up, please!"

Jackson's face turned pale, cold sweat ran down his back. He held Lucia's hand, feeling the warm blood still flowing from her deep wrist wound.

"Help! Doctor! Nurse!" Jackson yelled, hoping his desperate voice would alert someone outside.

"Doctor! Doctor!" Jackson shouted.

Jackson's heart felt suspended in the air, not knowing how to stop the bleeding or how to make her wake up.

Soon, hurried footsteps sounded in the hallway. The hospital room door swung open, doctors and nurses rushed in. Jackson was pulled away from Lucia.

A doctor immediately checked Lucia's condition, while nurses quickly prepared to stop the bleeding.

Lucia was rushed to the emergency room, the ambulance siren blaring, the atmosphere tense and urgent. The stretcher rolled quickly down the hospital corridor, doctors and nurses surrounding her, trying their best to stop the bleeding.

"We need to stop the bleeding immediately!" a doctor shouted.

Nurses quickly prepared tools, trying to stop the blood flow.

One hour, two hours, then three hours passed. The emergency room door finally opened.

"Doctor, doctor, how is it? How is Lucia?" Jackson rushed towards the doctor, his eyes filled with fear and hope. He was the only one not afraid of being implicated, arranging her father's funeral, and looking after her mother. He stayed with Lucia in the hospital.

The doctor approached Jackson, sweat on his forehead.

"Lucia is out of danger."

"She will be okay, right? She's fine now, right?"

"We've managed to control the blood loss and her wound has been treated."

Jackson felt a massive weight lift off his chest. He breathed a sigh of relief, choking up.

"Doctor, thank you so much."

"It's nothing, it's our duty. Her wound is not currently dangerous, but she still needs close monitoring."

"Yes, I understand," Jackson nodded quickly.

Lucia was quickly transferred to the intensive care unit. Jackson didn't go home, staying at the hospital. He feared that when Lucia woke up, she might do something foolish again.

On the second morning, Lucia finally woke up.

"Why didn't you let me die? Then I could have joined my father," were her first words after waking.

Lucia lay on the hospital bed, her pale lips quivering.

Seeing Lucia awake, Jackson was overjoyed. He rushed over to check on her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Why did you save me?" Lucia whispered.

"Lucia, we grew up together. I see you as my own sister."

Hearing this, Lucia gave a bitter, pained smile. When her family had money and power, relatives always surrounded them, trying to curry favor. Now, in their downfall, no one was around. Only Jackson remained.

"You know, if you hadn't come then, I might have already joined my father. He must be lonely down there,"

Jackson looked at Lucia, then at the wound on her wrist, his heart aching. The once lively, adorable, energetic Lucia was gone. Even her will to live was gone. Time was wearing her down, and the storm was engulfing her.

"Lucia, do you remember when I was bullied by classmates who took all my toys? I didn't know what to do, just sat under a tree and cried. I even thought it was my fault."

Pausing, Jackson continued, "But you came and told me not to cry. You said it wasn't my fault and I shouldn't suffer for things I didn't do."

"That was so long ago, I don't even remember," Lucia said.

"But remember, even now, Lucia, you haven't done anything wrong. There's no reason for you to do this. What will you gain from dying? Will your death bring your father back? Will it restore his innocence?" Jackson said, his eyes more determined than ever.

"Do you believe in my father's innocence?" Lucia's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.

"Of course, I do. He would never do such a thing."

Lucia fell silent, staring blankly into the void.

"And besides, you still have your mother. If you were to leave then, could you bear to leave your mother alone? How would she live?" Jackson continued.

Lucia remained silent, but there seemed to be a change in her eyes.

"Are you listening to me, Lucia? You have to live, you must live. If you die, people will truly believe your father was guilty. Not to mention, if you die, how will your mother live? Don't you think she's suffered enough? You are the only reason she has to keep going."

This was the first time in his life that Jackson had raised his voice to Lucia. But he had to do it, Lucia had to understand how foolish it was to think of suicide.

"I understand, Jackson."

"That's good."

"Could you leave me alone for a while? I want some peace and quiet. Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid." Lucia said gently.

Jackson looked into her eyes and finally decided to trust her.

"Alright, get some rest."

Jackson stepped out of the room, the door slowly closing behind him.

Lucia lay alone in the room, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. Her head buzzed, and images of a happy family of three kept replaying in her mind. There was her father, her mother, all of them smiling brightly.

Lucia's eyes involuntarily filled with warm tears. Her eyes stung, and the pain once again tore through her heart. But this time, she didn't think about dying.

Jackson wasn't wrong. If she really sought death, people would truly believe her father was guilty, and her mother would be left without any support.

She couldn't die! No matter what, she couldn't die! She was the only hope left for the two of them.

The ticking of the clock echoed through the room. Lucia slowly closed her eyes, having made her decision about the next chapter of her life.

Outside, the wind grew stronger, and the thin hospital curtain fluttered with each gust. However, it could not affect the person lying inside.

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