Chapter 649 Dead Or Alive
At the mansion that day, Avery had been knitting a sweater in the living room. She forced herself to stay busy, hoping to momentarily alleviate her anxiety.
Little did she know that, after two days of anxious waiting, there would be no news about Cayden's safety. Instead, it was Xavier who showed up, accompanied by an exceedingly handsome young man who seemed just as sorrowful. The heaviness of their footsteps weighed on the atmosphere.
Upon seeing Xavier, Avery's already weary eyes, strained from staying up all night, turned even more bloodshot.
Hastily, she put down her knitting and hurried toward Xavier. She glanced behind them for a long moment, but there was no trace of Cayden.
Gripping Xavier's arm tightly, she anxiously asked, “Mr. Dartsley, where is Cayden? Why hasn't he returned?”
Xavier's eyes were moist, and he turned his head away, unable to meet her gaze.
Meanwhile, behind him, Sid fell to his knees before Avery with a “thud.”
Startled by the sudden action, Avery quickly took a step back, asking, “What are you doing?”
Sid explained, “Avery, I am Sid. Cayden recently restored my face.”
Realization dawned upon Avery. “So it's you.”
Earlier, Avery learned from Cayden that Sid underwent another cosmetic surgery to revert his face, which had originally been altered to resemble Cayden, to its original appearance before the disfigurement. However, she had never met him in person until that moment.
Seeing him that day, she realized that Sid's face was indeed stunningly handsome, almost devilishly so.
But at that moment, she had no time to appreciate his looks. She urgently questioned, “Cayden went to Remdik to save you, but why did you come back, and he didn't? What exactly happened to you two?”
Sid covered his face in anguish. His voice was filled with deep remorse as he uttered, “I'm sorry, Avery...”
“I don't want your apologies. I just want to know where Cayden is!” Avery couldn't control her emotions and raised her voice at Sid.
Sid's body trembled uncontrollably as he spoke. “Cayden... Cayden is missing. His car has been blown to smithereens, and almost everyone who was with him is dead. We couldn't find... a single survivor...”
Avery was shocked and instinctively took a step back upon hearing the news he brought.
She looked at him, her delicate frame on the verge of fainting, but she persisted in asking, “Did you see Cayden's body with your own eyes?”
“No.” Xavier's expression was also filled with sorrow, his voice choked with emotion. “With such a massive explosion and raging inferno, everyone was burned beyond recognition. How could there possibly be any bodies to see?”
He couldn't believe that Cayden Moore would be gone just like that.
Mr. Moore, with his remarkable intellect and capability, and an unwavering tenacity for life... How could he just vanish?
However, the reality before them forced them to accept that Cayden was indeed gone.
“No! I want to see him with my own eyes, dead or alive. Until I see his body, I won't believe he's gone!” Avery's voice was resolute.
She kept muttering as if hypnotizing herself, “I don't believe it. This can't be true...”
Looking at Avery's profoundly sorrowful expression, Sid covered his face in guilt, his shoulders trembling with unparalleled regret.
With a heavy heart, Xavier suppressed his grief and handed over a slightly charred ring to Avery. “Mrs. Moore, we found this belonging of Mr. Moore at the site of the incident. Could you please confirm it?”
When she looked at the familiar ring, Avery's face turned pale.
She forcefully snatched the ring from Xavier's hand.
The fire had scorched the ring, turning it somewhat black, and some edges had melted away, leaving only a rough outline and blurry patterns. It could be seen that the patterns on it were adorned with a cluster of diamonds.
Back then, when choosing rings, Cayden had even complained that his ring was somewhat feminine.
However, Avery loved the design, explaining that the blooming and wilting of flowers symbolized eternal love, and the floral motif represented the exchange of vows for a lifetime of happiness.
Now, as she gazed at the damaged ring in her hand, Avery's lips trembled.
She reached for the ring on her right hand, a matching pair to the one on her finger.
Suddenly, Avery felt her eyes becoming blurred.
She really didn't want to cry, but tears slid down involuntarily.
Cayden was gone, and there was no one to wipe her tears or comfort her sorrow.
She lowered her head, and teardrops like pearls filled her eyes before trickling down and falling onto the top of her feet.
The scorching warmth of her tears brought her some clarity.
Only then did Avery realize that in her haste, she had even lost her slippers.
Stepping on the icy floor, she felt the cold seep into her bones, triggering a rush of memories.
In days gone by, whenever Cayden found me barefoot at home, he would playfully feign anger and scold me. Then, with a tender touch, he would carry me to the sofa, personally warm my little feet by massaging them, and lovingly put soft shoes on me himself. But now, he's gone...
Avery's head felt like it was on the verge of exploding. She could no longer make sense of whatever Xavier and Sid were saying to her.
Slowly, she made her way to the bedroom, feeling her whole being engulfed in a dreadful silence.
She felt so tired, incredibly tired.
In an instant, darkness washed over her vision, and her body lost all strength, becoming feeble and powerless.
Without warning, her legs buckled, and she crumpled to the floor. Her frail form was unable to bear the weight any longer...
Avery remained in a state of unconsciousness for a full day and night.
Upon awakening, she found herself without any appetite, unable to eat. Instead, she relied on intravenous fluids to sustain her life.
Upon receiving the news, Claire hurried to the hospital to be by Avery's side. However, all her efforts to persuade Avery were in vain, leaving her feeling both heartbroken and powerless. In moments when no one was looking, she would discreetly wipe away her tears.
Cecelia and Nina took turns keeping her company at the hospital.
Everyone was deeply concerned about Avery, but she appeared indifferent to her surroundings, as if she had lost all desire to live.
Concerned that Avery's body might not be able to cope, Xavier called in the twins to keep her company. He hoped that having the children around would serve as a source of motivation for their mother to regain her strength.
When Avery woke up again, it was already evening.
She was startled awake by a barrage of harsh insults and the sound of a child crying.
In the dim room with no lights on, Avery opened her eyes and was met with the sight of Allie furiously pulling off her blanket.
Then, pointing accusingly at Avery, Allie launched into a furious tirade. “You temptress. You're a real jinx! I knew from the start that nothing good would come from my son being with you. You're a woman who brings bad luck to her husband. If it weren't for you, how could my son have had such an accident? Don't play dead with me. Get up right now!”
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