The Windfalls of Love (Roxanne and Harrison) novel Chapter 312

Roxanne was trying to muster words of comfort for Vincent, but her voice failed her repeatedly, choked sobs keeping her silent. She looked deathly pale, and seeing her distress, Vincent himself, trembling, stood to comfort her instead.

"Roxanne, try not to worry so much," he said, his voice firm with a conviction he didn't feel. "Harrison's weathered many a storm; the chap's tough as old boots. He'll pull through this one, you'll see."

It was as if he was the anchor in a raging sea.

But in truth, his heart was being sliced to ribbons.

Roxanne noticed the weary slump in his usually rigid posture and knew he was putting on a brave front.

She had to be strong too. She nodded vigorously.

"Vincent, you're right. Harrison's seen his share of rough waters; he'll survive this one."

The empty reassurance left her feeling drained, and she blinked back tears.

Before she could say more, Vincent clutched his chest, his complexion turning deathly pale.

"Vincent." Roxanne rushed to support him, "Vincent, are you alright, Vincent."

Alexander, Dominic, and a few bodyguards immediately gathered around to help the fainting Vincent.

At the hospital, Roxanne sat vigil by Vincent's bed.

He was not in mortal danger; his collapse was due to overwhelming grief.

Yet, Roxanne worried for the old man.

Reflecting on his life, she realized how hard his lot had been.

Midlife had stolen his wife.

Now, was he to lose his son in his twilight years? Was he to be the grieving father who outlived his child?

The thought choked her, and tears flowed like an unstoppable faucet – she wept unabashedly, all pretense of composure gone.

She looked at Vincent, still unconscious, and dreaded the possibility of Harrison not returning.

The thought was unbearable.

She wiped away tears and snot time and again.

Alexander entered, catching her in the midst of her sorrow.

He couldn't help but feel compassion.

Seeing Vincent still unconscious, Alexander felt helpless.

He stepped behind Roxanne, gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and handed her a tissue.

Only when she saw the tissue did Roxanne notice Alexander behind her. She had never cried like this in front of people. Embarrassed at being seen in such a state, Seeing Alexander, she hurriedly brushed the messy hair in front of her forehead that was wet with tears.

Choking back sobs, she asked, "Any word from the airline?"

He blinked back his own disappointment, "No. Presumed crashed. They can't locate the exact position where the plane went down."

Roxanne sighed heavily, her gaze drifting to the window where the sky was darkening.

Night had crept in silently.

The autumn night was thick and black, without stars, the moon obscured by heavy clouds - mirroring the gloom she couldn't shake.

Just a week ago, she, Angela, and Harrison had been taking a family photo.

The photo!

She instinctively pulled out her phone, the last photo of her, Angela, and Harrison saved in her gallery.

Opening it, tears splashed onto the screen, blurring Roxanne's face.

She hurriedly wiped it, murmuring, "I should've hugged him before he boarded."

She had wanted to hug him so badly.

Was it jealousy of his talents that had put him on that ill-fated flight?

Oh, what a tragedy!

Chloe was well aware that despite Roxanne and Harrison's breakup, Roxanne's heart still clung to the love she had for him.

The tragedy that befell Harrison meant that Roxanne’s heart was bound to wither away too.

The thought alone choked Chloe up.

Her best friend, her beloved Roxanne – of course, Chloe wished for nothing more than a reconciliation between her and Harrison, a chance for them to piece back the broken mirror of their relationship.

But life had other plans.

In front of Angela, however, Chloe maintained her composure.

Kids are sharp as tacks, catching even the slightest emotional shift in adults, leading to their own sense of unease.

To divert Angela’s attention, Chloe, along with Aria and Austin, spent some time playing games with her.

They played the more physically demanding games.

Like "Duck, Duck, Goose" and "What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf?"

With games to distract her, Angela stopped asking for her mom.

After they played themselves to exhaustion, Chloe gave Angela a bath, tucked her into bed, and before long, Angela was fast asleep.

Once the little munchkin was off to dreamland, Chloe snapped a picture of her angelic sleeping face and sent it to Roxanne.

"Anne, Angela's asleep. Fiona and I are here for her, so don't worry. How's Vincent doing? Has he come around yet?"

Roxanne opened the picture of Angela sleeping, and the emotions she had kept at bay crumbled in an instant.

Ever since the fall outing, Angela had started to warm up to her dad even more.

Just as their relationship had begun to blossom, as they were on the cusp of spending more quality time together, fate had cruelly intervened.