Too Much to Bear, My Love

Indeed, Tiffany was the best shopper amongst freelance writers. She towed Amelia and shopped her way from the first floor to the third floor. They even bought several clothes before heading to the baby area on the fifth floor. The two then bought strollers and shoes for baby girls and boys. By the time they were done, they had bought five carts’ worth of items.

Massaging her temple as she stared at the carts, Amelia queried, “Tiff, don't you think you're buying a little too much?”

Tiffany let out an awkward laugh. “It is, but don't worry. We can get them to deliver these to your doorstep. You won't need to carry them yourself."

Huffing in amusement, Amelia took out a card from her bag, about to make payments. However, Tiffany stopped her in the next second. “My dear, these are the gifts I'm buying for my godchild. You can't fight with me on paying for these, or else I'll never forgive you for this.”

Amelia then kept the card back into her bag.

In the end, Tiffany was the one who paid for everything. It was worth tens of thousands. Fortunately, although Tiffany was a freelance novelist, her novels sold well. The royalty fees she received were quite the amount, so she had much money saved in her bank account. Amelia started, “Tiff, your book—The Flower's Secret—should be selling quite well, right?”

Tiffany nodded. “My readers are very supportive, so I've sold hundreds of thousands of copies. I've got quite an amount of commission for it. If you divorce Oscar, you and I can raise the kid without any problems.” Feeling touched, Amelia teased, “You're gloating.”

Tiffany then hooked her arm around her shoulders. “My dear, your darling's outstation. Do you want to stay at my place for a few nights?” After a quick thought, Amelia nodded.

The two then left the mall together. After having dinner in a nearby restaurant, the two headed to the underground parking lot. However, right at the entrance of the parking lot, an Audi was speeding toward them. Their eyes widened at it, but Tiffany was the first to come back to her senses. She shoved Amelia aside and shouted, “Be careful!”

Amelia had to stumble several steps back before she could stop herself from falling. She could do nothing but watch as the speeding Audi crashed into Tiffany, sending her flying. Instead of stopping, the car sped off and soon disappeared into the night.

It took Amelia a long while before she rushed toward Tiffany. Crouching down and looking at the bloody Tiffany, Amelia cried out, “Tiff!” But there was no response from the woman.

As tears streamed down her face, Amelia took out her phone and tried to call an ambulance. Yet, her hands trembled too much for her to press those three numbers. Sobbing, she pleaded, “Can you call the ambulance for her?”

The passersby that crowded around her told her, “Miss, don't panic. We've called the police and the ambulance. The ambulance will come soon.”

“Thank you!”

Two ordinary-looking women squeezed out from the crowd and uttered, “Miss, we're both doctors. Let us administer first aid to your friend.

In agitation, Amelia pulled them over and choked out, “Doctor, please, save my friend.”

The two doctors then briefly checked Tiffany and gravely said, “Miss, your friend's injuries are quite severe, so we can't guarantee that we can save her.”

The colors drained from Amelia's face.

Fortunately, the ambulance soon arrived. With Tiffany getting carried into the ambulance, the two doctors and Amelia then boarded it as well.

Arriving at the hospital, Tiffany was sent straight to the emergency room as Amelia collapsed against the wall weakly.

She stared at the doors and pleaded in a soft voice, “Tiff, please be safe. What do I do if you're not fine? How am I going to break the news to your parents?”

Amelia did not know how long she spent waiting outside when two police officers came to her. The female officer politely said, “Hello, we're the officers in Jadeborough District. We're here to find out more about the details of the accident. Your friend was the one in the accident, right?”

Hearing that, Amelia took in a deep breath before she wiped away the frown on her face. Reaching out to shake her hand, Amelia mumbled, “Hello.”

The female officer returned the handshake and asked, “Did you see the plate number of the car?”

Amelia nodded. When the car had driven off, she had reminded herself to take a look at it. As she had an excellent memory, she was able to tell the female officer the number immediately.

Nodding her head, the female officer reassured, “All right. That's all we need for now. Don't worry. We'll find the driver as soon as possible to bring justice to your friend.”

Amelia nodded again. “Thank you, officers.”

The female officer then took a while reassuring her before leaving with the male officer.

Once the two left, Amelia fell back against the wall like a puppet whose strings were cut. And once again, her gaze was fixed on the doors to the emergency room.

Time ticked away, and soon, five hours had gone by. Those five hours were the worst and slowest time Amelia had to endure. Every single second was torture to her soul, and she kept praying that Tiffany would be fine. However, the speed of the Audi was too fast, and in the recesses of her mind, she knew Tiffany might not survive.

She dared not think of it. She was afraid that Tiffany would die in her place, and that was something she would never be able to forgive herself for.

Right as Amelia was mulling over the possible futures, her phone rang and made her jump in surprise. Shaking, she dug out her phone from her bag. When she saw the name on the screen, her eyes reddened, and something in her snapped.

Picking up the phone, she choked out, “Hello?”

Oscar's voice traveled out of the speakers. “What's wrong? Are you crying?”

Like an anxious lost child, Amelia burst into tears. “Oscar, T-Tiff, she was in an accident. I'm so scared. I'm terrified.”

Through the phone speakers, Oscar's voice sounded deep, but it was enough to comfort her. “Just breathe and calm down. I'm going to ask you some questions, and you'll answer them one at a time, all right? Are you hurt?”

Amelia took in a deep breath. It was as if she had found her pillar of support. With Oscar on the phone, she felt the mountain on her chest lifting a little.

"Tiff pushed me away before the car could hit me,” Amelia explained. “I'm glad that you're fine. I'll send Jimmy to pick you up later. I'll take the earlier plane back, so stay put and don't overthink it.”

Amelia was touched by Oscar's attitude. Although they were only husband and wife on papers, Oscar had still managed to console her in a situation like this.

“Thank you, Mr. Clinton,” Amelia sincerely uttered.

Oscar fell silent for a moment before replying in a lower voice, “You're legally my woman. It's only appropriate that I express my concern when my woman was nearly in an accident. All right, stop overthinking it. I'm still in a meeting right now. Once the sun rises, I'll take the plane back. ll end the call now.”

With that said, Oscar ended the call.

Although Oscar did not patiently console his panicking wife like other husbands would, for him to send someone to her meant that he was not completely unconcerned about her.

Finally, Amelia found her heartbeat returning to its normal rate after the call with Oscar.

Soon, the Jimmy that Oscar mentioned came. Jimmy was a tall young woman in her late twenties. When she walked toward Amelia, she politely greeted, “Hello, Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Clinton sent me here. I'm Jillian Yarrow. Everyone calls me Jimmy, and you might want to call me that as well.”

Flashing her a smile, Amelia apologized, “I'm sorry to trouble you to come in the middle of the night.”

“Mrs. Clinton, please don't. I'm Mr. Clinton's subordinates, and since I'm getting paid, it's my job to settle all difficult matters for him, not to mention a personal one. Mr. Clinton has told me that if I can lift your spirits, he'll give me a bonus.” At that, Jimmy even winked at her. It made her seem less aloof and cheekier, and it made Amelia smile. Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief at that. “Mrs. Clinton, you've smiled. That means I'm halfway to succeeding in my task.”

Pointing at the chair by the side, Amelia muttered, “Please take a seat.” Jimmy replied, “Mrs. Clinton, please sit. I'm fine standing.”

“We're both about the same age, so it's fine if you don't call me Mrs. Clinton. It sounds strange. If you don’t mind, please call me Amelia,” Amelia offered.

Jimmy's eyes glistened, and she uttered sincerely, “Mrs. Clinton, you're much more easy-going than I thought you would be.”

Patting at the seat beside her, Amelia repeated, “Sit.”

Instead of rejecting her again, Jimmy sat down. Right then, Amelia made a rare teasing comment, “Why, am I a ferocious beast to you?” Jimmy shook her head. In the quiet night, the two spoke freely as if they had been friends for years.

“No. You look pretty, but it's the aggressive kind of pretty. No one will deny that you're a seductive lady, so I thought you'd speak and act like a rose with thorns. I didn't think that...” Jimmy trailed off.

“You didn't think that I'd be that amiable. Are you disappointed that I'm different from what you think I would be?” Amelia was the one to voice Jimmy's thoughts instead.

Hearing that, Jimmy felt embarrassed.

Amelia squeezed out a faint smile. “I dress only to impress. Mr. Clinton hopes to have a beautiful wife that'll get rid of the pretty birds that flock around him. Since he’s paying me, I'll have to play the role well.” At that, Jimmy turned to look at her in surprise.

Amelia's eyes remained by the doors of the emergency room as she mumbled noncommittally, “For Mr. Clinton to have sent you here means that you're someone he trusts. I'm sure you know well many of his things.”

Those were the words Jimmy could not deny.