On the other side of town, at the grand For·ena Villa.
Serena’s eyelids fluttered open, and the maid, Dora, imdiately exclaid with joy, "Serena, you’re awake? I’ll go inform the master right away!"
Serena’s vision wavered between blurry and clear.
An intricately carved ceiling, an opulent crystal chandelier, and ornate, luxurious draperies.
She found herself in a bedroom that exuded luxury and grandeur.
But how did she end up here? Where was this place?
"Serena, are you feeling better now?" asked a face that appeared before her, youthful and delicate.
"My na is Dora. Mr. Cooper asked to take care of you," she explained, perhaps sensing Serena’s confusion about who ’the master’ was. She added with emphasis, "It’s Mr. Cooper, Martin Cooper."
Martin Cooper?.
A torrent of mories flooded Serena’s mind.
Louisa had beaten her rcilessly, left her in the basent for three whole days without a glance, and Sean ordered soone to douse her with icy water and slap her across the face.
When she was tortured to the brink of her last breath, the servants, following her parents’ orders, left her to fend for herself. She wasn’t given a morsel of food or a sip of water, and her wounds were left untreated.
To survive, she had to crawl to a corner and force herself to drink the scant, dirty water left in a plastic basin.
At the thought, she closed her eyes. Her heart twisted in agony, and she felt a suffocating pain.
"Serena, are you alright? Why did you pass out again?" Dora asked, concerned. "June, quickly call the doctor."
But Serena hadn’t passed out.
The painful mories made her heart ache unbearably, causing her body to tremble slightly.
After the doctor arrived, Dora quickly said, "Serena just woke up for a mont and then passed out again. She’s trembling all over. I don’t know if it’s because she’s too cold."
The doctor examined Serena, checked the dical equipnt readings, and then leaned over, calling out softly, "Serena, can you hear speaking now?"
Serena felt numb, like a walking shell of herself.
"Serena? Serena?" The doctor noticed that the dical monitors showed normal readings, except one indicated intense emotional fluctuations.
She must have been agitated by so mory upon waking up.
If her emotions continued like this, it could trigger a series of adverse reactions.
"Serena?" the doctor called again with patience.
Hearing the news, Martin rushed in, "Serena’s awake?"
He had just been in the study, handling so work-related phone calls. To think that in such a short ti, the servant had told him that Serena was awake.
"She passed out again." Dora said, "She was only awake for less than a minute."
Martin took a seat beside the bed, looking at the woman lying there. Even though her eyes were closed, there were traces of tears at the corners.
"Serena?" Martin called out anxiously yet tenderly, "It’s , Martin. Are you awake? Did you have a nightmare? Don’t be afraid, I’m here now."
Serena could no longer hold back the torrent of emotions, her eyes fluttered open and were imdiately filled with tears.
"Serena." Martin’s heart lifted at the sight of her awakening, but the tears brimming in her eyes pierced his heart with empathy. He quickly grabbed a tissue and gently wiped her tears away. "What’s wrong?
Don’t be afraid, you’re safe here with . No one can hurt you now."
A lump ford in Serena’s throat, and she couldn’t keep the floodgates closed any longer as her emotions surged forward.
Martin tenderly leaned down and wrapped his arms around her. "You’ve just been snatched back from death’s door. You shouldn’t get worked up, I understand, I know you must be feeling terrible."
He stroked her hair soothingly. "It’s okay now, it’s all in the past. Have a little cry, let it all out, and then let’s try to stop, okay?"
As he spoke, Martin gently dabbed the tears from her cheeks. "I can’t stand to see you cry."
The doctors and the servants in the room fell into a hushed silence.
They had never seen Martin treat a girl with such tender care before.
This girl, whom they were seeing for the first ti, appeared quite ordinary with her bruised forehead and chin.
They couldn’t fathom what the master saw in her, to care so deeply.
"Martin." For the first ti, Serena clung to Martin’s neck with all her might, crying bitterly, her voice hoarse with sorrow. "They really don’t want anymore. They treated like a criminal. They really don’t care about anymore."
Martin felt a tightness in his chest and a sting in his nose, moved with compassion as he comforted her,
"Easy now, don’t strain yourself, you’re still on an IV, and there’s a needle in the back of your hand, not to ntion your injuries haven’t healed yet. I understand how you feel. I know this must be incredibly hard for you."
"I’ve lost everything, my family, and their affection."
"But you still have . I’ve promised that no matter what happens, I’ll always be by your side. Even if everyone else is gone, you still have ."
Hearing these words made Serena cry even harder.
There was a ti when she had treated him like a spare tire, summoning him at her whim, never truly valuing him as a real boyfriend, never offering him the respect he deserved.
Yet, when she was discarded like trash by others.
The only one to give her shelter, to offer her a ho, was Martin.
After a while, Serena’s sobs began to subside as her emotions started to stabilize.
Martin, seeing her red and swollen eyes, felt his own eyes well up with tears. He gently wiped away her tear stains, "Okay, no more crying."
Perhaps the emotional turmoil was too much, for Serena felt a sharp pain in her heart. Even as she covered her chest with her thickly bandaged hand, she struggled to catch her breath.
"What’s the matter?" Martin quickly turned to the doctor at his side.
The doctor examined her and imdiately administered an injection.
With the dicine coursing through her, Serena collapsed into Martin’s arms like a weary cat.
"Serena’s bodily functions have already been compromised to varying degrees," the doctor explained.
"Having just regained consciousness, it’s crucial that she keeps her emotions in check to prevent further damage."
Martin, careful not to disturb her, asked, "When will she wake up again?"
"It’s hard to say, could be in a little while, or it might not be until tomorrow."
Martin nodded and turned to Dora, "Take good care of her. If she wakes up, let know imdiately."
"Yes, sir."
Martin gently laid Serena back onto the bed and tucked her in, observing her in silence.
The wound on her forehead was still healing. The delay of three days had caused redness and swelling, despite the doctor’s efforts.
Fortunately, she hadn’t seen her reflection yet, or it would have been another bout of tears.
"I’m going to make a call. Stay with her," Martin said as he stood up and walked into the study to dial that mysterious number.
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