Gone Forever

Hospital

Elsie Forbes had just finished her check-up when she turned a corner and bumped into a woman coming the other direction.

The woman's pregnancy test results scattered across the floor.

When Elsie finally looked up and saw the woman's face, she froze.

Was Missy pregnant?

Pushing her doubts aside, Elsie bent to gather the papers, but someone shoved to the ground.

Her fingers hit the cold floor, and a sharp pain shot through her. Her eyelashes fluttered from the agony.

“Are you okay?” her husband, Ronald York, knelt beside Missy Forbes, his eyes full of concern.

Missy's eyes filled with tears. “Ronald…”

She clutched her small, rounded belly and glanced at Elsie, who had already gotten up. Fear filled Missy's face as she hid behind Ronald.

She looked utterly terrified of Elsie.

A cold glint flashed in Elsie's eyes.

After all these years, Missy still performed so well.

Ronald's tall frame blocked Elsie's view. She met his eyes and saw anger and a murderous edge.

Ronald snapped,“Why are you here? Following me?”

Ronald's expression remained somber as he stood protectively in front of Missy.

The cold impatience in his voice contrasted with the tenderness he had shown Missy moments before.

The scene was like a needle stabbing Elsie's heart, spreadinga deep pain.

Elsie opened her mouth, but no sound came out. A sudden, heavy sorrow settled over her.

Her husband of four years was protecting another woman in front of her.

And that woman was her uncle's daughter.

Missy tugged timidly at Ronald's sleeve and whispered,“Ronald, maybe Elsie just happened to be passing by.”

Disgust filled Ronald's eyes. "Then why is she at the hospital?"

His words suggested that Elsie had followed them on purpose.

“She's a malicious person, not worth your concern,” Elsie thought, clenching her fists silently.

It's winter again. Every year at this season, her ten fingers felt as though ants were gnawing them.

Ronald knew how badly her hands were injured. If he thought about it, he would know she was here for her treatment. Yet he still chose to assume the worst.

With his recent defense and tenderness towards Missy, an uninformed observer may assume that Ronald and Missy were the married couple.

Elsie fixed her gaze on the familiar face she had once loved.

At that moment, he seemed a complete stranger, and she felt growing disdain for him.

She laughed bitterly and turned to leave. The man she truly loved would never treat her this way.

She had chased Ronald for six years, and now the only thing he shared with the man she loved was his appearance.

As Elsie rounded the corner, her assistant Julie ran up, holding the report.

“Elsie, the doctor said your hand is severely injured. Should we cancel tomorrow's performance? Otherwise, your hand might be permanently damaged, and you might never recover.”

Elsie sighed calmly,“No. I will complete this performance.”

Even if her hand was ruined, she had to keep her promise.

Winning the Peace Dove Piano Award had been a goal they set five years earlier.

Seeing Elsie's determination, Julie sighed. “Here's the pain medication the doctor prescribed.”

Elsie nodded and took it.

Her fingers were long and graceful, like works of art, perfect for playing the piano.

Julie showed a flicker of regret in her eyes. “God is so unfair, giving you such flair only to cruelly take away your ability to play.”

Elsie forced a bitter smile.

Her hands had been injured two years before. Back then, Ronald had been kidnapped, and she had brought bodyguards to rescue him.

The kidnappers had been ruthless. Before leaving, Elsie had been prepared to trade her life for his.

She couldn't let the only person who resembled him vanish from the world.

The rescue was harrowing. She fought to carry the unconscious Ronald out, but as they fled, the kidnappers rammed their car.

In the final moments before the explosion, she lifted the overturned car with her own hands and pulled Ronald free.

Elsie would never forget that day. Her ten fingers felt as if a truck had crushed them.

As they escaped the blast zone, a massive explosion and a wave of heat erupted behind them.

She was relieved. This time, she hadn't been too late.

Later, Elsie spent two weeks in the hospital. Her fingers had suffered the worst injuries, and the doctor warned she might never play the piano again.

Losing the most important thing in her life, she broke down and cried.

Perhaps out of guilt, Ronald brought in the best medical team and stayed at her side, doing everything could to help her hands recover.

She practiced day and night, enduring the pain, determined to win the Peace Dove Award.

Just as hope appeared, she and Ronald had a huge fight two months earlier.

Ronald inexplicably lost his temper and stormed out. Elsie, used to it, tried only to calm him down.

She chased after him and blocked his car door with her hand.

But Ronald shut the door without hesitation, severely injuring her hand again.

Her career had been on a countdown since then.

This competition might be her last.

When Elsie sent that message to Ronald, she had hoped for some sympathy.

But Ronald never replied. Their chat history was only filled with her long messages.

Ronald had been absent from her life for two months. The next time she saw him, he was with Missy for a prenatal check-up.

Snapping out of her memories, Elsie typed a message on her phone without expression.

Even such a simple action caused her fingers intense pain.

Elsie took the pain medication and swallowed it with water.

She suddenly regretted saving Ronald.

It would have been better to let him die then. At least the man in her heart would not have been tainted.

He wouldn't have had the chance to put on a face like his and do those disgusting things.

Ronald watched Elsie's determined departure as a sudden panic rose in his chest.

He instinctively wanted to chase after her, but Missy's soft voice stopped him.

“Ronald, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have come here. Elsie must misunderstand you.”

Missy lowered her eyes, full of self-blame. “I'll go explain and apologize to her. No matter how she insults me, as long as she doesn't reveal my pregnancy, my baby and I will be fine.”

Her pale face was full of vulnerability and fear, which instantly softened Ronald's heart.

He reassured her, “This is my child. No one dares to say a word.”