Araceli POV
I glanced at the caller ID and my face was a little surprised.
This person hadn't contacted me in a year.
"Mr. Elford?"
"Araceli, I came to New York yesterday for a painting exhibition and thought of you. This is your hometown, isn't it?"
An old voice came from the phone.
"Do you remember what I said to you a year ago?"
I paused. It was my drawing teacher from my early childhood, Rhett Elford.
"I no longer have the same enthusiasm for drawing that I had as a child..."
Rhett intoned, "You have a talent for drawing, so why don't you use that talent to the best of your ability? I've had one student in my life, but your talent is even more amazing than his."
I pursed my lips and looked down at Valeria.
Valeria's wide, clear eyes were open, and she was looking at the paintings in the store.
"Mommy, can you take me to learn how to paint?"
A dumbfounded sense of loss emerged in Valeria's eyes.
My grip on the phone tightened.
"Mr. Elford, may I ask if you would like to take another student?"
"Why else do you think I'm calling you on this phone? I told you, if you want to learn painting, you can call me anytime..."
Rhett's tone was somewhat elated. Thinking I was finally convinced, he said, "I'm in New York right now and won't be leaving for a couple of days. If you have time, we can meet."
I smiled and nodded.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then."
I hang up the phone and crouch down, staring into Valeria's big, confused eyes.
"Valeria, tell Mommy, do you really want to learn how to paint?"
Valeria has always had little sense of her surroundings. At this moment, she met me with wide eyes and then nodded her head.
"Mommy will take you to meet your painting teacher tomorrow."
I stroked her head and said slowly with a smile.
Originally, I just wanted to cultivate Valeria's interest in drawing. It didn't matter if she could draw well or not. But at this moment, I saw the enthusiasm for painting in her eyes.
Maybe Valeria could really get out of the relatively closed world inside her from painting.
...
The next morning.
The late-autumn sunlight flooded the earth like a soft golden circle. It gently caressed the earth through the gaps between the leaves, casting a warm glow over the world.
After I dropped Krish and Valeria off at Brizela Daycare, I went to Eclipse Group to talk about the partnership with Navi Group.
After taking care of the morning's work, I decided to check out the studio.
Just as I was walking out of the Eclipse Group and getting ready to get into my car, a car barreled into me.
"Beeeee!"
I had just opened my car door when the ear-splitting sound of brakes and a horn suddenly sounded.
I jerked my head around and looked down the road.
A sports car was rushing along as if to destroy everything in front of it, including me.
Suddenly, a little girl rushed toward me.
The little girl heard the siren and stopped, but it was too late.
The car was too late to brake and crashed into it.
"Essel!"
My heart jumped out of my throat.
I kicked the car door open and was running down the road before I could react. By the time I ran over, Essel had been hit by the car and fell to the road.
The sound of cars honking all around me instantly buzzed in my ears. I felt a sharp pain come from deep inside me. I wanted to scream and cry out, but I couldn't make a sound.
It was as if a part of my body had been destroyed. I don't know why I felt this way.
The last time I felt such a sensation was when Valeria was near death.
I stumbled over and fell to my knees, in front of Essel.
"Essel... Oh my God..."
I saw large swathes of blood spreading from the back of Essel's head. The blood was dense like a mist in my eyes.
Before my eyes, the scene from five years ago, when I was in the warehouse, suddenly came to me.
That night, I gave birth to four children. The floor of the warehouse was also covered with blood spreading...
It was like a shot suddenly fired at my heart.
"Araceli, I'm here to see you. I missed you so much..."
Essel lay on the ground, trembling and uttering a complete sentence.
I instantly burst into tears.
The sports car behind me, suddenly started the engine. Before I could react, it instantly disappeared into the road. It drove so fast that it even knocked over two cars.
"Ms. Essel!"
Maddox came.
Upon seeing Essel lying on the ground covered in blood, Maddox rushed over.
I wiped away my tears, looked at Maddox, and said coldly, "We have to take Essel to the hospital immediately."
I knelt down, gathered my courage, and picked Essel up.
Essel had passed out. Her face was pale, and her lips were purple.
I suddenly remembered the scene five years ago when I escaped from the fire with my two children...
My hands were covered in blood, and the dizziness came over my brain again. I just couldn't breathe, and I was about to collapse.
I braced myself to run forward and put Essel in the back seat of my car.
Maddox stepped on the gas and drove fast towards the hospital.
Although this hospital was small, it was the closest hospital to where the accident occurred.
Essel had been in a car accident and had to be treated promptly.
After we got Essel into the hospital, Maddox immediately contacted Royal Pack's personal doctor to come over as soon as possible.
"Sorry, there was a sudden car accident last night, and one of the car accident patients was also Rh-negative. Our blood bank has run out of Rh-negative blood. We are contacting other hospitals today..."
A nurse rushed over and told us.
Maddox took a deep breath and said, "When will the blood be delivered here?"
"Tomorrow morning."
Maddox lowered his head, closed his eyes, and covered his forehead with his hand.
Essel could not wait that long.
Despair gripped my heart. I couldn't say a word and could only stare at the nurse in confusion. I couldn't even show my anger or angst anymore.
Maddox sighed slightly and, with a trembling hand, dialed Raphael's number.