“Elijah, I feel like I’m suffocating,” Sandra murmured faintly, clutching Elijah’s sleeve for support.
Elijah’s expression immediately darkened with concern.
Ignoring the thought of waiting for the ambulance, he scooped Sandra into his arms and strode purposefully toward the exit.
Elizabeth had resigned herself to despair, but witnessing Elijah’s evident anxiety, she halted, the image vividly reminding her of her own rescue by firefighters just days ago.
Suddenly, Elijah’s shoulder brushed against hers.
He was moving too quickly and inadvertently collided with her.
Still nursing a tender calf, Elizabeth had been favoring her uninjured leg. The sudden impact caused her to lose her balance, and she stumbled sideways.
In a frantic attempt to steady herself, she grabbed a nearby folding table.
The table buckled under her weight and collapsed, sending cups scattering everywhere.
Elizabeth hit the floor with a thud, the folding table and cups tumbling onto her leg, drenching the sore spot with scalding water.
“Ah!” she cried out, her voice tinged with pain.
Elijah cast her a fleeting glance at the sound of her distress.
However, it was merely a brief look. As Sandra’s feeble groan cut through the air, he coldly turned away, resolutely carrying her off without a backward glance.
Elizabeth was left wondering whether it was the sharp sting in her leg or the deep sorrow in her heart that caused tears to blur her vision.
“Are you alright?” The director hurried over, his movements brisk as he lifted the folding table pinning her down.
Stewart was close behind, his touch gentle as he helped Elizabeth to her feet.
He hesitated, his voice uncertain as he asked, “Should we head to the hospital?”
Amidst the chaos, Elizabeth barely had a moment to evaluate her injuries or take in the worried expressions around her. She replied quickly, “Thank you, I’m fine. My agent will take me there later.” With that, she limped through the doorway, her head bowed solemnly.
She departed like Cinderella fleeing the ball at midnight, though shrouded in disgrace rather than splendor.
Her dignity now lay shattered like broken shards of glass.
Elizabeth had just stepped outside the building when Ruby’s beige car screeched to a halt before her.
“Should I drive you back to the hotel? Elizabeth… what happened to you?”
Ruby leaned out, poised to assist Elizabeth, but her face darkened with concern as she took in the sight.
Ruby immediately unfastened her seatbelt and rushed over. Her worry was palpable as she exclaimed, “I was only gone for a few minutes—how are you bleeding so badly? Where are you hurt? Did you fall?”
Following Ruby’s worried gaze, Elizabeth glanced down and noticed her pants were stained with blood around the calf.
She managed a faint smile and said with forced calm, “The burn from that fire the other day hasn’t healed properly. I must have bumped it, and the boiling water probably reopened it.”
