A rough tug on her arm jolted her back to the present. The guard yanked her forward mercilessly, her body dragging on the asphalt.
"Let go of me," she begged. "I won't bother the Woods again. Please…"
"Yes, we are sending you away," the man scoffed. "Mr. Woods already said goodbye." As soon as he finished speaking, he shoved her hard into the river.
Cold water swallowed her whole. Summer gasped as the water rushed into her lungs, choking her. She thrashed her arms desperately, trying to grab something – anything to hold onto. But there was only water around her.
Her body was already weak, and she couldn't struggle much. Soon, her strength was gone. Her battered body refused to fight anymore, and it started sinking deeper into the water.
'Gideon, how can you be so cruel?' she screamed in her mind. 'I regret ever loving you. If I could go back in time, I would have stayed far away from you. Mommy – I'm coming to you. Chloe, Hope, I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you. Please forgive me."
Her eyes were closing as life seeped out of her body slowly. Just as she thought she was dying, everything went still. A bright light surrounded her.
Summer opened her eyes, but she could barely see due to the brightness.
'What is happening?'
She couldn't feel her body anymore. There was no pain, as if all her pain had been erased.
'Am I dead?'
Before she could comprehend it, the light engulfed her. A silent cry escaped her mouth.
…
…
…
Summer fluttered her eyes open, consciousness returning gradually. She found herself lying in a cold, dark room.
'What is going on?' she wondered in a daze. 'Wasn't I under the water just now?'
She remembered being thrown into the chilling river, crushing current dragging her under, and the unbearable burn in her lungs when the water filled them. But now, she was still in the dark storeroom, with no trace of water on her body. It was as if she had never been in that river.
'Was I dreaming?'
Before she could make any sense, the door flung open and Georgea stepped in.
Summer shot up to her feet and stepped back. She was still in a daze when Georgea thrust a stack of documents toward her.
"Sign the divorce papers and leave my son immediately." The older woman's tone was cold and commanding.
The words seemed like an echo of her past. Georgea had said the same thing on the day of Hope's birthday party – the very day when her life turned upside down.
Summer struggled to understand what was happening. 'Did I go back in time? Or have I been reborn?'
"Here, take this." Georgea held out a black card. "It has ten million. This will be enough for you to live a peaceful life. Don't appear in front of him."
It was happening again, exactly the same as before. The realization hit Summer like a thunderbolt. She had actually been reborn. She didn't know how, but she got a second chance in her life. And this time, she swore she wouldn't make the same mistakes.
She would protect herself and her loved ones.
"I'll sign the divorce agreement," she said readily. "But I don't need your money. I just want my daughter."
Georgea blinked, momentarily thrown off. She hadn't anticipated that Summer would agree to divorce Gideon so easily. But she didn't dwell on it. It would be good if Summer left without causing any trouble for them.
"As long as you leave my son alone, I promise you will live peacefully."
Summer had no faith in them and in those fake promises. All she wanted was to leave this place for good and never look back. With a nod, she jotted down her name on the divorce papers and pushed them toward her.
"Can I leave now?"
Georgea sneered as she took the documents and looked at her signature. "Finally, you are showing your true colors. You can't wait to run back to your adulterer, can you?" Her expression changed altogether as she barked, "Get the hell out of here. Or you won't have time to regret it."
Summer ran out of the storeroom, her heart pounding. She no longer cared about what they thought about her, nor did she want to waste her time explaining herself. Her only intention was to run away from that place, from their lives.
"Don't ever think of coming back and bothering my son."
She heard Georgea shouting behind her. Summer didn't stop her steps until she ran into her room and found Hope. Tears blurred her vision as she picked her daughter up in her arms.
'Hope, my baby,' she breathed, relief flooding her. Finally, she managed to save her daughter from being sent away to the orphanage. 'I'll take you out of here.'
Clutching Hope to her chest, Summer bolted out. She didn't care about taking her belongings. She didn't need them. If she stayed a little longer, she was afraid Gideon would come back and lock her up again, separating her from her child.
As she ran out of the house, she paused and looked behind at the looming building of white stone. Every memory of pain and humiliation flashed before her eyes.
"Goodbye, Gideon," she muttered. "In this life, you will never see me again."
She turned and disappeared into the darkness.
~~~~~~
At the hospital…
Gideon stood by a window in an empty corridor, his hands trembling slightly as he smoked. Every cell of his body urged him to go back and take Summer out of that cold, dark room. But he couldn't – not while Danica's treatment was still ongoing. His nerves were frayed, and he smoked one after another cigarette, clearly agitated.
He couldn't let her go easily. Summer had not only cheated on him, but she had hurt Danica. If anything happened to the baby, he would never be able to face Dania or Adrian again. Summer had committed an unforgivable mistake, and for that, she would have to pay.
"Sir." A voice from behind broke his thoughts.
Gideon snuffed out the cigarette and glanced behind to see Matthew approaching.
"Madam signed the divorce agreement," Matthew said, handing him a folder. "She left the house with Hope."
"What?" Gideon snatched the folder and flipped it open, disbelief flickering on his face as he looked at her signature – deep and bold as if she had decisively signed it, severing ties with him.
'So eager to leave me,' he muttered in his mind, clasping the edge of the folder so tightly that it cut his palm, but he didn't care. The pain was nothing compared to the burn he felt in his chest.
'Are you planning to start over with your adulterer?' he thought bitterly. 'Dream on. You can never escape me.'
"She didn't accept the money Mrs. Woods offered," Matthew informed. "She left with nothing - didn't even take the gifts you had given her."
Gideon cocked his head toward him, narrowing his eyes with disbelief.
"She…" Matthew was cut short when his phone rang. "Excuse me. I need to take this call."
Gideon gestured for him to answer the call and turned around, his gaze moving outside. 'Summer,' he muttered in his mind. 'You actually signed the divorce papers. Weren't you begging me to listen to you, to believe you? What happened now? You don't want me anymore?'
"Sir, it's bad," Matthew said, with panic lacing his voice. "Something terrible has happened. Madam is…" He faltered, unable to speak the rest of the words.
"What is it?" Gideon looked back at him sharply. "Is it about Summer?"
Matthew nodded, cold sweat pricking on his brow.
"Where is she?" Gideon demanded.
"She…She is dead."
Gideon's heart trembled at the news. His chest tightened painfully, but he refused to believe it. He chuckled, though something inside him was breaking. "What kind of nonsense is it? Go find her. Bring her back to me."
Matthew opened and closed his mouth, clearly flustered. "I know it's difficult for you, but it's true. After leaving the mansion, she went straight to her old house. But it caught fire."