Chapter 10: The Woman in the Rain
The mother's surgery was underway in a tense atmosphere. The father and Ava stood outside the operating room without speaking a word. Ava felt the atmosphere was oppressive, so she stood up, planning to take a walk outside the hospital to clear her head.
The weather in London had been poor these past few days. There was a heavy rainstorm last night, and it was still drizzling outside. Ava left the hospital and went straight to the convenience store across the street, bought three cans of beer, and sat on the steps, sipping from them one after another.
The father's misunderstanding, the mother's condition, the daily text message threats from the Jane couple, and... the 300,000 that Ryan lent her—when would she be able to pay it back? All kinds of tangible and intangible pressures seemed to hit her precisely. Ava felt even breathing was tiring.
"Plop..." After finishing all the beer, Ava stood up, kicked over an empty can, and vented her frustration. Then she picked it up and threw it into the trash can.
Ava staggered in the drizzle, walking on her own. The slight intoxication gradually blanked her mind. As the rain gradually intensified, the heavy drops hit her body. Ava continued to walk forward tirelessly. Couples with umbrellas passed by, looking at her strangely. The downpour almost soaked her completely, and the water on her face was indistinguishable between rain and tears.
Ryan finished his day's work and sat in the car, resting his eyes. The huge workload during the day made his temples ache a bit. Having just returned to the country, he inevitably had to slowly get used to many things, and he also needed to help clean up some of the mess left by his elder brother.
The car suddenly slowed down. A drenched woman was stumbling in front of the car, blocking the way. The assistant, Morris, honked the horn, but the woman, as if she didn't hear it, continued to walk slowly in front of the car in the heavy rain.
Where did this madwoman come from? Morris continued to honk the horn, clearly displeased. The next second, he accidentally saw the woman's face and realized something.
After thinking it over, Morris finally turned his head and cautiously said to the man in the back seat, "Ryan, that seems to be Miss Ava."
Hearing Morris's voice, Ryan lowered his hand from his temple and slightly opened his eyes.
Miss Ava?
The man looked in the direction indicated by Morris and indeed saw a woman walking unsteadily in the rain as if drunk, with a figure and appearance very similar to Ava's.
Ryan could recognize that this woman was Ava.
What happened to her? She looked like she was drunk and delirious. In such heavy rain, her small figure wandering alone in the rain was indeed pitiful.
"Pull over and give her an umbrella," Ryan whispered to Morris.
Morris immediately got out of the car to get an umbrella.
Soon, when Morris approached her, he realized that she was light and weak, not at all capable of holding an umbrella.
Morris was in a bit of a dilemma but didn't dare to take the initiative. He could only call Ryan in the car for instructions. Ryan said, "Let her get in the car."
Unexpectedly, Ava, who had only met Morris a few times, didn't remember his face at all. She thought he had ulterior motives. When Morris tried to approach Ava, she unceremoniously pushed him away, cursing, "Hey, don't come over... Go away, I'll call the police if you come any closer, burp..."
Morris had no choice but to look to the man in the car for help. Ryan saw all this. Seeing that Morris was no longer entangled with himself, Ava didn't care much and continued to walk forward with soft feet. However, after a few steps, her wrist was suddenly grasped by a force, and Ava's feet softened. She couldn't stand firm and fell straight into a strong embrace.
In an instant, she became much more sober, raised her eyes abruptly, and then saw the man's face clearly.
Was she seeing things, or was it Ryan?
How could he be here?
"Get in the car." The man gazed at her with a cold look and uttered only these two words.
Inside the car, the air conditioning was set to a high temperature. Ava, drenched in water, got into the back seat. Ryan didn't show any disgust, nor did he ask why she was in such a state. Instead, he said,
"Where do you live? I'll take you home."
Ava looked at him blankly, shook her head, and said, "I don't want to go home. Just drop me off anywhere."
Going home would just remind her of the unpleasant argument she just had with her father, and the thought terrified Ava. Moreover, it was too late to return to school now; the dormitory would already be closed.
Out of options, Ryan thought for a moment and said to Morris, "Find a nearby hotel."
Ava's ears perked up at the last two words, feeling somewhat sensitive. Ryan seemed to notice her unease and with a hint of amusement in his tone, he said, "Don't get me wrong, I'll leave you there and go. I'm doing this only because you're Ben's teacher, and that kid cares about you deeply."
Yes, Ben did care about her deeply, and she also regarded Ben as her own younger brother.