Chapter 221: Bella Thorne, Wake Up

Chapter 221: Chapter 221: Bella Thorne, Wake Up

"Let go! Can’t you see she’s about to go under?"

Tristan Forrester violently shook her off. Justine Hughes stumbled back a few steps, but then rushed forward again to cling tightly to his waist.

"You know how dangerous these riptides are! Have you forgotten what happened all those years ago? I absolutely cannot stand by and watch you risk your life!"

Justine Hughes was crying so hard her whole body trembled, twining around him like a vine.

"Let go!"

Tristan Forrester grew frantic from her persistence, his dark eyes locked on the frail figure being swept further and further away by the waves.

"If something happens to you, what about Grandpa Forrester?" Justine Hughes pleaded through her sobs. "You stay on the shore, I’ll go save her! Even if I have to give up my life, I’ll bring Miss Thorne back!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she abruptly let go and, without a second thought, prepared to dive into the sea.

Tristan Forrester’s expression darkened. He strode forward, yanked her back, and forcibly dragged her onto the shore.

"Are you crazy? Do you have a death wish?"

Soaked to the bone, Justine Hughes collapsed onto the sand and began to weep, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. She looked utterly pitiful.

"I just wanted to help you save her... I’m sick now, my life is worthless. If I could trade it for Miss Thorne’s safety, I would do it gladly."

"Don’t you dare talk about yourself like that." Tristan Forrester’s jaw tensed, his expression cold and grim. "Justine Hughes, your life is your own. If you’re going to die, don’t do it in front of me. She is my wife. I’ll be the one to save her, it’s not your place."

Justine Hughes stared at him in a daze, but Tristan Forrester had already looked away and was striding toward Zane Rivers.

"Where are the lifebuoy and the rope? Why aren’t they here yet?"

"I sent someone to the basement storeroom for them ages ago. This is just a temporary vacation home, so all the life-saving equipment is stored away," Zane Rivers said in a low voice.

The storeroom was cluttered, so it was taking some time to find everything.

No one had expected they would encounter something as deadly as a riptide today.

Tristan Forrester watched helplessly as Bella Thorne’s figure slowly sank beneath the waves, and his heart clenched violently.

’No, she can’t hold on any longer.’

Bella Thorne was a poor swimmer to begin with. Even though she had taken lessons, she was only used to calm waters. Now, caught in the raging waves and treacherous undercurrent, she had long since lost her composure and couldn’t keep herself stable at all.

"Just a little longer, the equipment will be here any second," Zane Rivers soothed in a low voice.

It seemed the self-rescue instructions he had shouted out earlier hadn’t registered with the panicked Bella Thorne at all.

...

Water surged at her from all directions. Bella Thorne flailed her arms uselessly, desperately trying to swim back to shore, but with every struggle, the riptide dragged her further away.

She looked helplessly toward the shore, only to see Justine Hughes clinging to Tristan Forrester for dear life, preventing him from entering the water.

’Then again, this situation is incredibly dangerous. No one should have to risk their life for me.’

’I’ve struggled with all my might. Maybe... this is just my fate.’

In a daze, she seemed to see her parents smiling and reaching out to her.

"Bonnie, my dear daughter, come to us..."

’Mom, Dad, are you here to take me with you?’

She smiled and reached toward them, slowly closing her eyes as her consciousness faded completely into darkness.

’The three of us are finally reunited.’

’We can be together forever!’

...

The waves churned, and Bella Thorne’s body sank completely beneath the surface, not to reappear.

When those on the shore didn’t see her resurface for a long time, their expressions changed drastically.

"Bonnie!"

They shouted her name toward the sea.

Tristan Forrester’s heart plummeted. ’I can’t wait any longer!’

He took several steps back, then launched himself into the ocean with a running start, instantly swallowed by the turbulent water.

"Tyson!"

Justine Hughes cried out in alarm and was about to charge in after him when Shiloh Sloan, who was beside her, held her back firmly.

"Miss Hughes, don’t cause more trouble! Can’t you see Mr. Forrester is trying to save someone? If you go in and get into trouble, who is he supposed to save then?"

"I’m just worried about him! I’m not causing trouble," Justine Hughes argued through her sobs.

Shiloh Sloan’s brows knitted together. "If you don’t want to cause trouble, then go wait somewhere safe."

Elena spoke softly, "Miss Hughes, with one less person in the water, there’s one less risk. Miss Thorne is Mr. Forrester’s wife. You can’t very well stop a husband from saving his own wife."

Justine Hughes bit her lip as tears fell silently down her cheeks. But no one paid her any more attention; all eyes were fixed on the surface of the sea.

Tristan Forrester swam with all his might toward the spot where Bella Thorne had disappeared, diving repeatedly to search for her.

Finally, he saw her weak form. He immediately shot forward, gathered her securely in his arms, and fought to bring her to the surface.

"Bella Thorne, wake up!"

Her face was deathly pale and her eyes were tightly shut. She had long since fallen into a deep coma, and no matter how he called to her, she didn’t respond.

On the shore, Vesper Grayson saw that Tristan Forrester had found Bella Thorne and was swimming back. She subconsciously started to move forward.

Jared Hawthorne’s reflexes were quick; he grabbed her wrist, his tone tense.

"Stay put. Don’t go over there. The riptide in this area is extremely dangerous. One wrong move and you’ll be dragged out to the deep sea."

"Honey, hurry and help! Bonnie’s not in good shape!"

Just then, the lifebuoy, rope, and life vests finally arrived.

"You stay right here, I’m going to help."

"Okay, go quickly!"

More than ten minutes later, everyone worked together to pull Tristan Forrester and Bella Thorne back to shore.

"Bella Thorne, wake up!"

Tristan Forrester’s hands trembled as he patted her bloodless cheeks. The girl who was always so vibrant and bright now lay lifelessly on the sand. A monstrous panic surged through the heart of the man who was usually so calm and composed.

"Don’t fall asleep. Don’t scare me."

He quickly cleared the seawater from her mouth and nose, knelt on the sand, and immediately began performing CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

After several chest compressions, Bella Thorne suddenly choked up a large mouthful of seawater, followed by a fit of violent coughing. Salty water streamed from the corners of her mouth as her chest heaved rapidly.

"She’s coughing it up! She’s going to be okay!"

The tension in the onlookers finally eased slightly.

Bella Thorne’s eyelashes fluttered, and she struggled to lift her heavy eyelids. Her vision was a blur. Soaked through, cold, and exhausted, she lay limp on the sand, without even the strength to lift a hand.

In a daze, she seemed to see her parents let go of her hands and turn to leave without looking back.

A single tear slid from the corner of her eye, and her lips trembled.

"Mom, Dad... don’t leave Bonnie behind..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, her head lolled to the side, and she lost consciousness again.

The relief everyone had just felt was instantly replaced by renewed panic.

"What’s going on? She coughed up the water, why did she pass out again?"

Vesper Grayson hurried forward and placed her fingertips on Bella’s wrist. After a moment, she confirmed that her pulse was steady.

"Let’s get her back to her room first. Give her a hot bath to warm her up, and then make her a bowl of hot ginger tea. She went into shock from the fall into the water and is completely exhausted. It’s normal for her to lose consciousness again."

The next time she woke up, it was evening.

A vast expanse of fiery clouds spread across the horizon. The evening glow streamed through the window lattice, bathing the room in a warm light.

Bella Thorne shifted slightly, feeling sore and weak all over. Her head was heavy, her feet were light, and she felt a wave of dizziness.

She froze when she saw her familiar bedroom.

’I actually... survived.’

’Mom and Dad clearly came to get me, but in the end, they cruelly pushed me away.’

’Don’t they want their Bonnie anymore?’

At this thought, her nose tingled and her eyes instantly reddened. She curled up, hugging her knees tightly, as small, suppressed sobs escaped her lips.

’Mom, Dad... Bonnie really, really misses you!’