"That's because he carried me all the way up to the road, despite knowing that he was injured badly too. If something happens to him, or his leg, I will never be able to repay him for his kindness. I was just worried that I'd have to deal with him for the rest of my life, which is why I kept asking you about his condition. Do you understand now?" Joanna truthfully explained everything to Liam.
"What? He… He carried you up there?" Liam turned around, disbelief written all over his face. "I don't believe it. I saw how badly injured he was! He can't have been able to walk, let alone carry you up a cliff… I won't believe it!"
"I didn't believe it either. He's always been such a cold, heartless, utterly selfish man… but I can't deny the truth. If it weren't for him, I would still be stuck at the bottom of that cliff! Even if I didn't die from the pain, I would've died from starvation…"
Joanna recalled how the man carried her up the cliff. Every step he took felt unreal, as if she had dreamt the entire situation in her head. No ordinary human could have endured the amount of pain he experienced.
The woman knew that not even her closest loved ones would do that for her, let alone Ace Moran, the man who tried to choke her to death.
"How is that possible? I mean, just look at the state of his leg! There's just no way!" Liam shook his head profusely, unable to accept it. He had seen how badly wounded the man was; no human could ever walk with those injuries, or at least that was what he thought.
"So can you tell me how he's doing now? How is… his leg?" Joanna questioned again, as she had a bad feeling about all this, especially with how Liam was reacting.
"I don't know yet!" Liam took a deep breath and came clean. "He's still undergoing surgery. The doctors said that his condition is complicated, and they've currently gathered a group of experts to devise a plan. They're not sure if they need to go for conservative treatment or aggressive treatment."
Joanna frowned and continued asking, "What does that mean?"
"Conservative treatment means that they'll save the leg first, and provide treatment after. But his condition is just too severe, with most of the nerves around his legs broken, and part of his muscle tissue damaged. The blood flow around his leg is nearly cut off too. So if they don't perform amputation in time, it might cause an infection to spread throughout his entire body, which would put his life at risk…"
"Wha… What?" Joanna felt her mind going blank, unable to think clearly. She had never expected a minor accident to result in such a terrible fate.
'His nerves are broken… Damaged muscle tissue… Poor blood circulation… And amputation?!' Liam's words felt like knives stabbing Joanna's heart over and over again.
"He must've gone past his limit while carrying me… That's why he's ended up that way! Bring me to him now! I have to see him!" Joanna grabbed Liam's hand, sobbing uncontrollably.
Seeing her like this made Liam feel bad. He replied, "Don't blame yourself. I should be the one to blame here, since I didn't take him to the emergency room as soon as I could. If they really decide to amputate his leg, I'll give him mine as an apology."
Liam couldn't bear seeing Joanna like this, and said, "Don't worry, just rest first. I'll go ask the doctor about his condition. I'm sure Moran is fine – you know how tough he is."
"That's true, that guy really is a tough cookie! Waves couldn't drown him, and fire didn't bother him either! A little fall is probably nothing to him!" Joanna finally felt much more relaxed, urging Liam instead. "Well, don't waste any more time on me, go look for a doctor! If you won't, I'll just have to do it myself!"
"Don't move, I'll go right now!' Liam said as he stood up to leave.
However, he was still rather uneasy, pointing at the food he brought. "I hope you finish this before I come back, Boss. You know your body best, and think of the kids… What would they do if you starve yourself till it affects your health?"
After Liam left, Joanna still had no appetite due to her anxiety. She couldn't imagine Ace losing his life or his leg just because of this incident. She had no idea how she could possibly live with the guilt for the rest of her life.
In a few minutes, Liam headed back to the ward, his expression grim.
"So? How is he? What did the doctor say?" Joanna asked impatiently. If she weren't confined to her bed, she would've rushed over to see him herself.
Liam didn't answer her question, and instead looked at the untouched meal in front of her. He seemed annoyed as he said, "What's with you? Didn't I tell you to eat? You've been starving this whole time, and you just underwent surgery! Do you even value your life?! How could you not eat anything?"
"Don't be mad, Liam, I know you're worried about me, but please be more considerate. How could I possibly be in the mood to eat when Moran is still in critical condition? Not to mention that he might lose a leg!" Joanna's eyes reddened as she held back tears.
"Stop beating around the bush… Just tell me which treatment the doctors have decided on!"
Liam hesitated for a brief moment and then responded, "Some experts rushed over just a while ago, and said his condition wasn't severe enough to perform amputation, so they chose to go with conservative treatment. All he needs to do is get plenty of rest after the surgery."
"Really?" Joanna was doubtful, as she remembered how bad the man's condition was a while ago. Not only was his life at risk, they had even considered amputation, so it was simply odd that his condition didn't seem serious anymore.
"You're not lying to me because you don't want me to worry, right?"
Liam immediately denied it. "Boss, I swear on my life that I've always been loyal to you. When have I ever lied to you?"
'So why is it that you seem so unhappy? It's like you've seen something bad, ' Joanna said hesitantly.
Liam explained. "It'd be even weirder if I'm happy, okay? That guy's my top rival! If they really amputated his leg or he died, I would have been celebrating!"
"Now that he's fine, he'll be the hero who saved you despite his injuries! It feels like I'm bound to lose this fight. How am I supposed to be happy then?"
Hearing the man's explanation, Joanna immediately calmed down and flashed a soft smile at Liam. "Good to hear that he's okay. Now I can finally eat and rest well. Otherwise, I'd feel guilty for even breathing if I owed him such a big favor!"
"Well, what did I say? That guy is tough, so you didn't have to worry about him at all. Eat now, it'd be bad if you encounter health issues from starving yourself when that guy is perfectly fine…"
"You're right, and I'm really hungry too!" Joanna brightened up instantly, bringing the bowl to her mouth as she scarfed down on the congee.
However, as she was focused on her meal, she didn't notice Liam's odd expression, and he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh