Chapter 181 A Dying Wish
“Larissa! Get out of the way!”
Sonya screamed, but it was too late.
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She watched as Larissa was hit by the speeding car, her body flung into the air before crashing heavily onto the pavement. For a second, Sonya froze. Then, snapping out of it, she rushed forward.
Larissa lay in a pool of blood, coughing up more with every breath. She twisted her head, searching for something, or someone.
Juggling her phone with shaky hands, Sonya dialed 911 while pulling the stunned little boy closer, so that Larissa could see him.
Across the street, the car that had just hit Larissa slowed and parked.
Sonya looked at it. Its windows were tinted black, revealing nothing of the driver inside. It idled there for about ten seconds, maybe more, before speeding off.
Sonya locked the license plate number in her memory, but that was a problem for later. Right now, she had to focus on Larissa.
Larissa clutched her son’s tiny hand, her eyes filled with sorrow and desperation.
“M–Milton…”
The little boy trembled, holding onto his mother’s arm. “Mommy… you’re bleeding… Get up… Let’s go to the hospital…”
Sonya worked frantically to stop the bleeding, but she knew. Larissa wasn’t going to make ít.
The ambulance arrived quickly, and Sonya climbed in with Milton.
A paramedic tried to place an oxygen mask over Larissa’s face, but with an unexpected burst of strength, she pushed it away. Her eyes found Sonya’s, filled with urgency.
Sonya quickly leaned in. “I’m listening. Tell me.”
“Milton…”
“I know,” Sonya said softly. “You’re worried about him.”
“His father…”
“His father?”
“Please… take him… to his father…”
Sonya pursed her lips, remembering that Larissa had mentioned something about Milton’s dad passing away.
“His name is B–Brian…”
“Brian. You want me to take Milton to him.”
“Yes…”
Larissa gave a faint nod. Her breathing was labored now, every word an effort. “He’s… a professor… at M–MIT…”
“Brian. MIT professor.”
Hearing Sonya say it aloud, Larissa exhaled shakily, relief washing over her. But her gaze lingered on her son. He was so small, still recovering from surgery. She wasn’t ready to leave him.
“Milton… Mommy has to go now… Don’t be afraid… Be brave…”
After saying that, Larissa finally closed her eyes, reluctant to let go.
Sonya was taken aback for a moment before quickly pulling Milton into an embrace.
The boy hadn’t quite processed everything yet. Staring at Sonya, he said softly, “Mom, you must be really hurt. If you’re in pain, just cry it out. You always told me that. It’s okay. I won’t laugh at you.”
“Milton, your mom… She’s gone.”
“Gone?” Milton looked up at Sonya. “Gone means… dead, right?”
Sonya choked up a little, nodding. “Yes.”
“My mom told me not to say that word. She said it’s unlucky.”
“You are such a good boy, always listening to your mom.”
Milton turned back to look at Larissa. He called out to her several times, but when she didn’t respond, it seemed like he truly understood what “dead” meant for the first time.
He burst into tears, throwing himself into his mother’s arms.
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< Chapter 181 A Dying Wish
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“Mom! Mom! I won’t let you die! You can’t die! I listened to you. I didn’t die. I didn’t leave you! Why didn’t you listen to me? Why did you leave
me?”
The child’s cries were so desperate, so full of hurt, and so helpless. All Sonya could do was hold Milton tightly, offering him even a small bit of warmth.
She could deeply relate to what Milton was feeling at that moment, just like that summer after the college entrance exams. Back then, in the stillness of the night, she held her. mother close. Her mother had also been killed in a car
accident.
At that moment, everything seemed to fall apart.
That night was chaotic. Sonya had to care for Milton, deal with police inquiries, and handle all the paperwork at the hospital. She didn’t stop until morning.
“Ms. Ella, the vehicle involved in the accident had fake plates. The license plate number you gave us is a forgery,” a police officer said to Sonya.
Sonya froze for a moment. “Fake?”
“Yes, fake. We found the car near an intersection, but because the plates are fake, we’re still tracking it. That’s where things stand. But don’t you find it strange?”
Sonya’s mind was foggy, and she couldn’t make sense of it, so she shook her head.
“From the footage, the car didn’t appear to lose control or anything like that. It looks more like it was targeting Larissa and her son, intentionally speeding up to hit them. Plus, using fake plates suggests they were trying to evade the police. Based on these two points, we preliminarily believe this wasn’t a simple accident, but an intentional murder of Larissa.”
Sonya was stunned. This wasn’t an accident, but a murder?
“Do you know if Larissa had any enemies or anyone she had contact with?”
Sonya
chased for debt before and
recalled
seeing her
being
quickly told the officer about it.
“We’ll make a note of it and look into that angle. Larissa doesn’t have any family back home, so there’s no one to inform. The real issue now is her son. His emotions are all over the place. So…”
Sonya hesitated for a moment and then looked at the officer. “Can I take care of this child, at least for now?”
“Of course, if you’re willing.”
“Before she died, Larissa asked me to find her son’s biological father and have him take custody of the boy.” “Then it looks like this child is in your hands, Ms. Ella.”
After the officer left, Sonya looked back at Milton. He was still waiting outside the morgue, thinking it was just the operating room, and his mom was only in for a small procedure.
He thought she’d be out soon.
Sonya walked over and sat with Milton.
“Sonya, when will Mom come out?”
“Milton, your mom… She’s gone.”
“No, the doctor’s just performing surgery on her, like with me. Once the surgery is done, she’ll be fine. She’ll be able to run, jump, and go to school again.”
Sonya tilted her head, watching Milton. His eyes were red, and tears fell as he spoke. She sighed and pulled him into a hug. “I’m sorry, but I can’t lie to you.”
He had to face the truth.
Milton cried for a long time. He was ten years old, and he didn’t need Sonya to tell him. He already knew his mom was gone. He just wanted someone to give him a little hope. But Sonya couldn’t bear to lie, knowing it would hurt him even more in the end. Milton cried until he was exhausted, and Sonya just held him the entire time. When he finally stopped, she took him and left the hospital. There was still so much to deal with, and Sonya had Calvin help with the arrangements.
Sonya and Milton took a taxi home, and the car stopped at the alley entrance.
When they got out, Sonya immediately noticed the bloodstain. She didn’t want Milton to see it, so she pulled him close and covered his eyes. As they walked toward the house, Sonya heard the
engine speeding up behind them.
sound
of
a car
Her heart skipped a beat.
