In that moment, Kelsey suddenly laughed.
She laughed so hard that her whole body trembled, but her eyes were full of tears.
"She's afraid of heights, but I'm the one who's going to die…"
Rhett frowned and looked away, avoiding her gaze.
It felt like something really heavy was sitting on his chest.
He had never felt this kind of pressure before. His voice was low and rough as he said, "They just want money. You'll be fine."
He was sure about it. He wouldn't let anything happen to her.
"What if they really want me dead?"
Kelsey's eyes were blank, staring straight at him. "Rhett, do you know your choices are forcing me into a dead end? I'm pregnant."
"No, I won't." Rhett paused, clenching his jaw. "I'll save you, just not right now."
He said again, "Kelsey, trust me. I won't let you die."
Kelsey didn't respond. Her eyes slowly turned empty, and she laughed like she had totally lost it.
On the edge of the rooftop, the kidnappers exchanged glances and nodded. One of them pushed Elise toward Rhett.
"We've given you the person!"
Rhett quickly stepped forward and caught her. Elise wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. "Rhett…"
He didn't have time to care about that. He pushed her back gently and helped her stand up straight, instinctively wanting to check on Kelsey.
But just then, he heard Elise whisper, "Rhett… my stomach hurts…"
His eyes darkened for a moment, but eventually, he stiffly reached out and hugged her back, obvious conflict in his expression.
Kelsey watched the cold scene in front of her, a soft smile still on her lips.
"Mr. Clark…"
She called him softly, her voice swallowed up by the wind.
The rooftop wind was strong, and the noise of the helicopter above was deafening.
On the other side, the two held each other tightly, while Kelsey's face turned pale from despair.
But even so, she smiled through her tears, and in that moment, she looked unbelievably beautiful.
She was already a pretty woman, but usually she kept a low profile. Right now, with her red eyes, she looked stunning and heartbreakingly fragile.
The kidnapper behind her glanced at her and couldn't help but gulp.
He leaned close and said quietly, only loud enough for her to hear, "Miss Collins said as long as you don't make it out alive, we can do whatever we want with you… If you behave later and make us happy, we might give you a quick death. How about that?"
As he spoke, he moved closer with a creepy smile. "We've got plenty of ways to make you beg for death… Think about it."
Kelsey's skin crawled, and her stomach twisted in disgust.
She clenched her fists, chest rising and falling rapidly, but couldn't say a word for a moment. Her heart was drowning in pain.
She knew what would happen to her once she fell into these people's hands.
There was no point expecting scum like this to have any conscience.
Her body trembled, and the look in her eyes shifted from hopelessness to a dangerous glint of red.
Why… should she let others decide her fate?
Why, even in the face of death, did she have to let them control her life like that?
Why?
Kelsey took a deep breath and suddenly started laughing.
"Ha… hahaha…"
She raised her head and looked at the sky, her eyes already completely red.
The kidnapper next to her felt uneasy all of a sudden. "What are you laughing at?"
Kelsey didn't answer.
She shut her mouth, looked him dead in the eye, then turned and smiled toward the couple not far away.
"Rhett, I told you I would die. They never planned to let me live. Why didn't you believe me?"
Before anyone could react, her expression suddenly shifted. She stepped back and, like lightning, jabbed at the kidnapper's eyes.
"Ah!"
The kidnapper screamed. His grip tightened, and Kelsey was already right at the edge of the rooftop.
"You crazy woman, what are you trying to do?"
Kelsey sneered, her expression completely determined. "Don't you want me to die?
Since I'm already at a dead end, let's die together!"
"What are you doing? Stop!"
"Stop? Have you given me any way out?
Instead of being tortured and humiliated to death by you, I'd rather die now and take you with me!"
The kidnappers hadn't expected her to go this far, so wild and fearless. "Don't be impulsive! You—"
"Ah!"
A scream tore through the sky. In everyone's shocked eyes, Kelsey grabbed the man and flung him backwards with all her strength.
Before anyone could react, the woman who had just been standing on the edge of the railing suddenly fell straight down!
The wind whipped at her clothes, and her expression shifted, from shock, to despair, and then she closed her eyes tightly…
The faint smile still on her lips seemed to mock everyone watching.
The weightlessness as she fell completely overwhelmed her, like being swallowed whole by a raging tide.
Kelsey looked one last time at the man she had once loved.
There was no warmth in her eyes, only endless coldness and sarcasm.
Are you happy now?
My child and I won't stand in your way anymore. Are you satisfied?
Kelsey kept smiling, but there were no more tears left to shed.
Rhett had never seen such a desperate and determined look in her eyes.
In that moment, panic crashed into him like a tidal wave.
His body froze, and his hands and feet started shaking.
He shoved the woman in his arms aside and instinctively rushed to the edge of the rooftop.
"Kelsey!"
"Kelsey…"
He couldn't say anything else. He just kept calling her name over and over again.
"Kelsey…"
Everything he'd been trying to hold back suddenly exploded all at once, completely out of control.
His eyes turned bloodshot as he knelt by the railing she had fallen from, his voice trembling like it could break any second.
Panic, regret, shock... all those emotions hit him a thousand times harder than he expected, like they could crush him completely.
"Kelsey!"
That hoarse voice, that terrified face—those weren't emotions anyone ever thought Rhett would show.
Even Elise was stunned. She had never seen Rhett this out of control before.
It was a side Kelsey had never seen either.
But it was too late.
...Rhett, I wish I had never met you.
You better live a good life. I hope you and Elise grow old together, forever and ever.
Even if I'm in hell, I never want to see either of you again.
Not in this life.
Not in the next.