He snatched the professional mountaineering backpack and locator from the bodyguard, broke free from their restraint, and, like a crazed leopard, charged headlong into that forbidden zone of life, braving the blizzard without a second thought.
The wind and snow blurred his vision, the bitter cold gnawed at his bones. Horace trudged with difficulty through knee–deep snow, his shouts torn apart by the howling wind: “Lori! Lorelei! Where are you? Answer me!”
Fear, like a cold venomous snake, coiled tightly around his heart.
He dared not imagine what would happen if he lost her… The very thought sent a chill through his body, one far colder than the subzero temperatures.
He replayed her image in his mind over and over: the way she smiled, the way she glared at him The way she looked when she left him with such finality… Every expression was etched
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He didn’t know how much time had passed. Just as his strength was about to give out and his consciousness began to blur, the locator emitted a faint signal!
His spirits lifted, and with the last of his strength, he lunged forward, frantically digging through the snow with both hands!
At last, he saw a familiar corner of a red windbreaker!
Lorelei was buried beneath the snow, her face as pale as paper, a bruise on her forehead, already slipping into a semi–conscious state.
“Lori! Lori!” Horace’s voice trembled as he carefully lifted her out of the snow, her body icy cold to the touch.
A wave of overwhelming panic seized him!
He immediately took off every piece of outerwear he had that could provide warmth, even pulling off his sweater despite the freezing cold, wrapping her tightly layer by layer, then held her frozen body tightly in his arms, trying to warm her with what little body heat he had left.
“Lori, wake up! Don’t sleep! Look at me! I was wrong… I really know I was wrong…” His words tumbled out incoherently, his voice hourse and broken, filled with a humility and fear he had never known before. “Just look at me one more time, I beg you… just one more look… I can’t live
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He carried her on his back, staggering forward through the raging blizzard, every step feeling like he was treading on the edge of a knife.
The cold numbed his limbs, his consciousness gradually fading, but only one thought remained in his mind: get her out! He had to get her out!
The Dunn Group, self–restraint, responsibility and promises–compared to her vibrant life, all of it became as light as a feather, utterly insignificant!
It was only at this moment, on the edge of life and death, that he finally understood: the woman he once thought of as merely a ‘responsibility‘ had long since become an inseparable part of his life, the only light and warmth in his cold world.
He loved her, had loved her for a long time, only blinded by his own foolish stubbornness and insensitivity!
“Lori. hold on… we’re almost there… I love you… the one I love… is you… from beginning to end
ys been you…
He kept whispering in her ear, speaking both to her and to himself, as if by doing so he could summon endless strength.
When the rescue team’s helicopter and search dogs finally found them, Horace was almost a snowman, his whole body stiff, lips purple from the cold, yet he still held Lorelei tightly in his arms, shielding her from most of the wind and snow with his own body.
Seeing the rescuers, a faint light flickered in his unfocused eyes. With the last of his strength, he pushed Lorelei toward them and murmured, “Save her… save her first… Lori… the one I love is you. From beginning to end… it’s always been you…” With that, he completely lost consciousness.
The two of them were rushed to the best hospital in the area.
Horace was in
critical condition due to severe frostbite, exhaustion, and the recurrence of old injuries, his high fever refusing to subside.
Although Lorelei was injured and chilled, thanks to Horace’s protection, her condition was relatively stable.
Out of humanitarian concern, Lorelei went to see him
once.
In the hospital room, Horace lay unconscious, his face pale, brows tightly furrowed, as if enduring immense pain.
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Chapter 23
His cracked lips moved constantly, uttering indistinct murmurs:
“Lori… I’m sorry…..
“The balcony… I was a bastard…”
“The photos… I was wrong…”
“Don’t go… please… don’t go…
Each word, each sentence, was like a broken confession, pounding on Lorelei’s heart.
She stood by the bedside, expressionless, looking at this man who was once so proud and untouchable, now so fragile, her heart a tumult of emotions.
The special assistant stood to the side, looking at his boss in such a state, then at Lorelei’s cold profile, and finally couldn’t hold back any longer.
He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed deeply to Lorelei: “Mrs. Dunn… there are things “w I have no right to say, but if I don’t say them now, Mr. Dunn… he might really not make
Lorelei raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
The special assistant, as if throwing caution to the wind, revealed everything Horace had done over the past six months:
How he worked himself to the bone, almost self–destructively, using impossibly high performance targets to numb himself,
How he quietly used ruthless means to ensure that everyone who had ever bullied or mocked Lorelei, whether openly or in secret, paid a heavy price:
How, every time she traveled alone, he arranged for the top security teams to protect her from the shadows, ensuring her absolute safety;
How, like an obsessive, he had people painstakingly restore the photos with their memories that she had burned, enlarging them and hanging them on his bedroom wall, gazing at them every night before he slept.
And how, time and again, he set aside his pride, following her around the world like a lovesick boy, only daring to watch from afar, never during to get close..
“Mrs. Dunn,” the special assistant choked up, “Mr. Dunn… he was raised from childhood to be an heir, never showing his emotions, self–restraint ingrained in his bones. He probably… really
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doesn’t know how to love someone in a normal way. He thought what he felt for Ms. Kemp was love, but later realized it was more like a rebellion and a way to cope with his repressed youth. As for you… at first it was responsibility, then it became habit, and by the time he finally realized it was love, he had already… already hurt you too deeply.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
