The Act

Erika was reading her script at home when she got a call from an unknown number. She hesitated for a moment before finally picking up the call.

"Hello, is this Miss Erika Knight?" Mia said as she looked at Oliver, who was standing in front of her with a cold face.

"Yes, who is this speaking please?" Erika asked puzzled.

"Miss Knight, do you know anyone called Arvin O'Neil? Mr. O'Neil just had a serious accident and when he was brought to the Beijing Tiantan Hospital he was murmuring your name in his half-conscious state. We found your number from his phone and called you, if you could please come into the hospital emergency right now." Mia said in one breath. She was used to calling the patient's family members on a regular basis therefore she had no trouble saying all this to Erika.

"What did you say? Serious accident? How?" Erika jump out of the bed and started to tremble in panic.

"It's a traffic accident. He is at the operation theatre at this moment and the doctors are trying to rescue him, but his condition doesn't look very optimistic. There are many fractures in his body." Mia said meticulously as if it were true.

Erika immediately hung up the phone, put on a coat, sports shoes, and ran out. Erika got inside her car but she suddenly froze and couldn't start the car her hands were shaking in fear at the possibility of Arvin dying. Unknowingly tears started to flow from her eyes. Erika wiped the tears with the back of her hands and finally started the car. On the way to the hospital, Erika called Oliver.

Oliver knew Erika would call him, so he intentionally missed her first call. Which made Erika even more panicked. She started to cry even more miserably now as she tried to call Oliver again.

Oliver took his time and when the second call was about to be disconnected he picked it up and said in a heavy tone. "Rika!"

"Brother, where are you? I just got a call from the Beijing Tiantan Hospital saying Arvin had a serious accident."

Oliver continued to be sad and said in his heavy tone, "Yes. He is in the OT and I am waiting outside. Ava is there trying to rescue him."

The phone fell from Erika's hand and she stepped on the accelerator, speeding up the car completely ignoring the traffic rules as she rushed into the hospital.

Outside the OT.

Oliver was pacing back and forth with an anxious face as if Arvin was really in a serious condition. Erika came running to the operating room all the way tripping, falling, and bumping into people, only to find the Opetaring room door was still closed. She looked at Oliver and looking at his sad and heavy face she felt like her heart was dying.

"Brother, what's going on? Why hasn't he come out yet?"

"I don't know, his condition was pretty serious when he was brought here," Oliver said with an indifferent face.

Erika trembled and fell on the chair. Her eyes started to turn red again as she asked in a choking voice, "How did this happen? How could he have an accident?"

"Well, it's an accident, people can't really control these things." Suddenly Oliver's mind flashed back to Melody's accident. Almost six years ago he went to the hospital in the same mood, he was nervous, anxious, and uncomfortable just like Erika was now. Oliver sighed and lowered his eyes.

Oliver sat down beside Erika and held her shoulder trying to comfort her. "Rika, don't worry, I am sure Arvin will get through this."

Erika let Oliver hold her as she sobbed quietly in his arm.

About ten minutes later, the door of the OT opened and Mia came out with an operation declaration form and asked with a serious expression, "Who is the patient's family please?"

Erika froze and looked at Oliver. Oliver stood up and said calmly, "I am."

"Please sign this declaration form. The patient's condition is not good and he needs an immediate operation. This is a declaration form that says if anything happens to the patient during the operation, the hospital will not be responsible." Mia recited in one breath with a straight face.

Oliver picked up the paper and pen, with a slightly trembled hand as he looked at Erika.

Erika stood up and came to Mia then she started to shout in panic, "What do you mean by if anything happens to him? Nothing can happen to him. It's just an accident how can his situation be so serious?"

"Rika, calm down. Every accident case is different, he must have had a life-threatening accident, that's why his condition is serious." Oliver turned Erika toward him and hugged her trying to comfort her.

Oliver signed the declaration form and handed it back to Mia. Mia swiped her card and went back into the OT. Mia was admiring Oliver's acting skills, no one would be able to realize that he was just acting in front of Erika.

In the operating room, Ava and Arvin were intentionally delaying the process, as they had to pretend that there was an operation going on. Arvin's face, hands, and body all looked bruised.

"Ava, if this really worked, I will owe you a favor." Arvin looked at Ava and said with gratitude in his eyes.

"Not bad. Young master knows how to show gratitude." Ava said with a smile.

"Anyway, thank you." Arvin arranged his clothes and climbed onto the bed.

"You don't need to thank me. We are friends. I just hope you and Rika can get back together and this time, you two can love each other bravely." Ava chuckled and said.

Half an hour later, Mia slowly opened the OT door. Erika saw the light turned off she immediately came to the door in a complicated mood. Ava and Mia pushed Arvin out of the operating room in a stretcher, he was lying on the bed motionless. His face was pale and covered in bruises, he looked lifeless.