Through the cracked phone screen, she searched her contact list for someone who could save her, and for some inexplicable reason, she saw Milo Sinclair's name.
Strange, did she even know Milo Sinclair at that time?
As Shea Thorne gradually regained a bit of consciousness, she realized she was indeed holding her own phone. Her whole body ached, burning with a scorching pain, accompanied by the shadow of a fever.
Her fever was severe, and she began to hallucinate.
Her finger hovered over Milo Sinclair's name, intending to call him to save her; he was a doctor and could certainly help her.
However, just as the thoughts of "doctor" and "saving her" crossed her mind, she envisioned that corner reeking of sewage.
A newfound trust in Miles Crawford took over again, and her fingers, struggling, slipped downward to find Miles Crawford farther down in the call log and she pressed on his name.
He wasn't usually good to her, but would still come to save her. In the first life, the moment she called, he showed up immediately.
But this time, why didn't he answer for so long?
Ariana Thorne persistently kept calling, and after what seemed like ages, the call connected, and Miles Crawford's impatient voice came through: "Ariana Thorne! Are you done yet?! I've spared your feelings, but don't push me to block your number!"
Hearing his disdainful words left her without the strength to be sad. Her instinctive survival desire drove her to plead for help, regardless of who was on the other end: "Miles... I'm in so much pain... Can you come save me? Please save me..."
She was burning up, her body trembling, her skin scorching with pain.
She was starting to experience hallucinations, the line between reality and fantasy blurring. She couldn't tell what was real anymore.
"Haven't you had enough of this act?! You tried to drown yourself yesterday, and today you're asking for help?! I'm telling you now, don't count on me coming to see you!" After he finished, he hung up. She wasn't sure if it was her illusion, but before the call ended, she heard Zoe Wymond's voice over the phone.
"Miles, could you dip my shrimp in some sauce?"
Sauce, sauce.
As she was nearing death, she realized she was of less importance than him dipping shrimp for Zoe Wymond. At this moment, Miles from the first life overlapped with this scene, leaving Ariana Thorne almost at the brink of collapse.
So he knew she tried to drown herself, and now thought she was lying to him with this call.
The Miles who didn't disdain her, back in the first life, had already abandoned her.
So what was the point of living through so many lives?
She had also dragged Shea Thorne down.
"I'm sorry, Shea Thorne, for dragging you into this."
Ariana Thorne blamed herself; her lack of courage had harmed Shea Thorne.
It was her fault that they were both suffering now. While she was still alive and could speak, she apologized to Shea Thorne.
She wanted to die, but Shea Thorne did not.
In the original world, she might have already died in a car accident.
In this life, she was beautiful and free, yet hadn't gotten to enjoy the beauty of the world, nor lived with her family. She didn't want to die!
Sustaining the burning heat in her lungs, Shea Thorne picked up her phone, preparing to call Milo Sinclair. He was a doctor with professional ethics and wouldn't hold a grudge against her for rejecting him. He would definitely come to save her.
However, her fingers trembled with weakness, the burning pain exceptionally pronounced, and the phone slipped from her grasp, hitting the edge of the bed, spinning in a circle, and finally crashing onto the floor, the screen utterly shattered.
They were in a bunk bed, and Shea Thorne had no strength to get out of bed to retrieve her phone.
This meant that the only chance of survival just used by Ariana Thorne was calling Miles Crawford.
Shea Thorne lay flat, staring at the white plaster ceiling, fantasizing about the Hallowed Grove, as described by Milo Sinclair. The ceilings of those mansions must be prettier than here.
"If I had agreed to him last night, would we not be here waiting to die?" Shea Thorne murmured to herself; if she had agreed to Milo Sinclair, he would have taken her to stay in the Hallowed Grove. She wouldn't have jumped into the lake or be experiencing the process of dying now.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Ariana Thorne apologized.
If anyone were in the dorm, they would have seen her talking to herself like someone with a split personality—one waiting to die, the other apologizing.
But Shea Thorne immediately pulled herself together. Her body already housed an emotionally overloaded Ariana Thorne; she couldn't be negative anymore.
"What's this all about? At worst, I'll just go back to the box and lie in the grave. It's not worth an apology, just a pity that without even touching it a few more times, it slipped away." Shea Thorne laughed, comforting Ariana Thorne. Such a fine man like Milo Sinclair, not getting to sleep with him was a pity but not enough to warrant an apology from Ariana Thorne.
Men, as long as you live, there will always be more.
But a woman should never bow her head for a man, nor belittle herself because a man doesn't like her back.
It was a pity there was no one else in the dorm. Shea Thorne spoke a few words, exhausted her energy, her throat dry as if knives were slicing through, breathing difficult, and each inhalation now hurt until she finally closed her eyes.
Shea Thorne: I don't blame you; who knows, there might be a fourth life? You're so lucky, having the chance to start over several times.
She envied having a chance to start over. If she could start over, would her ordinary self seek out Milo Sinclair and captivate him once more?
Maybe not, right?
He's so excellent, and she's not enough to stand out.
Ariana Thorne: If there is a fourth life, I'll definitely let you have this body, and I won't stop you from having as many boyfriends as you want.
But will there be a fourth life?
...
When the three in the dorm returned, it was already late. Shea Thorne hadn't called to say what she wanted to eat, so they took the liberty of bringing her some congee.
Farah Hale placed the congee in Shea Thorne's bowl while Rhonda Ford climbed up to wake her.
"Ariana, we brought you some congee. How about you get up and have a little before going back to sleep? Sleeping on an empty stomach doesn't help break the fever." She also placed the fever patch they bought on Shea Thorne's forehead, hoping it would help reduce her fever soon.
The incident last night, where she attempted to drown herself, was known to them.
Though they despised her desperate actions and were tempted to join the school forum in calling her "love-blind," they understood her sincerity toward Miles Crawford and watched her gradually get better.
They were friends, and could never say such harsh things to a friend; Miles Crawford didn't appreciate what he had.
However, Shea Thorne was already in a coma, her once rosy lips now dried and cracked, shaking her head in sleep with no sign of waking up.
Rhonda Ford, having learned a bit of medicine from Jonah Bell, noticed that Shea Thorne's condition wasn't right and immediately shook her, only to find she wouldn't wake.
"Ariana! Ariana!" But to no avail, the three of them became frantic. Sharon Somerset called for an ambulance, but the path around the old building was too narrow, so they had to carry her out.
Besides, the Sinclair Private Hospital was nearby, and they could get there faster than the ambulance.
Rhonda Ford saw the phone lying on the floor and decisively called Jonah Bell for help.
Jonah Bell was on night duty and happened to be free. He saw Rhonda Ford's call and answered curiously: "Hello, Rhonda, what's going on?"
"Jonah! Jonah! It's bad! Ariana won't wake up! Quick, come here!" Rhonda Ford, scared stiff, found the inability to wake someone terrifying. No one knew what condition Shea Thorne was in or what the final outcome would be.
Hearing her words, Jonah Bell immediately stood up, and his fellow students in the break room saw his suddenly serious expression and quickly came over to ask what had happened.
Jonah Bell didn't say much and walked over to Miles Crawford, who had just returned, saying, "Miles, you have a car. Drive us to F University immediately!"
Hearing F University, Miles Crawford understood what was going on, dismissively saying, "Jonah, don't bother with her. She's faking illness, nothing more."
Such nerve, not calling him but having her roommate call Jonah.
"Yes, what is this about? Jonah, figure it out first—don't be hasty," Zoe Wymond added. "Once we understand the symptoms, we can devise a plan together. If it's serious, we'll have the ambulance pick her up, right?"
Upon hearing this, Jonah Bell looked incredulously at Miles Crawford, glanced at Zoe Wymond behind him, then turned without another word, saying, "Ryan Rhodes! Grab the first aid kit and come with me! Ethan Lawson! Notify emergency services, the patient has severe fever and is unconscious!"
The two heard this and immediately grabbed their things to follow him. Since their mentor had admonished them, Zoe Wymond's senior authority wasn't as high anymore.
The remaining people saw how anxious Jonah Bell seemed and figured he wasn't lying, thus they joined Ethan Lawson in getting ready at the hospital entrance, waiting for Jonah Bell to return.