Forbidden Passion
Chapter 592 I Already Regret It

Phoebe in his arms felt like a feather. Her chest barely moved, her breathing so shallow it seemed like she could slip away any second. Theodore's eyes were bloodshot, tears streaming down his face. He'd never felt so damn grateful.

Phoebe was still alive!

He shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around her, lifting her up like she was made of glass. He was terrified any little jolt would hurt her. He handled her like she was the most precious thing he'd ever held. "I'm sorry. From now on, I'll protect you. I won't let anything like this happen to you again," he vowed.

When Lawton and the others saw Theodore carrying Phoebe out, they all stepped aside. Seeing her pale face and blood-crusted feet, they turned away, unable to stomach it.

The ambulance was waiting downstairs. Theodore carried Phoebe inside, and the doctor immediately got to work. When she pulled back the coat and saw the whip marks all over Phoebe's body, she gasped. In all her years, she'd never seen a domestic violence victim beaten so badly. Those whip marks had nearly killed Phoebe.

She couldn't help but glare at Theodore, who sat silently beside her. How could this piece of trash who abused his wife sit there so calmly?

Theodore caught her look and shot back coldly, "What are you staring at? Hurry up and treat her wounds."

The doctor had never seen such a brazen abuser. She wanted to call the cops on him right then and there.

She turned her focus back to Phoebe. The blood had dried, and her high-quality shirt was stuck to her wounds. The edges of the wounds were turning white, showing signs of infection.

She needed to separate the fabric from the flesh quickly, or it would grow into the wound, making the infection worse.

"Hang in there. I'll be as gentle as I can," the doctor whispered, even though she knew Phoebe couldn't hear her.

She put on sterilized gloves, grabbed tweezers and scissors, and started carefully cleaning the fabric from the wounds.

Every time she touched a spot where the fabric was stuck, she was super cautious. But even unconscious, Phoebe let out low moans of pain.

Theodore sat beside her, trying to keep it together. Every time Phoebe moaned, he glared at the doctor. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore.

He gripped Phoebe's hand tightly, shouting at the doctor, "Can't you see she's in pain? Be more gentle! If you can't do it, get someone else. Don't hurt her."

The doctor felt the pressure under Theodore's intense gaze, sweat forming on her forehead.

She snapped back, "If you're so capable, why don't you do it? Stop pretending to care. If you hadn't beaten her like this, would she be suffering now?"

Something in her words hit Theodore hard, and he suddenly went silent, his face full of pain. He didn't say another word until Phoebe was wheeled into the emergency room. The light in the operating room flicked on. Theodore stood in the empty hall, a dull ache in his heart. He couldn't forgive himself for leaving Phoebe to save Vanessa first. If he'd rescued Phoebe a little earlier, she wouldn't have suffered so much.

Suddenly, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. Someone grabbed his collar and punched him in the face.

Theodore's head snapped to the side, tasting the salty, metallic flavor of blood in his mouth. He looked up at the furious Edward. "Come on, hit me again if you've got the guts."

Edward's fist connected with Theodore's face again. Before he could land another punch, Lawton and the bodyguards rushed in, holding him back. "Mr. Vanderbilt, calm down. Mrs. Reynolds is still in there fighting for her life." Calm down? Yeah, right.

Edward had just gotten back from a business trip, supposed to return to Kedora the next day. But when he heard Theodore was scrambling to raise five hundred million dollars, he knew something was up. He sent people to dig around and found out Phoebe and Vanessa had been kidnapped, and Theodore was trying to save them.

Edward caught the earliest flight back. As soon as he landed, he heard Theodore had rescued the hostages, but the money had gone to save Vanessa.

He couldn't believe it!

"Theodore, I was such an idiot back then. I handed Phoebe over to you, and you trampled all over her!"

Edward was both furious and regretful. "Why did I let her go? I knew you didn't love her, yet I watched her marry you. Her suffering today is on me. I gave the person I loved most to a scumbag like you. Even at the brink of death, you didn't save her. How could you be so heartless?"

Lawton tried to speak up for Theodore, but Theodore's look stopped him. "Let him talk."

"Don't act like a saint. Didn't you choose to save your first love? Get out. Don't pollute the air here. I'm afraid Phoebe will smell your stench and never come back."

Theodore's eyes were filled with hidden pain. He forced himself to stay calm. "Are you done? Lawton, please escort Mr. Vanderbilt out."

Edward struggled, no longer the composed man he usually was, glaring fiercely at Theodore. "Theodore, I won't let you have Phoebe again. You, who only make her suffer, just wait. I won't let you off."

The bodyguards dragged Edward away, his shouts still echoing in the hallway.

Theodore looked at the closed doors of the operating room, his expression dejected. He spoke softly, "Phoebe, I was wrong. Don't be mad at me. Don't listen to Edward. You have to survive. As long as you want to live, you can punish me however you want. Just don't leave me alone. I already regret it."

Lawton looked at Theodore's sorrowful figure and sighed silently. No one had expected things to turn out this way.

Now, Bishop had taken the five hundred million dollars and vanished, while Phoebe lay in the emergency room, her fate uncertain. This year was destined to be a rollercoaster of chaos. Phoebe had been in the ICU for three days. Her back was severely injured, and the wounds had become infected and inflamed, leaving her in a daze.

On New Year's Day, Phoebe spent the day in the ICU. She had a high fever that wouldn't go down and went into shock three times that night, causing the on-duty doctors a lot of trouble.

By the time Phoebe's condition finally stabilized, it was the evening of the first day after New Year's. Theodore finally got the doctor's permission to visit Phoebe in the ICU for ten minutes.

He put on isolation clothing and shoe covers and went in. Phoebe was still in a semi-conscious state, completely unaware of the time. She lay there quietly, lifeless.

The moment Theodore saw Phoebe, tears rolled down his face. In just a few days, Phoebe had become skin and bones, resembling a rose on the brink of withering. And he couldn't shake the pervasive aura of death surrounding Phoebe.