Chapter 313 - 312: My Boy Must Be Bright and Sunny

Chapter 313: Chapter 312: My Boy Must Be Bright and Sunny

"Dad!"

Asher’s back had been pierced by a sharp object on the wall. The entire cabin was tilted at a ninety-degree angle, lurching violently.

I shielded Stella with all my might. Between being held tightly and the violent tilting of the cabin, the impact made my vision go dark.

"Asher..."

The briny smell of seawater mingled with the metallic stench of blood, assaulting my senses.

"Mom, Dad..." Stella, whose forehead was also injured, sobbed as she tried to check on me.

Both Asher and I had sustained varying degrees of injuries. Asher’s was the most severe; his back was bleeding heavily, soaking his clothes.

"I’m fine. Don’t be afraid..." Asher pulled us into his arms, murmuring comfortingly.

Terrified, I clung to them for dear life. In the darkness, fear was spreading. The cabin was tilted, and the power was completely cut off. At this moment, the ocean was like a giant beast capable of swallowing everything whole. Everyone was waiting for rescue.

"Asher! Cece!"

"Silvia?"

In the darkness, we heard the voices of Zeke, Felix, and the others, as well as Julian’s. Julian surprisingly hadn’t boarded The Genetics Organization’s rescue ship beforehand...

"Ah!" I shifted slightly, only to realize that my legs were pinned beneath a sliding bed. The pain was so intense I nearly lost consciousness. So this... was what excruciating pain felt like.

"Cece." Asher frantically pushed at the bed with all his strength, but against the force of gravity, he was only human...

The waves were growing larger, and the seawater was pouring in more fiercely. The insignificance of humanity in the face of nature was materialized in this very moment.

The seawater was freezing cold, amplifying my fear. In my memories, I used to be numb to emotions, even fear. But now, I was scared. I was truly terrified of dying. I had begun to revere life because I had learned what love was. All reverence was built on the foundation of love. If one didn’t even understand what love was, how could they have any sense of reverence?

"Cece, don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid." Asher reached out and cupped my face. Due to the cold, my complexion was deathly pale.

"Silvia..."

Julian called out from the balcony above. He had found a rope and tossed it down. "Zeke, Lucas, hurry up."

Zeke felt around for the rope and sent Madeline up first, with Julian pulling from above. "The ship is about to sink! Hurry up! Quick!"

"Asher..." After sending Stella Abbott up, Zeke came over to find us.

"There’s no time..." I sobbed, shaking my head.

There were many things piled on top of the bed. It was too heavy. As gravity dragged it down, I was pinned underneath with absolutely no way to escape. Once the seawater started pouring in, it was only a matter of time before I drowned.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Felix cursed. In the dim light, the men used every ounce of their strength to lift the bed.

But just as they managed to move it, the cabin lurched violently, and it crashed back down, causing me a secondary injury. I swallowed my groan, enduring the pain in silence as I clenched my fists tightly. The immense agony almost made me pass out. Yet paradoxically, I was unusually clear-headed at this moment.

"Asher..." I hugged him, my voice trembling. "Take the kids and leave, please..."

I begged him to go first. Taking the children up was the only way they would have a chance at survival. Otherwise... we would all die here.

"Just go, please..." I pleaded in tears.

"Cece..." Asher kissed my forehead, as if he had made a decision. He picked up the children and handed them to Felix to pass up to Julian.

Adrian and Stella were crying. Even though they were experimental subjects, they were still just children...

"Dad, Mom..."

Listening to their cries, my heart ached as if it were being squeezed. They were my and Asher’s children... I loved them. I was willing to trade my life so they could grow up.

"Felix, Zeke, Lucas... I’m sorry to trouble you, but let’s try one more time," Asher said softly after Julian had pulled the kids up.

"The water is pouring in, and the pressure is increasing. If we try again, what if..." Zeke trailed off, worried about the pain it would cause me.

"Let’s wait a moment. Once the seawater floods the room, we can see if we can use buoyancy to lift it," Lucas suggested.

"There’s no time! Once the room fills up, the exit will be blocked, and we’ll all die in this tiny room. You guys go first!" I shouted at them.

Asher remained calm and spoke again. "Let’s try one more time."

Zeke and the others grunted in agreement, gripping the bed that was crushing me. "Three, two, one! Lift!"

They roared, exerting all their strength to lift the heavy weight, but the lurching of the ship caused them to lose their grip once more.

This time, however, the heavy objects didn’t crash onto my legs. I stared at Asher in shock. Enduring immense pain, he held me in his arms and slowly, inch by inch, pushed my legs out.

It was him... In the split second it was lifted, he had shoved his own legs in, acting as a lever to prop up the heavy load. At that moment, I even heard the sickening crack of breaking bones.

"Asher..." my voice trembled. Forgetting my own pain, I cried and clung to him desperately.

"Take her away..." Asher’s entire body was trembling.

Zeke tried to grab me, but I shoved him away. "You guys need to go! Now!"

Zeke looked at me, and I shook my head at him. "Please... take good care of the kids for me. We’re going to take a gamble. We’ll bet that when the water floods this place, we can escape using buoyancy."

Zeke took a deep breath and pulled me into a tight hug. It was an outpouring of emotion—the bond of friends, of brothers, of comrades in adversity.

"We’ll... wait for you at the top," Zeke said, his voice hoarse. "I’ll contact the rescue ship as soon as possible. Our people will be here any minute. Hold on."

"Sebastian Lancaster! Don’t you dare die..." Lucas choked back a sob. "We’re going to return home to our country. We’re going to be so happy... Even though I hate you," he added, his voice rough.

Felix appeared much calmer than the rest of them. He spoke softly, "He’s Sebastian Lancaster. He won’t die... Come on, let’s go first."

Amidst the violent rocking, I held tightly onto Asher to prevent him from sustaining further injuries.

"Are you stupid or what?" he asked me.

"I don’t want to be smart when I’m with you..." I sobbed, like a child seeking comfort. If one had to use their intelligence even around the people they loved... then what was the point of living?

"Cece... I am so happy right now..." Asher’s voice was weak.

The seawater had already risen past our shoulders and would soon submerge our heads. We needed to wait—wait until the entire room was completely filled with water.

"Are you scared?" I took a deep breath, reminding Asher to hold his breath. At the current rate of flooding, we would have to hold our breath underwater for at least two minutes.

"Everything I’ve done has been for my wife, my lover, and my children... so I’m not afraid at all." Asher smiled and shook his head.

With red-rimmed eyes, I managed a smile. "You’re the stupid one..."

"Yeah, Cece, I’m so stupid. They all pick on me, so you have to protect me..." Asher’s tone sounded almost like a pout. But those words felt like a knife plunging into my heart.

In the fragments of my memory, when he was a child at the orphanage, Asher had been like a solitary monster. The other kids would laugh at him, insult him, and even throw things at him. Later on, he loved hiding behind Cecilia, whispering his complaints. "Cece, they’re all picking on me... You have to protect me."

In truth, he had already dealt with his bullies in various ways. Yet whenever he was with "Cecilia," he would always play the victim.

The seawater cascaded down. I took a deep breath, and together with Asher, sank into the freezing water. The pressure built in our eardrums as we held each other’s hands tightly.

The process of waiting was agonizing. We were taking a gamble. Gambling with our lives. If we couldn’t escape, then dying together like this would be fine, too.

If there was a next life, I hoped to be born into a normal family and live the most ordinary yet happy life. I hoped... Asher would just be the boy next door, my childhood sweetheart, and we would grow up together innocently. I would gladly stand in front of him, shielding him from all malice. I only wished for my boy to grow up healthy in the sunlight. I wanted to see his happy, radiant smile in the sunlight, beneath the shade of the trees.