Take My Breath Away

Tabitha threw the beach ball away. The ball was quite light, buffeted by the winds. But what goes up must come down. "Ha-ha! See? It won't fly. Hey, are you James? Tell me why it won't fly?"

She had gone completely insane. Angus sighed helplessly. After a while, he said in a sad voice, "I need to leave. I'm heading back to Y City. Take good care of yourself, Tabitha. Get well soon."

Before he left, he gave the nurses taking care of Tabitha some money and asked them to take excellent care of her. "There's more where this came from, if I find her in the best of health," he said.

Although he knew Carlos would have already shoved tons of cash in their direction, this was the least he could do for Tabitha.

That very evening, Carlos got a phone call from a nurse at the mental hospital. "Mr. Huo, I'm sorry to bother you. I regret to inform you that Mrs. Tabitha Huo... killed herself..."

The news of Tabitha's death

came as a shock to Carlos. He felt like he'd been slapped.

He flew to New York immediately; the other family members came along as well. By the time they arrived, it was the next day.

When they got there, he asked the driver to send Miranda and Evelyn to the Huo family's house. He and Debbie went to the mental hospital first.

Some of the family lived in New York. They were already at the hospital. Tabitha lay in the bed peacefully, covered by a white blanket.

Debbie remembered the first time she saw Tabitha.

It was at the Y City Airport. Tabitha was dignified and graceful as she walked, a woman with a regal bearing. As she approached Debbie, she had a warm and welcoming smile on her face. She held Debbie's hand and said her name softly. She gave her a pair of jade bracelets—heirlooms of the Huo family—and cooked delicious dishes for her.

Only four years had passed, but now she was a mere bag of bones. She didn't look like a woman who had come from wealth and power, but a starved, emaciated beggar.

Debbie raised her head to look at the ceiling, holding back her tears. Carlos could see how distraught she was. He squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring look to comfort her.

Frasier handed a stack of papers to Carlos and said, "Aunt Tabitha signed the divorce pape

ow together. Live audience, front row seats."

Debbie didn't know how to respond. 'A reality show? It seems like no matter where James holes up, Carlos always hunts him down.'

After hanging up, Debbie put off all her work that night. She was too curious about exactly what was going down. When Carlos came to pick her up, she was waiting for him at the entrance.

He got out of his car, kissed her, and tied her scarf for her, tucking part of it into her pink overcoat. Gallantly, he offered her his hand, and they walked hand in hand to the vehicle.

The car rolled to a stop in front of a hospital. Debbie recognized the place—Niles worked here.

After they got out, Carlos held her waist tightly, ignoring her protests. They went inside the building together.

Debbie snapped at him, "When I first met Niles, I was injured. But someone didn't offer to give me a ride, and didn't even look at me. I was a wreck then."

Carlos knew the guy she was talking about. It was him. Feeling guilty, he kissed her hair and apologized, "I'm so sorry, honey. I swear it won't happen again."

While they were walking to the elevator, Debbie cast a scornful glance at him and snorted, "You're such a liar. I only believe about a third of what you say."

Carlos curled his lips and said, "How about this?"

"How about what?"

"I love you. I love you. I love you. Nine words. Believe a third of them, and that would be three." 'You can believe that I love you.' This was what he meant.