Brad’s voice dropped to a commanding tone. "Nikki, come here and apologize to Lora!"
But as he turned around, his expression shifted.
Nikki wasn’t standing there.
She was struggling to get up, her body covered in dust and grime. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes a mess, one of her high heels broken.
Then, barefoot and pale, she suddenly sprinted into the fountain.
Desperation fueled her movements as she plunged into the icy water, her hands frantically searching every crevice, every gap between the tiles—like a madwoman chasing a ghost.
Brad and Howard watched, momentarily stunned.
"It’s just a ring," Brad muttered, frowning. "Why is she acting like this?"
His brows furrowed deeper, his voice dropping in disbelief. "She just wants to marry me... doesn’t she?"
Howard’s sharp gaze swept over Nikki’s trembling figure. He noticed the deep scratches on her legs from earlier, the way her red-rimmed eyes stood out against her ghostly pale face.
The freezing winter air turned the water on her heavy coat into sheets of ice. Yet, even as her entire body grew numb, she didn’t stop searching.
She didn’t even hear the onlookers whispering.
"Tsk tsk... She’s really willing to do anything just to marry one of them."
"Pathetic. No dignity at all."
Spit landed near her, followed by mocking laughter.
But Nikki heard none of it.
At that moment, nothing else mattered.
She had to find that ring.
The one David gave her.
Over the years of chasing after the Hewitt brothers, she had already lost every shred of pride.
This wedding ring—this last, ridiculous token—was all she had left.
Her final scrap of dignity.
Brad and Howard exchanged glances, their expressions complicated.
Lora suddenly clutched her chest, her lips trembling. "I feel a little faint... I was so scared just now..."
Both men instantly snapped to attention, their focus shifting back to her. Without hesitation, they picked her up and hurried to the car.
Meanwhile, Nikki remained in the freezing fountain, her fingers numb, her entire body trembling violently.
Yet she kept searching.
Her wide, tear-filled eyes scanned the depths of the water, even as her frozen tears crystallized against her skin, turning into layers of salt.
Three days later, she woke up.
Outside the hospital room, Howard had just arrived when he overheard the nurse speaking to Brad.