Chapter 244



Outside, the rain began to pour harder, turning the traffic into a chaotic mess.

They had been stuck on the same stretch of road for ten minutes without moving an inch. The atmosphere inside the car was stifling, the tension growing thicker with each passing second.

Belinda kept her gaze fixed out the window, refusing to look at Lucas.

After what felt like an eternity, the traffic finally began to improve, only for them to hit another gridlock a few minutes later.

They were not far from the Grand Plains General Hospital now—barely a ten-minute walk away.

Belinda turned her head toward Lucas, intending to ask him to pull over so she could walk the rest of the way.

But before she could speak, startled cries broke through the sound of rain outside.

“Annetta! Annetta, are you alright?”

“Oh no! Someone has fainted abruptly!”

“Quick, call an ambulance!”

As the shouts faded, a growing crowd began to converge in one direction.

Belinda’s face tensed as she turned to Lucas and said urgently, “Stop the car!”

Lucas didn’t hesitate, pulling over smoothly without a word.

Belinda threw open the door and dashed out, weaving through the rain-soaked street.

“Excuse me, coming through!” she shouted, her voice firm as she pushed her way through the gathering crowd.

After maneuvering through the crowd, she finally reached the front, where a middle-aged woman, Annetta Ortega, lay unconscious on the pavement, with a man crouching beside her in distress.

Belinda dropped to her knees beside Annetta and leaned forward to assess her condition.

She gently shook Annetta’s shoulder, her voice calm but firm. “Ma’am, can you hear me? Wake up, please!” She turned her head sharply toward the man beside Annetta. “Does she have any medical conditions?”

“Annetta has a heart condition!” the man replied, his voice trembling with urgency.

Belinda’s expression turned grave as her attempts to wake Annetta yielded no response.

Without wasting a second, she unbuttoned a few of Annetta’s shirt buttons and reached for her carotid artery.

Feeling no pulse, she checked Annetta’s breathing and then leaned down to listen for any sound of a heartbeat.

Her face tightened as she straightened up and announced, “She’s not breathing, and there’s no heartbeat! I’m starting CPR. Someone call an ambulance now!”

Without hesitation, she positioned her hands on the lower part of Annetta’s sternum, interlocking her fingers before beginning chest compressions with precision and focus.

The man fumbled for his phone, his hands shaking as he quickly called an ambulance, his face pale with panic.

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