Before she knew it, Vicki had ridden quite far.


    She parked her bike outside a garden and took small steps as she wandered through it.


    It had snowedst night, leaving a thinyer of white on the tree branches.


    Vicki took several deep breaths. The air outside was so fresh.


    Over the years, Baron had protected her too well. Combined with her illness, Vicki didn''t even have friends. Sometimes she felt truly lonely.


    38)


    Now that Baron was dating someone, he had to spend time with his girlfriend on top of work. That left very little time for her. Most of the time, she was utterly alone.


    As Vicki walked, she noticed all the couples in the park on dates, paired up together. She let out a sigh. She was 24 years old and still single.


    Lost in thought, she continued walking forward.


    Eddie parked his car about 300 feet away from the bike. He also entered the park and searched before


    spotting Vicki''s figure.


    Even her silhouette looked delicate and beautiful. He picked her out of the crowd right away.


    Vicki made her way to the artificialke. The winter air was sharp and cold, and theke had frozen solid. Couples walked hand in hand across the ice, theirughter echoing in the crisp air.


    Vicki stepped onto the frozen surface in her snow boots. She didn''t know that only theke''s edges were solid-the deeper she went toward the center, the thinner and more dangerous the ice became.


    Everyone else stayed near the shore, but Vicki began walking toward the middle of theke.


    Someone spotted her and shouted urgently, "Hey! Come back! You can''t go there! It''s dangerous!"


    Vicki turned around.


    "Come back!" voices called out from all directions.


    Eddie saw Vicki heading toward theke''s center, and his heart lurched with fear. It had snowedst night,


    and the temperature was freezing, but that didn''t mean the ice could support a person''s weight.


    Eddie silently prayed for Vicki to turn back before something terrible happened. However, life rarely went ording to n.


    3.82% N


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    Vicki heard everyone shouting and immediately turned around, ready to return to shore. But the moment she turned, a soft cracking sound came from beneath her feet.


    Vicki''s heart sank as she looked down and saw cracks spreading across the ice.


    "Oh no!" Vicki froze instantly, not daring to move. But it didn''t matter whether she moved or not. The ice at theke''s center was far too thin to support anyone''s weight.


    The ice under Vicki''s right foot gave waypletely with a sharp crack. She plunged downward as mice


    shattered around her, instantly disappearing beneath the frozenke''s surface.


    "Oh my God! She fell through!" Everyone on shore cried out in terror, scrambling toward the bank


    Eddie watched helplessly as Vicki vanished into the ice hole. His heart lurched violently, and a wave of pure


    terror washed over him.


    Eddie''s reaction was lightning-fast. He kicked off his shoes and sprinted toward Vicki''s position, stripping


    off his jacket as he ran. Without hesitation, Eddie plunged into the icyke. He''d been swimming for years, even though winter. The frigid water didn''t faze him as he quickly reached Vicki and pulled her to shore.


    Vicki''s body was ice-cold, and she''d lost consciousness. Someone nearby immediately called 911.


    Eddie''s face went white with fear. He couldn''t think about anything else-he positioned his hands and began CPR, alternating between chestpressions and rescue breathing.


    “Ugh!” Vicki finally expelled a mouthful of water, but she remained unconscious.


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