Chapter 468
Trade his and his family’s lives for Stephen’s? It was not worth it at all!
Nolan wanted to save Stephen so that his family could thrive in the future. If Stephen lived but not his family, everything would be meaningless.
It was then that Nolan finally realized Ethan was never going to save Stephen.
“Fine. I’ll be taking my leave. Please excuse me,” he said after a sigh.
Just as he got up and wanted to leave, the South Regent held back his urge to laugh and asked, “Are you not staying for dinner?”
Nolan glared at him and then walked away.
He had lost all his appetite. He had to go back to keep an eye on Stephen, preventing him from doing anything stupid.
Watching Nolan walk away with a sulky face, the South Regent laughed even louder.
After that, the South Regent, Jeremy, Andy, and Marcus stayed back and had dinner with Ethan. It was around 8 p.m. when they made their way down the mountain. Ethan assured them the guards would not stop them if they took the main road.
Meanwhile, Nolan returned to the hospital, where Stephen was still on the bed, motionless as ever, looking like a corpse. Simon and Rachel had arrived by his side.
Simon was filled with anger and sorrow to see that his only son had been reduced to that. Rachel, seeing his state, felt bad because no matter what happened, Stephen was her husband.
“What happened to him? Was he hurt?” Rachel asked.
“He’s traumatized,” Nolan answered helplessly.
“How is he going to recover from this?”
“He must either face what’s haunting him or let time do its work.”
Those were the two solutions Nolan could think of for the moment.
In order to help Stephen get over his trauma, Jeremy’s presence was needed, but it was unlikely. Aside from the fact that Jeremy wished not to return, Nolan alone was not capable enough to bring the man back.
As for time healing the wounds? That seemed even less likely. Three years had
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Chapter 468
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passed, yet Max’s death felt like yesterday.
He thought of a friend of his, a math teacher
When his friend was teaching one day, he thought of his own first love.
“I broke up with my first love and saw her again after twenty years. I thought I might feel something, but I felt… calm. I didn’t feel nervous or happy but just calm. I guess that’s what people call being independent.
His friend could not continue after that. He set down the book and sighed, looking regretful. Nolan’s friend spoke of the memories of twenty years ago vividly, and that moment made Nolan realize that time could not always heal wounds.
Looking at Stephen on the bed, Nolan knew he had run out of options.
Simon tried to call Stephen by his name, but there was no response. Frustrated, he called the doctor in to provide more updates. After a quick check on Stephen, the doctor said everything was fine, but he could provide some drugs to stabilize his emotions.
Stephen fell asleep after taking the medicine.
Simon said, “I’ll call a psychologist over to have a look at him.”
Nolan prepared a place for Simon and Rachel to stay for the night.
Before the two of them left, Nolan stopped Rachel.
Worried, he said, “Stephen is having a rough time. I think it’s better to have family by his side.‘
It was one of his regrets. If someone had been with Max during his darkest moment, maybe he would not have taken his life.
Rachel glanced back at Stephen and nodded. “Okay. I’ll stay.”
She stayed back to keep an eye on Stephen, just in case anything went wrong.
The night was quiet. Rachel was exhausted from the long day, having traveled to Hill City from Riveria. She rested her head beside Skylar’s bed and drifted off to sleep.
Suddenly, Stephen slowly opened his eyes.
