Chapter 219
“On the day we adopted Ashley, my dad was overjoyed. He even organized a dinner party and invited everyone over. He told me I have a sister from now on,” Zachary continued.
At that point, Zachary laughed sardonically. “Did you know that my dad was somewhat crazed ever since my mom passed away from labor complications? He loved her very much, so he never quite got out of his grief. He was a teacher, but he started believing in superstition. My dad thought that people had souls and that my mom would always be by our side.”
Henry became an attentive listener and allowed Zachary to continue talking.
“In truth, my dad lived a hard life alone. I didn’t understand back then and thought we were fine with just the two of us. I couldn’t accept another woman as my mother, so whenever someone tried to introduce a woman to him, I would try my best to tear them apart,” Zachary revealed.
Zachary used to be quite naughty and couldn’t bear seeing another woman by his father’s side.
“When I grew up and began having sexual urges, I realized that sometimes, men just can’t live without women.” Zachary lowered his head, feeling a wave of mixed emotions.
He then continued, “So I advised my dad… I told him to look for a new partner, that I’d been ignorant, and that
he should live a normal life.”
Zachary clinked his glass with Henry’s and queried, “You’re a man. You should understand what I mean, right?”
Henry nodded.
“But my dad said he’s gotten used to being alone.” Zachary leaned against the chair.
“How did your dad… take care of himself, then?” Right after saying that, Henry covered his forehead with his hand. He couldn’t help but regret the words as they left his l*ps. It was an odd question, after all.
“Are you joking, Mr. Gibson?” Zachary quirked a brow. “Right, you’ve never been short of women, so why would you need to use your hands?”
“Ahem…” Henry expected that Zachary would seize the opportunity to take a dig at him. “What I meant was the bodily fluid that the police found on Ashley. Could she have…”
Zachary’s hand, which was holding the glass, froze for a moment. “Initially, I suspected my dad and didn’t
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believe him because the police found traces of him on Ashley. However, I couldn’t figure out why they were on her in the first place…”
Zachary’s voice was hoarse as he continued, “Ultimately, I underestimated just how evil one can be… She was so young back then. How could she be so vicious? Why did she know all these things?”
“Maybe she experienced something in the past, which led to her putting her knowledge to use on your dad and framing a good person.” Henry took a sip of beer. It was cold and a tad bitter.
“I heard from Thomas that Ashley was adopted by another family before she was taken in by your dad. Someone in that family fell to their death, and they thought Ashley brought them bad luck, so they sent her back to the orphanage.”
In essence, Ashley must have experienced something in that home, and that was why she showed signs of depression.
“This is such a horrid twist of fate…” Zachary smiled as he took a sip of beer. “Let’s not talk about her.”
“She’s ruining my mood,” he thought.
As such, Henry naturally changed the topic. “The hospital called and said everything went well with Josie.”
“Over the years, besides avoiding your people, I’ve spent most of my time following Josie, trailing after her. I watched her arrive at the company safely and go home safely after work. You’re a pretty horrible person. She was married to you for three years, yet you drove your lovers to work, while she was squeezing into subways and buses with the rest of the working crowd. Even I know that it’s not safe…”
Zachary then began to recount the past. “She worked for three years, and during that time, I fought three hooligans for her, chased one away, and took care of two crazy stalkers. She’s pretty, so everyone takes notice of her when she’s out and about. You sure have no worries, huh?”
Henry clenched his fists and said nothing.
“So you shouldn’t blame others. You only have yourself to blame for losing her.” Zachary’s words were harsh, but he spoke the truth.
“It was my fault. I… always thought that she’d become independent if I disregard and ignore her. I thought I could protect her from Spike by doing so.” Henry admitted. He was in the wrong. In fact, his mistakes were inexcusable :d ridiculous.
Therefore, it made perfect sense that Josie would fall in love with someone like Samuel, who was as bright as
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the sun.
Somehow, it seemed that all of it was destined.
He was bound to lose something in order to grow.
That way, he would realize that no one in the world would remain forever. If he didn’t know how to cherish someone, he would lose that person to someone else.
“Josie’s great, really.” Zachary smiled. “If I was born to a family like Samuel’s, I’d never give her up to you.”
A grin also played at Henry’s l*ps as he retorted, “If I can start all over again, I wouldn’t give her up either. All of you won’t stand a chance because I won’t even allow you to get to know her.”
“How vicious…” Zachary teased Henry.
“But if there’s truly a chance to start over, I’d find you, help you with your lawsuit and the investigation, and help you… walk out of the darkness. Then, I’d send you to school. If you didn’t study well, I’d make sure to teach you a lesson.” At that moment, Henry couldn’t help but feel that he’d been influenced by Zachary and was now having fantasies.
After all, those were unrealistic thoughts.
In this world, there was no remedy for regret, and one could not simply turn back time.
“Then, we’d surely be good friends, Mr. Gibson,” Zachary said and mused, “If I’had gotten to know Henry earlier and there were no misunderstandings between us, would we have become friends?”
At that thought, he noticed that he didn’t hate Henry that much..
“Perhaps.”
In Hofcaster Hospital, a shroud of darkness blanketed the sky.
Ashley began to panic when she noticed that everyone in the ward was asleep.
Although, there were a couple of patient family members that weren’t asleep and were on their phones.
Ashley looke Lat the door. She was in the recovery ward, where some of the patients couldn’t be exposed to sunlight. As such, the only tiny window in the entire ward had its curtains drawn shut.
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Ashley let out a sigh of relief and decided to get a good night’s sleep.
Meanwhile, Clifford sat by her bedside and was snoring while leaning against the wall.
Ashley felt disdainful, but alas, Henry had hired the caregiver, so she could only swallow her complaints.
She soon began to feel drowsy and nodded off. In her slumber, she seemed to have heard someone crying in the ward. It was a man’s voice, and that voice sent shivers down Ashley’s spine.
“Clifford,” Ashley called out in fear.
Clifford jolted awake and looked at Ashley in a daze. “What’s wrong… Ms. Long?”
“Someone’s crying. Did you hear it?” Ashley asked, her voice trembling.
“No, I didn’t?” Clifford was confused.
However, Ashley was not satisfied with that response. She turned around and glanced at the family member of
the patient in the bed next to hers. “Sir, did you happen to hear the sounds of someone crying?”
The man glanced around and queried, “What sound?”
At that, Ashley’s expression dimmed.
None of them heard the crying, but it was getting closer to her by the second.
All of a sudden, a figure crawled out from underneath the bed that was opposite hers..
Ashley’s breathing stilled, and she passed out.
Outside the ward, Yuri signaled that their work was done. “It’s almost time. Start psychological intervention.
tomorrow.”
Clifford nodded. “Don’t worry. Leave it to me.”
Clifford was also one of Samuel’s men.
Early the next morning, Ashley woke up and felt sore all over. It was as if her entire body had been crushed by
someone.
“I
“I heard that the church a Mount Kismet is really effective. My little girl saw a ghost and had a high fever that
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refused to go away for days. We went to numerous hospitals, but nothing worked. She only felt better when we brought her to the church and prayed for her.”
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