Chapter 86 Barnett Faints
1/7
Barnett gazed at the family portrait, tears streaming down his face in anguish.
Blood mingled with his tears, blurring Aurora’s face in the photograph.
He frantically tried to wipe it away, but the more he rubbed, the more the blood spread, staining her image entirely.
It was as if mocking the ruined state of her life, forever steeped in blood.
Just looking at the photo flooded his mind with painful memories, the agony nearly causing him to pass out.
He couldn’t bring himself to open her diary anymore. With a sudden motion, he shoved it into the drawer and slammed it shut.
His hand clutched the family portrait tightly as he attempted to leave the storage room.
But as he stood up, the world spun violently around him.
He lost his balance and collapsed, blood gushing from his mouth once more. His stomach felt as though it was being torn apart, the pain excruciating.
Chapter 86 Barnett Faints
He struggled on the floor for a long time, unable to get up.
2/7
With a trembling hand, he managed to pull out his phone and
call Darren.
When the call connected, Darren’s voice came through, tinged with confusion. “Barnett, what’s going on? Why are you calling so late?”
Barnett tried to speak, but his throat felt blocked, unable to produce any sound except for violent coughing and the sound of spitting blood.
Darren’s tone immediately grew anxious. “What’s happening? What’s wrong?”
After a moment, Barnett managed to choke out a few words, his voice breaking with sobs.
“I… I was wrong. I really know I was wrong…” Each word seemed to be wrenched from the depths of his shattered soul.
Darren was at a loss for how to respond, but hearing Barnett’s tormented voice, he guessed it had something to do with Aurora.
“Calm down, okay? Tell me where you are. I’m coming over.”
But Barnett seemed not to hear him, continuing his anguished confession, “I saw her awards, her acceptance letters, and that family portrait. How could I have treated her like that? How could I…”
Chapter 86 Barnett Faints
3/7
Darren fell silent, unsure of what to say. He could only promise, “Stay calm. I’m on my way.”
After hanging up, Barnett remained on the floor and stared ahead with his vacant eyes.
His mind replayed scenes of Aurora in their home. All the neglected grievances and the trampled hopes crashed down on him like a tidal wave, drowning him completely.
He looked at the family portrait, which was now soaked in blood and tears, and it seemed to reflect Aurora’s desperate gaze.
He closed his eyes in utter despair.
“How can I make up to her? What can I possibly do?” he thought.
*****
Darren hurried to the Elvador Villa.
Celeste and Joshua were startled awake by his arrival, and seeing his grave expression, they had a bad gut feeling.
Under Darren’s urging, they began searching for Barnett.
They checked nearly every room, but he was nowhere to be found.
Darren pulled out his phone and called Barnett. Following the ringing, they finally located him in the storage room.
Chapter 86 Barnett Faints
4/7
The door was slightly ajar, revealing a figure lying on the floor inside.
Darren’s heart lurched as he pushed the door open.
A sharp, metallic scent of blood hit him immediately, causing him to hesitate for a moment.
Barnett lay on the cold floor, and the area around him was stained a dark, horrifying red from the blood he had vomited.
His face was ashen, with a long trail of blood smeared from his lips down his chin.
Yet, despite his dire condition, he still had one hand clutched the blood–soaked family portrait tightly.
Darren rushed over and knelt beside him. “Barnett! Barnett! Wake up!”
But Barnett didn’t respond.
Seeing their son covered in blood, Celeste and Joshua were momentarily stunned before letting out agonized cries.
Celeste burst into tears.
“He was fine just this morning. How did this happen?”
Mid–sob, she seemed to remember something, and her crying stopped abruptly.
Chapter 86 Barnett Faints
5/7
Her eyes swept the dim, damp storage room, but instead of feeling remorse for making Aurora live in such conditions, she blamed Aurora entirely for Barnett’s current state.
“It’s all that ungrateful Aurora’s fault! If she hadn’t kept provoking Barnett, he wouldn’t be like this. He’s her own brother! How could she be so heartless? If anything happens to Barnett, I won’t let her get away with it,” she sobbed and yelled.
Hearing her words, Joshua latched onto this as a means to vent his anger. His face twisted with fury as he grunted in agreement.
He grumbled, “That girl’s been nothing but a headache since she reunited with us. She’s turned everything upside down. Barnett gave her the world, and she still messed him up!
His voice echoed in the storage room, filled with unyielding accusations.
Celeste sobbed even louder. “She did this on purpose to make us suffer and get revenge on us…”
Darren, watching these unreasonable parents, felt his rising.
anger
He couldn’t believe that with Barnett in such a critical state, they were more concerned with blaming Aurora than getting him help.
He stepped forward to shield Barnett and shouted, “Enough! Stop passing the buck. Help me get him to the car and to the
Chapter 86 Barnett Faints hospital!”
Ignoring them, he bent down to lift Barnett.
6/7
They finally snapped out of their daze and hurried to help Darren, the three of them struggling to get Barnett into the car.
During the drive, Celeste and Joshua continued to mutter their grievances against Aurora.
If it hadn’t been necessary for them to sign surgery consent forms, Darren would have thrown them out of the car.
At Orley Central Hospital, Adolph, whose head was still bandaged, couldn’t sleep and decided to take a walk to clear his mind.
The hospital at night was eerily quiet. The long corridor lights were dim and soft but devoid of warmth, and there was hardly anyone around.
His footsteps echoed in the empty hallway, his lone figure casting a long shadow in the stillness.
But suddenly, the silence was shattered by the sound of hurried footsteps and painful moans.
He looked up to see two stretchers being rushed toward him by medical staff. Their faces were etched with urgency.
He stood still as they dashed past, the rush creating a slight breeze.
Chapter 86 Barnett Faints
Despite their speed, Adolph clearly saw the patients on the stretchers.
7/7
One was covered in blood, unconscious, with dried blood on his lips. It was Barnett.
The other was writhing in pain with his leg bent at a strange angle, clearly broken.
Shockingly, it was Hubery.
Adolph watched the stretchers race by, his heart pounding. His already pale face grew even more ashen.
He instinctively turned, his eyes following the stretchers, and his feet moved of their own accord, trailing them all the way to the emergency room doors.
Write your comment
