Chapter 311
They couldn’t agree on plans for Yanni’s future.
In the end, Mason didn’t agree to her terms. He looked at Zoe intensely, but there
was no lingering affection in his eyes. In fact, it had only been four months since he
said he wanted to make it up to her.
After he left, she carried her frail body to the restroom, supported herself on the
sink, and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked so weak and miserable.
Mason wouldn’t set her free. She didn’t know how long she’d last this time or how long she could stay by Yanni’s side…
A few days later, Zoe was discharged from the hospital and allowed to go home. She
tried to kill herself again. This time, she slit her wrist!
Blood was everywhere on the bathroom floor. It was being washed away by an
endless stream of hot water from the faucet. Zoe was lying over the bathtub. There
were more deep slashes across her wrist, which already had scars to begin with.
She was sent to the hospital again and, this time, Mason had to transfuse twenty-
seven ounces of blood to her. He was standing in front of the emergency room,
looking pale.
Lisa heard the news and rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night. She
couldn’t help herself when she saw how pale her son looked.
“You need to look after her and the baby. Now, you have to worry about these
episodes as well. How long do you think you can last before your own body breaks
down?
“Also, news about her condition and her suicide attempts are going to leak someday
and hurt Lockwood Corporation’s reputation if you force her to stay by your side. There’s no time for you to be dragging your feet anymore. Divorce is the best move if
you want to preserve the Lockwood family’s reputation.”
1/3
“Best move?” He repeated these words and chuckled mockingly
Lisa was upset now Tm saying this for your benefit as well as the family’s”
He remained quiet.
Beneath the fluorescent light, he fixed his gaze on his mother. She still looked
elegant and unaffected in this dire situation.
After a long time, he deadpanned, “I’ve always thought you were ruthless and
heartless! Now, I know that we’re one and the same!”
Lisa was visibly stunned by what he said.
Turning around, he walked toward the end of the hallway. A breeze blew past him
and carried his dazed voice to her ears. “I could never protect any of my favorite
toys from you when I was a boy.”
After a brief moment, she came back to her senses and barked at him viciously,”
Mason!”
Standing at the end of the hallway, he opened the window and took out a cigarette. It
took him several attempts to light up the cigarette because the wind was too strong.
The burning cigarette cast a gloomy glow on his face. Staring off into the night. quietly, he told the doctor, who was standing next to him, “Get a place ready at the
rehabilitation center in the suburbs. I’m going to send Zoe there to undergo special
treatment.”
The doctor was shocked. He knew what Mason meant by special treatment. Mason was going to force her to bend to his whims. She’d have no family by her side to give her mental support. All she’d have access to would be doctors, nurses, pills and
equipment.
He couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Mr. Mason!”
Tears filled Mason’s eyes as he barked, “Just do what I say! I’ll talk to Zoe and convince her to agree to it!”
+15 BONUS
Zoe’s condition was stabilized now, but she still hadn’t come to. Mason was standing
next to her, murmuring, “Get rid of the depression and I’ll give you Yanni.”
It was a pity, though. She couldn’t hear him.
Then, he left in the middle of the night and drove back to the manor. The snowstorm
was quite bad that night. It seemed that the entire world was covered in white.
He’s
The moment he stepped out of the car, he heard Yanni’s cries. He stood in the snow
for a long time, stunned. Snow quickly collected on his head and his shoulders, reminiscent of the veil Zoe put on for him a lifetime ago.
Yanni continued to wail into the night.
Was it because she could sense that her parents were splitting up? Perhaps that was
why she was crying. She wanted to see her mommy.
Chapter 312
Mason couldn’t sleep. The blood in the bedroom had been cleaned up a long time
ago,
but he could smell the coppery stench in the air, reminding him of the tragedy
that took place a mere few hours ago.
He and Zoe had finally come to the end of the line.
Yanni cried for hours. He couldn’t calm her down until past midnight. Then, he
passed her to Deborah to take care of her.
The night was dark and quiet when he went into the study. He was smoking on the couch and wisps of light green smoke lingered in the air. It was all around him, giving him a hazy, surreal look.
It seemed, incidentally, that there were a lot of painful memories for Zoe here in the study. He had done some unspeakable, humiliating things to her when he forced himself on her. Then, there was the time when he slapped her because of the vinyl.
She grew cold to him after that.
If there was a specific time he would point at and say, “This is where it started going
downhill,” it would be that slap.
He tried to salvage their marriage. However, Lisa was right, he had too many responsibilities on his shoulders and he couldn’t stay by Zoe’s side at all hours, making sure she didn’t do anything stupid. Yanni needed a mother who was free of
any mental illness as well.
With that said, he knew very well these were just excuses. He was well aware that
the special treatment might not necessarily cure her. She might not come back in
one piece.
The fact was, he had given up on her.
His eyelids started twitching and his lean fingers, which were holding the cigarette,
were shaking as well. Then, he began drafting the divorce agreement. He was very
generous with the terms.
The first thing he did was guarantee Yanni’s rights and interests. Then, he wrote
that he’d transfer all of his real estate and most of the liquid assets to Zoe. On top of
that, he’d give her the jewelry his grandma left for her as well as the jewelry she had
worn in the past.
He was being way more generous and gave her a lot now, but there was no way he
could guarantee that she would return to Brookesville in one piece.
Training his gaze on the piles of documents in front of him, he reached out suddenly
and swung his hand. At the next moment, the paperwork fell in the air, reminiscent
of falling snow. They remind him of his marriage with Zoe. Nothing could piece
them back together and make them whole again.
The chandelier was brightly lit on the ceiling as he slowly covered his tearful eyes.
He told himself it was just the smoke that stung them.
Snow started melting the next afternoon. It was cold outside, but it felt as warm as it
was in spring in Zoe’s ward.
Her long, black hair hung down her back as she leaned on the headboard. The
patient’s gown was hanging loosely on her body, gracing her with a fragile yet.
exquisite look.
Mason was standing by the window and talking to her in a casual tone. He was
telling her how well Deborah was taking care of Yanni and how there was nothing to
be worried about.
He even told her about the divorce agreement he drafted and how it’d support her
for the rest of her life. She’d be able to lead a comfortable life even if she did nothing
to earn money.
His tone made it sound like he was telling her about some mundane stuff.
However, she had been married to him for years. She knew his character well. Once
he was done talking, she asked him calmly, “All of these come with a cost, right?”
Turning around, he stared at her quietly. After a brief moment, he said in a husky
voice, “I have a villa in the suburbs. It’s a private rehabilitation center. I want you to
receive treatment there. There’s a car downstairs, waiting for you.”
