CHAPTER 254: CHAPTER 254: DON’T BE AFRAID, I’M ALWAYS HERE

Silas Hawthorne stood outside the bathroom, his hands tightly clasped, the scene just now replaying in his mind over and over.

Anger erupted as he took out his phone and sent a message to someone.

"Buzz buzz."

The phone vibrated as messages kept going back and forth.

After a while—"Knock knock."

The door was knocked on.

Silas Hawthorne looked over, and it was Mrs. Walsh standing at the door.

"Sir, the doctors have arrived." Mrs. Walsh glanced worriedly at the bathroom door and said, "Both the family doctor and... the psychiatrist have arrived."

Silas Hawthorne acknowledged and let Mrs. Walsh take them to rest first, then glanced worriedly at the bathroom.

He recalled how recently she had a period where she didn’t recognize anyone, pondering slightly.

From just now until now, he had been by her side the whole time.

He worried that she would be scared if she saw others.

Clearly, she was frightened by Julian Lawson.

Silas Hawthorne checked the time; she had been in the bathroom for a long time.

"Serena?" Silas Hawthorne called out.

But there was no response from inside.

Silas Hawthorne slightly furrowed his brows and reached out to knock on the bathroom door.

"Serena, are you done?" he called out again.

But there was still no response from inside.

Silas Hawthorne suddenly felt something was wrong.

He knocked on the bathroom door again and said loudly, "Serena, how are you? I’m coming in."

Counting to three in his heart, Silas Hawthorne opened the bathroom door.

He walked in and then saw a horrifying scene.

She was lying on the edge of the bathtub, unconscious, at some point in time.

One of her hands still held a bath ball, and from her neck to her chest, it had been scrubbed to a bloody red.

Even in the hot water of the bathtub, everything was a sheet of crimson.

"Serena!"

Before this, he had seen those areas as the places where there had been Julian Lawson’s bloodstains; Julian Lawson’s lip was broken, so...

Especially that bite mark on her chest, it was a bloody mess.

Silas Hawthorne’s hands trembled slightly; he immediately went over to pick her up, grabbing a nearby towel to wrap her up.

Waiting at the door, Mrs. Walsh was startled when she saw this.

"Miss Sheridan..."

But Silas Hawthorne just shook his head and said, "Let the doctors come in, and make sure Seraphina doesn’t see any of this."

"Yes, sir." Mrs. Walsh went to do as instructed immediately.

The doctors immediately went upstairs; one of them was the psychiatrist Shayla Randall.

The family doctor immediately had the following nurse apply medication and bandage Serena Sterling.

The wounds on her wrists were the most severe; previously, she had struggled fiercely when tied to the bed by Julian Lawson, leaving deep marks on her wrists.

Next were the injuries on her chest, caused by herself.

While the family doctor was still bandaging, Shayla Randall let out a long sigh.

"Dr. Randall, Serena’s current condition..." Silas Hawthorne asked worriedly.

"The person I spoke with upon arrival couldn’t explain clearly, Mr. Hawthorne. Please tell me specifically what happened." Shayla Randall asked.

Silas Hawthorne clenched his fists tightly, took Shayla Randall aside, and recounted the events.

The more Shayla Randall listened, the tighter her brows knitted.

"Dr. Randall, given the current situation, could there be any issues with Serena?" Silas Hawthorne asked anxiously.

Shayla Randall couldn’t be certain and said that they would have to wait for Serena Sterling to wake up for further observation.

But seeing it like this, the situation didn’t seem good.

A normal person would feel the pain, but looking at Serena Sterling having done this to herself, and the brief episodes of not recognizing people that Silas Hawthorne mentioned...

"Then please trouble Dr. Randall to stay at Hawthorne Manor temporarily," Silas Hawthorne said, arranging with Mrs. Walsh and Mr. Zhou to ensure that both the accommodations and treatment met her satisfaction.

Having finished speaking with Shayla Randall, Silas Hawthorne returned to the room. As he passed by the bathroom, he glanced in and saw the tub of blood-red water.

Hatred surged within him.

He had to make Julian Lawson pay!

...

When Serena Sterling awoke, it was midnight.

After opening her eyes, she momentarily didn’t know where she was.

As memories came back, she began to feel anxious and scared again.

Her heart raced, and her breathing became rapid.

At this moment—

"Serena." A familiar voice came, and someone held her hand.

Serena Sterling turned her head and saw Silas Hawthorne’s worried eyes.

He had been by her bedside the whole time.

"It’s okay." Silas Hawthorne’s voice was soft, holding her hand, "I’m here."

Serena Sterling’s eyes turned slightly red, but she nodded.

She looked down and saw the adhesive tape on the back of her left hand, aware it was from an IV drip administered when she was unconscious.

"Where’s Seraphina?" her voice was hoarse from excessive screaming.

Silas Hawthorne helped Serena Sterling sit up against the bed head and poured her a glass of warm water.

"The driver brought her back." Silas Hawthorne said, "She’s asleep now."

Serena Sterling was slightly relieved, then fell into silence.

She couldn’t control her fear, even knowing she was safe now; the emotions were uncontrollable, as if something in her body had changed.

After sipping some water, Silas Hawthorne had the maid bring up some food.

It was nutritious porridge that was easy to digest.

Serena Sterling had no appetite, only taking a few bites before stopping.

"It’s okay." Silas Hawthorne softly comforted her, speaking many consoling words.

In a daze, Serena Sterling fell asleep.

But it wasn’t long before she awoke from a nightmare.

Sweat drenched her clothes, as if she were back in that apartment, forced by Julian Lawson to do things she didn’t want to do.

"Serena, I’m here." Silas Hawthorne remained by her side, holding her hand tightly, "I’m Silas."

Her chest heaved violently, her heart pounding.

Tears trickled down her cheeks, and Silas Hawthorne tenderly wiped them with a tissue.

"I’m always here," he said, "I’ll always be with you."

The surroundings seemed unreal, only his warm hand gripping hers felt real.

The IV drip contained a sedative component.

Before long, Serena Sterling was asleep again.

Silas Hawthorne picked up a warm cloth, wrung it dry, and wiped away the sweat from her body, his brows furrowed in concern.

Throughout the night, Serena Sterling awoke many times.

Each time she struggled awake from a nightmare.

It seemed as if she was trapped numerous times in that apartment loop, struggling and unable to escape.

She was forced to repeatedly endure that horrifying scenario, fearing, suffering, hopelessly desperate.

And each time she awoke, Silas Hawthorne was there, tightly holding her hand, telling her he was there.

And so he stayed until the new day dawned.

Serena Sterling awakened once more to find the day fully bright, turning to see Silas Hawthorne with bloodshot eyes.

He still held her hand tightly, offering her comfort.

Serena Sterling lifted her right hand slightly, reaching out to gently touch his stubbled face.

Moved beyond words.