CHAPTER 268: CHAPTER 268: IF I LET GO, WHAT ABOUT HIM?

These past few days, the nurse had thought a lot.

She was always by Vera Hansen’s side, so everyone thought she was in cahoots with Vera.

Especially since Vera was pretending to be ill.

She was originally sent from Cygnus, and no one believed her defense.

And Vera pretending to be sick...

Honestly, the nurse felt that Vera couldn’t keep up the deception.

Even if nothing happened now, in a few months when the countdown to Vera’s death ended and she was still alive, wouldn’t everything be blatantly obvious?

The nurse previously thought she was just a company hire here to work, getting paid to do a job, and that was it.

The job was indeed high-paying.

But these days, being around Vera, watching the things Vera was doing, she was truly afraid.

Having money means nothing if you’re not alive to spend it.

She was sure Vera would use her as a scapegoat!

And now it wasn’t just Vera who had gone mad, Julian Lawson was mad as well!

If she ended up in Julian Lawson’s hands because of this... she didn’t dare to imagine.

She had to find a way.

Get evidence, and if she couldn’t, then run away quickly!

Running away was the last resort because the influence of Julian Lawson and Silas Hawthorne spanned globally; if she were truly framed, she might end up as a globally wanted fugitive.

Thinking of this, she clenched the recording pen in her hand and tried to place it in the crack of the door.

But she dared not make any big moves, afraid Vera would notice.

She didn’t even know if she could record anything.

In the room, Vera remained unaware, still talking on the phone with the other party.

They were communicating about something.

...

Elsewhere, in the apartment next to Lawson Tower.

Julian Lawson lay alone on the big bed.

There were marks on the bedpost from something being tied there earlier; he held the tanzanite in his hand, watching it reflect the light.

Recalling the scene of Serena Sterling being tied to this bed that day, he painfully closed his eyes.

His calf was still in pain.

Previously hit hard by Silas Hawthorne, even though it was just a dislocation, the surrounding leg was torn and would take some time to heal.

Today it was kicked again.

The doctor had reapplied medicine, but it hurt a lot.

Before his eyes suddenly appeared the scars under Serena’s scarf.

She must be in pain too.

According to Silas Hawthorne, she did it herself.

Her illness...

Thinking of this, Julian Lawson took out Serena’s psychiatric records from a nearby drawer.

He leafed through them, deeply saddened.

Suddenly, he noticed that her attending physician’s name was Shayla Randall.

Recalling the doctor he saw the other day in the records department, the name on the badge seemed to be this one.

Thinking of this, Julian checked and confirmed Shayla Randall was the person he met that day.

After some thought, he acquired Shayla Randall’s contact information and called her.

When Shayla Randall received Julian Lawson’s call, she had just been in contact with Silas Hawthorne’s side.

"Hello, this is Shayla Randall. Who’s calling?" she answered.

"I’m Julian Lawson," came the voice of Julian Lawson.

Shayla paused momentarily in flipping through her notes.

Shayla hesitated for a while; she initially wanted to hang up immediately, but held back. If she could persuade Julian not to agitate Serena further, it might help with Serena’s condition.

Thinking of this, she asked, "Is there something you need?"

"I have Serena’s file from your facility," Julian stated bluntly. "You are her attending physician."

"Yes," Shayla did not deny it, looking out at the dark night sky, "I am currently at Hawthorne Manor."

This wasn’t a secret; checking the files at the facility would reveal it.

Silas had arranged a place nearby for her.

Some patients needed to contact her recently, so she met with them over there.

Thus, there was no need to hide it.

Julian understood the intention behind Shayla’s words.

"How is she doing now?" Julian hesitated, "What can I do?"

"Her condition is not good," Shayla said while reviewing her notes, weighing which parts could be said and which couldn’t. "She just had another severe episode. I’m considering ECT for her. I’ve heard from Silas that you agitated her again today?"

Julian was silent.

"Julian Lawson," Shayla’s voice was stern, "If you keep agitating her, no one will be able to help her."

"Let go."

Shayla said, "The tighter you hold, the further you push her away."

Julian remained silent.

Shayla also did not speak, waiting for Julian’s response.

After an unknown amount of time, Julian asked, "Without me... would she be alright?"

Shayla slightly furrowed her brow.

She thought for a moment and said, "I don’t know, but if you continue to agitate her, she won’t get better."

Reflecting, Shayla let out a long sigh and said, "I don’t know what you plan to do; this is between the two of you, but Julian, she needs time to recover."

"Stop it."

"It’s bad for both of you."

"She..."

Shayla paused slightly.

"Silas said this time when Serena had her episode, she had already lost the will to live."

"Julian Lawson, do you understand what I mean?"

"She doesn’t want to live anymore."

With that, Shayla hung up the phone.

Julian listened to the beeping tone on the phone.

Every word from Shayla struck him deeply.

Especially the final sentence—

[She doesn’t want to live anymore.]

This can’t be!

He had known her for so many years...

When Evan Sheridan died, living under the same roof with William Wyatt, facing various adversities together with him, losing their child, and... when he mentioned divorce...

She had survived all that.

But now, Shayla said Serena didn’t want to live anymore.

Is she lying to him?

However, Julian knew that Shayla was telling the truth.

And he himself had caused it.

He simply couldn’t bring himself to believe it.

Shayla is a doctor and has no reason to lie to him.

Even if Silas paid her, Julian could pay her as well, even more.

The fact that she said such overstepping words was essentially Shayla’s advise to him.

So...

What should he do?

Should he really... let go?

If he let go, what about himself?

...

Cygnus.

It was already daytime now.

Ethan Lynch had stayed up all night; he wanted to leave quickly, but the contingencies he had set up could only come at the agreed time.

But his heart was eager beyond control.

Afraid of being discovered by the agency, worried about Serena, and unable to stop the raging anger and hatred for Julian Lawson!

The agency’s surveillance was extensive, even in the mountains, far away, there had been brief signal jamming before dawn.

Fortunately, he managed to endure it.

"Buzz buzz."

Ethan Lynch’s phone vibrated; he saw the incoming message.

After checking the route provided by the other party, he went all the way down, successfully making contact.

The car sped away.

Ethan tore off his shirt sleeve and began applying medicine while saying, "I need to return home immediately!"