CHAPTER 400: CHAPTER 400: SYMPATHY

The doctor speculates that it may be a psychological illness, possibly related to the chaotic drugs Mrs. Hawthorne injected him with during the period of abuse.

But no one knows the exact cause, and they can’t cure Julian Hawthorne’s condition.

This family affair not only angered Old Master Hawthorne but also Julian’s father.

He never knew his wife could be such a person! He wanted to divorce Mrs. Hawthorne, but she was already pregnant with their second child, Simon Hawthorne.

Mrs. Hawthorne managed to secure her position through Simon Hawthorne, and Old Master Hawthorne grew to despise her, so he took both grandsons to raise them himself, not allowing Mrs. Hawthorne to see them, for fear this deranged woman might do something else.

Mrs. Hawthorne didn’t mind, as she didn’t like either of these sons who bore the Hawthorne name. She was content to let Old Master Hawthorne raise them.

Shortly after Simon was born, Julian’s father died.

During a quarrel between the couple while driving, Mrs. Hawthorne grabbed the steering wheel, resulting in an accident. In the crash, Mr. Hawthorne instinctively protected his wife, leaving her unharmed while Julian’s father died from the accident.

Without Julian’s father, how could the Hawthorne Family continue to tolerate Mrs. Hawthorne?

Every time Old Master Hawthorne saw her, he would remember how his son died and the suffering of his grandson.

This woman had gone mad over a first love.

Old Master Hawthorne wanted to send Mrs. Hawthorne abroad, claiming it was to treat her psychological illness.

Mrs. Hawthorne was aware of this and settled down, obediently going abroad.

But did you think that was the end of it?

Of course not, wasn’t there still the younger son?

Mrs. Hawthorne started calling her younger son frequently to build a relationship.

Simon Hawthorne didn’t clearly know about the past; he was a naive and innocent person.

He believed his mother had a mental illness and, even if she did anything before, she was worth forgiving.

So he often went abroad to see Mrs. Hawthorne, sometimes inviting Julian along.

But every time Julian showed up, Mrs. Hawthorne would have a fit—because the older Julian got, the more he resembled his father.

Simon Hawthorne thought it was just his mother’s deep feelings for his father, and he secretly brought Mrs. Hawthorne back home without telling Old Master Hawthorne.

Every time she returned, Mrs. Hawthorne acted like she had realized her mistakes in front of Old Master Hawthorne, expressing remorse and guilt...

Over time, Old Master Hawthorne felt she truly understood her wrongs and wasn’t as repulsed by her, although he still didn’t like her.

If it weren’t for this woman being the mother of his two grandsons, he wouldn’t have let her through the Hawthorne Family’s door.

In front of Julian, however, Mrs. Hawthorne had another face, unable to go a day without causing trouble, finally playing the innocent and claiming she was sick.

Do you have the heart to argue with someone with a mental illness? Especially since that mental patient is your mother.

Julian endured it all but knew very well that if Mrs. Hawthorne did anything else detrimental to the Hawthorne Family, he would not let her go.

Especially this time, Mrs. Hawthorne suddenly returned, targeting Paige Sterling from the start, and Julian felt a sense of crisis.

When it comes to maliciousness, who could outmatch Mrs. Hawthorne?

Everyone thought he didn’t remember being abused and confined in that villa, but lately, he had been recalling it slowly.

The kind of madwoman who could be so cruel to her own children could definitely do something to Paige Sterling, Julian had no doubt.

After hearing the so-called feud between the Sterling Family and the Hawthorne Family, Paige remained in a daze.

Julian called her several times before she came to her senses.

Julian asked worriedly, "What are you thinking?"

Could it be that Paige still minded?

He felt a bit uneasy.

Paige clearly saw the tension in his eyes and said, "I told you before, there was a time in my childhood I don’t remember."

Paige tapped her temple, "But now, it’s as if my energy channels have suddenly been unblocked, and I remember."

Julian suddenly had a strange feeling too, "That little girl who called the police, was you?"

Paige nodded.

The reason she didn’t remember was because that memory was too bloody for her, so she selectively forgot it, and slowly that memory indeed grew faint, especially after she went on a trip to the stars, making it even more forgotten.

Not remembering doesn’t mean completely forgetting.

Now, with Julian’s reminder, those memories became clear again.

She had been quite a lively child and remembered attending a banquet with Jared Sullivan that day.

Jared carried her around, showing off his Barbie doll-like daughter to everyone.

After the greetings, the kids played together.

Paige had a conflict with Austin Xavier, who chased her, saying he would skin and eat her when he caught her, which scared her a bit, so she ran and hid in a place.

After Austin left, she realized she was in that villa.

The villa was quiet, the lighting dim, coming from distant villas.

Occasionally, she could hear a cat meowing, adding a particularly eerie atmosphere.

She was bold, but it was all for show, and in such an atmosphere, she was actually a bit scared.

Yet as she was about to leave, a woman arrived.

Paige remembered the woman; she had seen her at the banquet—it was Mrs. Hawthorne.

She also remembered Mrs. Hawthorne’s strange look at her, which scared her into hiding immediately.

After Mrs. Hawthorne entered the villa, Paige heard strange noises coming from inside.

Her curiosity couldn’t be contained, so she tiptoed through the open door, went upstairs, and saw Mrs. Hawthorne’s ferocious face and a small boy lying on the floor in a messy bedroom...

The little boy seemed to notice her, their eyes meeting, but his beautiful eyes were devoid of any color.

She was so shocked that she made a noise, drawing Mrs. Hawthorne’s terrifying gaze, and she stumbled and ran away.

Despite her young age, Jared Sullivan taught her to always call the police when encountering bad people, so she did call the police.

She thought Mrs. Hawthorne was a bad person...

After calling the police, she was caught by Mrs. Hawthorne, who slapped her and threatened to kill her; then she passed out...

When she awoke, she was in the hospital, hardly remembering what had happened during that time...

If Jared Sullivan knew what happened to her then, it would probably lead to another war with the Hawthorne Family.

Yet hearing Paige’s recollection, Julian’s face turned frightening, "She even hit you?"

To have hit Paige until she lost her memory, it was clearly a heavy blow.

If no one had arrived in time, Paige might really have been beaten to death by Mrs. Hawthorne.

Julian clenched his fists, his eyes icy cold.

Paige held her face, "That was all childhood stuff."

It was just a slap. Compared to what Julian went through, it was nothing.

This poor child, tormented by his biological mother to develop a fear of physical contact.

Paige looked at Julian with sympathy.