Chapter 101


    Chapter 101


    RAVEL


    PRESENT TIME


    After safely dropping Hazel off at her apartment, I made the decision to return to the hospital to retrieve


    my wallet, which I had carelessly left behind.


    My original n had included a stop at my manor to collect fresh, clean clothes for the next day and


    gather some essential work documents before making my way back to the hospital. However, as I


    approached the hospital, I couldn’t help but notice that my car’s gas gauge was perilously low, and to


    compound the situation, I realized that my wallet was not in my possession.


    Navigating the hospital parking lot, I found a suitable spot to park, and after disembarking from the


    vehicle, I headed for the elevator that would take me to Elenor’s room. While en route, I took a moment


    to send Hazel a thoughtful goodnight message, ensuring she knew I was thinking of her. The elevator


    journey was punctuated by a cheerful “ping” as it arrived at my destination, and I stepped out,


    proceeding toward Elenor’s room. Just as my hand hovered over the door, poised to push it open, my


    ears caught the unmistakable sounds of a heated exchange of words between Raymond and Anne. It


    struck me as particrly unusual since I had never before heard Raymond raise his voice at her.


    “What the hell do you want from me?” He snapped at her, his frustration evident. “Haven’t you caused


    enough trouble?”


    Intrigued by their heated exchange, I discreetly leaned closer to the door, straining to catch every word


    of Anne’s response. “Why do you constantly hover around my daughter instead of doing your job?” she


    demanded.


    Raymond’s anger red as he retorted, “It’s clear that your son doesn’t keep you informed. I’ve


    resigned.” His voice was filled with a simmering resentment. “But, Anne, I’m not going anywhere. I


    should have been by Eleanor’s side all these years, and that’s where I’m staying.”


    Anne scoffed dismissively, her heels softly echoing on the cold tile floor as she inched closer to him.


    “You can’t possibly mean that!” she bellowed. “You, of all people, know what I’m capable of.”


    Raymond’s fist tightened, his anger unabated. “In fact, I have no idea what you’re truly capable of,” he


    countered with defiance. “My father is no longer in the picture; what else can you use to manipte


    me?” A furrowed brow revealed my confusion at Raymond’s revtion. Had she been ckmailing him


    all this time, coercing him intoplying with her demands?


    “What more can you possibly do, Anne?” Raymond continued, his voice filled with frustration. “You’ve


    already taken the drastic step of disconnecting the life-support machine, causing his heart to stop


    beating. What more could you possibly


    want?!”


    Unable to remain a passive observer any longer, I pushed the door open and entered the room, my


    gaze fixed firmly on Anne. My expression was stern as I questioned her, my voice trembling with


    concern. “What did Raymond mean by saying you disconnected the life-support machine?” I fervently


    hoped my suspicions were unfounded. “Anne, did you deliberately cause his father’s heart to stop


    beating?”


    She fixed a hostile re on Raymond, clearly displeased that I was now privy to this unsettling


    revtion because of his words. “It was bound to happen sooner orter,” she muttered with a chilling


    lack of remorse. “That man was nothing more than a lifeless body umting debts for his son.”


    I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Please, for the love of sanity, tell me you’re joking,” I implored,


    desperately hoping that Anne was simply trying to shock us. I knew she was ruthless, but this level of


    cruelty was beyond myprehension. “Tell me you didn’t take someone’s life.”


    Her frown deepened, but she defended herself, albeit callously. “I didn’t kill anyone,” she argued coldly.


    “I merely stopped paying the bills, and nature took its course.”


    I turned to Raymond, feeling a mixture of disbelief and anger. “Was she the one responsible for paying


    your father’s hospital bills?” I asked him incredulously. “Was she the one covering the cost of the


    oxygen that kept him alive?”


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    Raymond nodded, confirming my worst suspicions. “Yes,” he admitted, and I winced, wondering why I


    had been kept in the dark about this shocking revtion. “She’s been footing the bills ever since he


    was admitted to the hospital.”


    I couldn’t help but feel hurt and confused by Raymond’s choice. “I offered to cover those bills,” I


    reminded him, my voice tinged with disappointment. It stung that he had refused my offer of help, only


    to turn to my mother for assistance.


    Raymond sighed, his responseden with frustration. “I didn’t really have a choice,” he muttered. “My


    father owed your family a significant sum of money, and your mother insisted that I take responsibility


    for settling those debts. I couldn’t possiblye to you for that, Ravel. I still have some self-respect


    left.”


    I raised an eyebrow, struggling to understand his logic. “Yet you went to my mother?” I questioned, my


    tone conveying my confusion and a touch of irritation.


    “She insisted on paying it herself, while also adding it to the debt my father already owed your family,”


    he rified, his lips tightening as he spoke. “You see, my father was admitted to this hospital along with


    yours, and when I attempted to discuss his medical bills with the doctors, I was informed that the


    Southwark family was handling them. I assumed it was your mother and spoke to her about it, but she


    insisted that I must repay the debt. Given that my father had already been here for a week, the bills had


    escted considerably, and I couldn’t afford to pay the full amount upfront. So, I reluctantly agreed to


    her terms, allowing her to add it to what my father already owed, with the intention of paying it off


    gradually.”


    I pinched the bridge of my nose, struggling to make sense of this tangled web of financial


    arrangements and family debts. Turning my gaze back to Anne, I asked, “But why did you instruct the


    doctors to remove life support?” My tone conveyed a mix of confusion and concern, as I tried to


    understand the motives behind such a drastic action.


    Anne responded with a dismissive eye roll, taking a seat on the cream-colored sofa. “It’s not as if I did it


    without his presence,” she retorted co olly. “He was there when the decision was made to turn off the


    life support.”


    Raymond, still simmering with anger, couldn’t contain his frustration. “I didn’t have a choice!” he


    shouted at her, his voice. filled with resentment. “You stopped covering the bills five months ago, and


    you never informed me!”


    My eyebrows shot up in astonishment. “So, they turned off the life support because you couldn’t pay for


    the umted five months of bills?” I asked, aghast at the gravity of the situation.


    Raymond nodded, his expression pained. “I couldn’te up with the entire sum all at once,” he


    admitted, his voiceden with regret. “The amount was simply too overwhelming.”


    “Why didn’t you reach out to me?” I questioned, a tinge of hurt in my voice. “When you found out that


    Anne had stopped paying the bills, why didn’t you call me for help? I could have cleared the hospital


    bills and whatever debt his father owed my family.”


    Raymond’s bitter chuckle cut through the tension in the room. “I would have told you if you’d bothered


    to answer my calls,” he retorted with a hint of anger in his voice. “I tried reaching out to you that night,


    multiple times. I even called Elenor, and none of you answered my calls.”


    Regret gnawed at me as I realized how my neglect had contributed to this situation. “I’m genuinely


    sorry, man,” I offered, taking a step toward him, though he instinctively moved back, a visible wince


    crossing my face. “I allowed my own pain to cloud my responsibilities toward you, and for that, I


    apologize.”


    Raymond clenched his jaw and exhaled heavily. “You don’t owe me anything, Ravel,” he replied,


    ncing briefly at Elenor and Anne before returning his gaze to me. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to step


    out for some fresh air.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and briskly exited the room.


    Left alone with my mother, I struggled toprehend how she could act so heartlessly. “How could you


    so casually end the life of the only family he had left?” I questioned, my voice filled with disbelief and


    disappointment.


    Her response remained unapologetic as she shrugged off my moral concerns. “He pushed me into it,”


    she argued, attempting to justify her inhumane actions. “I wouldn’t have taken that step if he hadn’t


    boldly dered that he intended to date my daughter to my face.”


    I couldn’t help but scoff at her reasoning. “That’s it?” I retorted incredulously.


    “That was the sole reason I agreed to help with the medical bills,” she continued, her tone unwavering.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    “He promised to stay


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    away from Elenor while I helped keep his father alive. He broke that agreement first, so the me lies


    with him, not me.”


    “Can you even hear what you’re saying, Anne?” My disbelief deepened as I struggled toe to terms


    with her callousness. Her inability to acknowledge the gravity of her actions left me questioning many


    things about her character. “Just when I was beginning to see you in a more positive light, you go and


    commit something so utterly despicable.”


    I couldn’t shake the sense of disappointment in her. Once Elenor recovered from this ordeal, I resolved


    to ensure that Anne would never appear before me again. She seemedpletely oblivious to the fact


    that she had just lost a son.


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