Chapter 267 He Stubbornly Stayed by Her Side
Once they hopped in the car, Patrick got this gut feeling something was off and started grilling for answers.
Frederick leaned back, whispering, "Katherine shot me up with something. This injection can mess up your nerves."
Patrick's voice shook. "Did you take it?"
Frederick stayed quiet, just watching his dad.
He loved his wife, but he had let his folks down.
Patrick's heart was breaking. He wanted to strangle Katherine, but first things first, he had to get Frederick to the hospital.
The driver floored it, and they got there in no time.
Frederick got his blood drawn and went through a bunch of tests.
When the results came back, the doc looked at the report with a weird expression and said to Patrick, "Patrick, can we talk?"
Patrick took a deep drag on his cigarette.
He said, "Frederick should hear this too. Good or bad, he needs to know."
The doc was quiet for a moment.
Pointing at the lab report, he said, "This is some new illegal stuff from abroad. It won't kill him, but it can mess up his nerves, cause memory loss, and migraines. We need to keep an eye on it to see how bad it gets."
Patrick closed his eyes. "Is there any way to stop it?"
The doc looked at him and slowly shook his head.
Patrick tilted his head back, tears welling up.
He'd always been tough, rarely cried, only when Lola was born.
Now his son was in trouble, and he might not remember his parents or his wife and kids in the future. How could he not be heartbroken?
Compared to Patrick's sorrow, Frederick was way calmer.
He remembered what the fortune teller had said.
Frederick softly said, "Dad, I want to see Charlotte."
If he was gonna forget, then while he still remembered, he wanted to love her with all his heart. He had so much to tell her.
Even if he had to start over, he wouldn't let her give up.
No matter what he became, he would always be Charlotte's.
Night fell. The villa's hall was lit up like a Christmas tree.
Even though she was torn up inside, Charlotte hadn't forgotten she was Lola's mom; , she stayed gentle and patient with Lola.
Lola was scared, clinging to her leg and asking, "When's Daddy coming back?"
Charlotte gently stroked her face. She was about to speak when she heard a car pull up. She immediately took Lola outside, her face showing serious worry.
Frederick got out of the car and locked eyes with her.
Their gazes met.
After a long moment, Frederick slowly walked over, gently picked up Lola, kissed her, and told Charlotte, "I'm fine. Don't scare Lola."
Charlotte's eyes were moist, and she kept watching him.
Frederick gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pressing his forehead against hers. "Really, I'm fine. Charlotte, I came back safe and sound."
Charlotte's lips trembled.
She knew she should hold back, but she couldn't help leaning on his shoulder, silently crying. His shirt on his shoulder got damp and uncomfortable.
"Charlotte." he gently patted her, like soothing a child.
At this moment, Patrick walked over and signaled Dana to take Lola away.
He had always cherished Charlotte, but with all the family drama and Chloe not stepping up, Charlotte had to grow up and support Frederick.
Patrick softly said, "From now on, you're going to be the backbone of this family, taking care of everything around the house and beyond."
Frederick couldn't stand it.
But he had no choice.
Patrick was getting old and would eventually be unable to hold on.
In this family, the only hope was Charlotte.
Frederick didn't want to push too hard, so he touched Charlotte's face and said hoarsely, "We'll talk about it later."
Charlotte, however, calmed down.
She held his hand and whispered, "Go see Mom. She's been in the kitchen, and I know she's been crying secretly."
Frederick nodded.
He changed his clothes and walked into the kitchen.
Laura stood at the counter, silently wiping her tears.
Frederick approached, gently pressing her shoulder, and said tenderly, "Mom. I'm fine."
Laura was truly heartbroken.
She regretted it deeply. If they had cut ties with the Mitchell family back then, Frederick wouldn't have had that episode with Katherine, and they wouldn't be in this mess today.
He and Charlotte were just about to start a happy life.
They had just had another kid!
Dinner was tasteless.
In the end, Frederick sent his parents home first.
The night was deep and quiet.
Charlotte lay on the master bedroom bed, with Lola nestled in her arms as she coaxed her to sleep.
Lola, still freaked out, woke up a bunch of times.
Frederick smoked a couple of cigarettes in the study before heading back to the bedroom. As he closed the door, he whispered, "Is she out?"
"Yeah, she's asleep," Charlotte replied.
Frederick walked over and lay down behind her, still fully dressed, gently wrapping his arms around her waist.
Charlotte's body trembled a bit.
She closed her eyes, feeling his warmth.
Frederick started kissing her neck, loving her like he always did, but their hearts were heavy. No one knew what tomorrow would bring.
Their intimacy couldn't go on.
Frederick pressed his lips to Charlotte's ear and said hoarsely, "Charlotte, don't be scared."
Charlotte suddenly turned around and held him tight.
Her body was warm and soft, clinging to him like a vine to a sturdy branch, depending on each other to survive.
Frederick lowered his head to kiss her, the kisses broken and filled with sorrow.
He was rarely vulnerable, but he was willing to be in front of his wife. On this tender and sorrowful night, he begged her not to let go of him.
"I won't." she choked out.
Frederick held her slender body in his arms, his lips close to her ear. "Charlotte, say you're mine. Tell me, okay?"
Charlotte looked up in his arms.
Her eyes were filled with tears, but she bravely told him, "Frederick, I am yours! And you are mine! I won't let anyone take you away!"
Frederick closed his eyes slightly. "Mrs. Hawkins is really bossy."
He tried to act cool, but his trembling voice gave him away.
He was scared.
He was afraid of forgetting his wife and kids.
He was afraid that Lola wouldn't get the care she deserved from him as a dad.
He was even more afraid that his beloved wife would have to take care of two kids and manage a big business.
The news of the Vertex Innovations Group president's accident was completely sealed off.
Frederick worked from home, with Cherie commuting back and forth every day. After a few days, Frederick only occasionally felt dizzy and had no other discomfort.
He couldn't help but think that maybe the doc was wrong.
The injection wasn't that potent.
He wouldn't lose his memories of Charlotte, nor would he forget his Lola.
A week later, Frederick came back from his run early in the morning, holding a fresh long-stemmed rose for Charlotte.
It was only seven o'clock, and she was still asleep.
Frederick tiptoed in, bent down to watch her sleeping face, his heart softening.
He placed the rose by her pillow and couldn't resist kissing her.
He straightened up with a smile, but at that moment, he felt dizzy and his mind went blank. For an instant, he couldn't even remember Charlotte's name.
He only knew she was his beloved.
Frederick sat down on the edge of the bed, trying not to make a sound.
When he left the bedroom, he was stumbling.
He pushed open the study door, fumbled for a bottle of pills in the drawer, and opened it with trembling hands and swallowed one. Then he calmed down slowly.
He sat alone in the study, lost in thought.
He knew he was starting to forget. Forgetting Charlotte, forgetting everything they had been through.
He was unwilling to let go; he wanted to hold on to these memories.
Frederick began to keep a diary, spending all day in the study, writing down every detail of his past with Charlotte.
[My dearest is Charlotte.]
[She loves playing the piano and wearing casual clothes.]
[Every day, I give her roses.]
[Our first child is named Lola, and Charlotte risked her life for her. Lola has a blood clotting disorder and a rare blood type.]
[Charlotte is pregnant again; now it's over six weeks. I need to be gentle with her.]
[Charlotte can't drive.]
[When Charlotte hugs me, it means she wants me to kiss her. No matter how important something is, I have to put it down and give her a kiss. She's still a little girl at heart, yet she's the mother of my two kids. Charlotte loves me.]
In three days, Frederick filled a thick notebook.
Every night, he sat quietly reading it, repeatedly trying to remember.
But some memories were already becoming unfamiliar and blurry.
Outside, Charlotte carried a fruit platter and gently pushed open the door.
The moment the door opened, she saw the notebook, though Frederick quickly put it away; Charlotte guessed what it was.
These days, Frederick didn't go to the company.
He relied on Cherie.
He didn't even drive when he occasionally went out. He was already forgetting, yet stubbornly trying to stay in place, to stay by her side.
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