Chapter 283 Wanting Daddy
As their uncle, especially when Aurelia wasn't around, he felt it was his duty to look after her kids.
Dorothy was easy to handle, but Jacoba was really giving him a headache.
Taking away his computer this time was no big deal.
"Yeah, I know. Until you get back, Jacob's banned from using the computer. How's everything going on your end?" he asked, genuinely concerned.
"Not bad. Patrick's pretty confident. I trust your judgment," she replied.
Joe responded, "Patrick's pretty chill but dependable. If you run into any other issues, just let me know. We've got plenty of resources."
"Got it. I'll be back as soon as I can," she assured him.
After hanging up, Aurelia sent a regretful message to Jacoba: [Sorry, honey. I heard you caused a scene. Until Mommy gets home, the computer stays with Joe. You can earn it back with good behavior.]
Jacoba had been eagerly waiting for a reply from his mom, and this message left him super frustrated.
He rubbed his little hands together and paced around, watching Dorothy play with her Barbie dolls. "Dorothy, do you think Mommy's gone to find Daddy in Imperick? I don't want a dad like that."
Dorothy thought for a moment and said, "Jacob, can you describe what Daddy looks like? I've never seen him."
Jacoba tilted his head, trying to remember, and said, "Well, he's got one nose and two eyes, he's really tall, and he's kinda arrogant."
Dorothy was speechless.
That description was useless. Who didn't have one nose and two eyes? Daddy wasn't a monster!
Dorothy now had an image in her mind and asked, "Jacoba, does our Daddy have big eyes and a high nose bridge?"
Jacoba replied, "His eyes are narrow, and his nose bridge is kinda high. His eyebrows are thick."
Dorothy got excited, thinking his description matched the person she had in mind, and said, "Jacoba, do you want a Daddy?"
Jacoba answered indifferently, "Just a little bit."
"Jacoba, I kinda want to find Daddy," Dorothy said weakly. She was jealous of the kids in kindergarten who had their dads pick them up and had both parents take them to the amusement park on weekends. Even though Aurelia made time for them every week, it just wasn't the same. It would be perfect if her parents were together.
Jacoba sighed and said, "But our Daddy is a bad person. He doesn't love Mommy. Do you still want a Daddy like that?"
Dorothy thought for a moment, her mood instantly dropping.
"Then forget it, I only want Mommy," she said.
In Imperick.
Aurelia dried her hair, drank a glass of milk, and got ready for bed. She had a feeling she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, so she got into bed early.
Sure enough, when she closed her eyes, all she could see was Marcus's out-of-control face from today. His words kept replaying in her mind. Marcus had mistaken her for his deceased girlfriend, which was shocking.
How could there be two people in the world who look exactly the same? Even twins have differences. Marcus's words left her deeply confused.
Anyway, she planned to stay as far away from him as possible whenever she saw him. He might have seemed gentle and refined on the outside, but deep down, he seemed a bit crazy.
Aurelia tossed and turned for over two hours, becoming more awake.
She checked her phone; it was already past 1 a.m.
A car engine roared downstairs, and just as she was about to shift positions to try and sleep again, her phone rang.
"Mrs. Heilbronn, I know it's late, but could you please come see Mr. Heilbronn? He's not doing well."
It was Zack, sounding really anxious.
Aurelia sat up in bed and asked, "What's wrong with him?"
Zack hesitated but decided to spill the truth. "Mr. Heilbronn drank a lot and took some meds while not in his right mind. He is having a severe allergic reaction and refuses to go to the hospital. He keeps calling your name. Only you can persuade him. If you don't want him to die, could you please come and help? I'm out of options."
Aurelia was shocked and asked, "What pills did he take?"
Zack replied, "It's antidepressants. Could you please come and help him? He is really suffering."
Hearing it was antidepressants and not alcohol, Aurelia's heart tightened.
She thought, 'Has he been depressed these past four years? Someone as cold and carefree as him, depressed?'
There was a brief silence on the phone. Zack, not hearing a response, asked again, "Are you listening? I'm downstairs at your place. I don't feel safe leaving Mr. Heilbronn alone. Could you please come with me?"
"Wait for me," she said.
Aurelia quickly changed clothes and went downstairs. Zack was already waiting at the door.
Seeing Aurelia come out, Zack's eyes showed relief. He hadn't misjudged her. From the past to the present, Aurelia was indeed a soft-hearted person.
Zack said, "Mr. Heilbronn is alone. I might have to drive fast, so please hold on."
Aurelia got into the car and fastened her seatbelt, asking, "Zack, did Mr. Heilbronn have depression?"
Zack started the car. Since he had already mentioned it, there was no point in hiding it. Nathaniel had asked him to keep it a secret, but he felt Aurelia wasn't an outsider.
"Mrs. Heilbronn, Mr. Heilbronn has been receiving psychological treatment for the past four years. The first few months after you left, he was completely broken, mentally scattered, and even had suicidal thoughts. Only his doctor and I know about this. Now you are the third person," he said.
Aurelia felt a sharp pain in her heart. She couldn't imagine his suffering. There was never such a thing as true empathy in this world. Just as he couldn't understand how much she had suffered four years ago.
"Is he better now?" she asked.
"Since he found you, he hasn't seen a psychologist. He's been in Coral Bay, and when he came back, he had a pile of work to catch up on, so it was delayed. But I know that since he found you, he hasn't taken any medication and has been in good spirits. I thought he was fine. I don't know why he took the medication again yesterday," Zack replied.
Aurelia felt a mix of emotions.
In the afternoon, she had heard a lot about Nathaniel's life over the past four years from Oscar. She believed he hadn't been doing well, but she hadn't expected him to suffer from depression.
The car swiftly pulled up at Nathaniel's new house, a place Aurelia had never visited before.
Zack led Aurelia upstairs and entered the password.
Aurelia's eyes fixed on the password lock, watching Zack enter the numbers one by one.
Those numbers seemed to be branded in her heart; she would never forget them. Now, he had set them as the password for his new home.
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