Chapter 256 Getting Better
Her snow boots crunched through the thick, white snow as she walked with uneven steps.
Margaret couldn't help but think, 'Where on earth has Raymond hidden Dad? Is he doing well now? A few days ago, he threw a tantrum and refused to eat dinner because of a nightmare. Now that he can't see me at all, will he eat properly and rest well?'
Large, dense snowflakes fell wildly on Margaret's thin cheeks, and the cold wind howled, whipping her long hair around.
Her long hair floated around her face like a fine fishing net.
Margaret felt like she was suffocating, thinking Raymond hated her this much.
She just didn't want to take her medicine and slapped him a few times, and he took Marlon away.
The phone in Margaret's down jacket pocket silently flashed. It was Nancy's call, who kept calling her because of worrying.
Margaret was immersed in immense sorrow, and with the howling wind, she couldn't hear the phone ringing at all.
She didn't take a cab home.
She also didn't know that Alvin was driving slowly behind her, following her.
Margaret racked her brain, thinking about how to tell Nancy that she had messed things up and how to get Raymond to release Marlon.
Her legs were numb and stiff from the cold, as if her legs weren't even hers anymore.
She walked back to the Hughes Manor in a daze, like a walking corpse.
"Margaret, why didn't you answer the phone? We were so worried about you," Nancy's concerned voice came through.
Margaret's heart skipped a beat. Nancy was waiting for her at the door, surely to ask if Marlon had been brought back.
Margaret's breathing quickened, and she hung her head, lacking the courage to look up.
"Margaret, I called you several times. Why didn't you answer? Did Raymond give you a hard time again?" Nancy ran over, grabbed Margaret's hand, and scolded, "Your hands are so cold. It's snowing so heavily outside, why didn't you take a cab back? Or have the driver bring you?"
Hearing Nancy's concern, Margaret felt even more guilty. She looked up, biting her lip, hesitant to speak. "Mom, Dad, he..."
Before she could finish, Nancy excitedly said, "Your dad is home."
Margaret was stunned and looked up.
At the large, ornate iron gate, Marlon, wearing a leather hat and thick clothes, sat in a wheelchair, reaching out and excitedly exclaiming.
Margaret quickly ran over, throwing herself into Marlon's arms, her nose tingling and eyes red.
"Dad," Margaret cried, "Where did you go? I'm really worried about you."
Marlon mumbled, reaching out to pat Margaret's back, as if urgently explaining something.
Nancy said, "Not long after you left, the servants found your dad. He was on the balcony watching the snow. By the time we found him, he was frozen stiff."
Margaret was stunned, realizing she had misunderstood Raymond.
"It's too cold outside, Dad. I'll push you in," Margaret wiped her tears, carefully brushed the snow off Marlon's shoulders, and then pushed the wheelchair, bringing Marlon back into the villa.
In the car parked outside the iron gate.
Alvin watched Margaret and her family enter the villa and was on the phone with Raymond, reporting the situation. "Mr. Howard, Mr. Hughes has returned to the Hughes Manor."
"And Margaret?" Raymond asked while looking at documents at the Hughes Group.
Alvin reported, "She is also home safely."
In the Hughes Manor, Margaret half-squatted by the wheelchair, holding Marlon's aged hand, murmuring, "Dad, you can't be so willful anymore. If you want to go somewhere, you can ask me or Mom to take you. Don't go off on your own. You don't know, Mom was going crazy with worry when she found out you were missing."
Marlon looked at Margaret with eyes full of suppressed sorrow.
He hung his head like a child who had done something wrong, lips pressed together.
Because he accidentally saw the will Margaret had written, he couldn't sleep and had a servant push him to the balcony. The servant, eager to get off work, probably forgot to tell the others that he was on the balcony.
Marlon stayed on the balcony for several hours, with snow hitting his face and shoulders, while the cold wind blew on him, making him even more awake.
He was found by the servant who had pushed him to the balcony. By the time he was found, he was numb from the cold, his whole body blue and purple.
Seeing Marlon with his head down, Margaret thought he was angry. She gently patted his hand. "Dad, we don't mean to blame you. We were worried about you. It's almost New Year's, and we agreed to spend it together as a family."
Marlon looked up at Margaret's pleading eyes and nodded.
Nancy went to the kitchen to check on the chef.
Marlon mumbled something, as if trying to say something.
Margaret couldn't understand what he was trying to express.
"Dad, are you thirsty?"
He shook his head.
"Hungry?"
Margaret continued to guess. "Want to walk?"
Marlon, sweating with anxiety, reached out his arm and pointed behind Margaret.
Following his finger, Margaret saw a pen on the coffee table.
"You want the pen?"
Marlon nodded excitedly.
Margaret walked to the coffee table, picked up the ballpoint pen, and handed it to Marlon.
He struggled to hold the pen, unable to grip it, and cried out in frustration.
"You want to learn to write?"
Marlon nodded vigorously.
"Okay, I'll teach you to write." Margaret was happy to see Marlon interested in something.
Marlon held the pen, and Margaret held his hand, guiding it stroke by stroke, the pen's tip writing on the white paper.
Nancy brought a plate of fruit and placed it in front of them, smiling at the harmonious atmosphere between father and daughter.
"Mom, look, Dad can write my name now." Margaret looked up happily at Nancy.
Nancy hurried over and saw Margaret's name written on the paper, though the handwriting was still shaky, showing that his fingers lacked strength.
"Good, our family is finally doing well. Your dad will surely be able to stand up completely and speak soon." Nancy thought about how difficult this year had been, with Margaret and Marlon both having close brushes with death. Her nose tingled, and tears began to fall.
Nancy, afraid they would see her crying, quickly found an excuse and turned away.
Marlon continued to hold the pen, practicing his arm strength and writing seriously. He wanted to leave a letter for Margaret, giving her hope for life.
Margaret was still so young. Even if someone had to die, it should be him, not young Margaret.
Margaret didn't know Marlon's true thoughts. She hesitated but eventually sent Raymond a message: [I wrongly accused you today. My dad was at home, and we found him.]
She wanted to apologize to Raymond but couldn't bring herself to do it.
Although she had wrongly accused him, the harm and torment he had caused her were real.
Facing him calmly was already very difficult for her. Not hating or blaming him had already taken all her strength. She would never thank him. It was fair to trade her life for the peace and happiness of her parents.
Margaret thought of this, looked at the sent message, and then coldly pressed the side of her phone, the screen's light instantly going out.
Raymond had just finished a day of meetings and sat alone in the empty conference room, looking at the snow falling outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. He put a cigarette between his thin lips.
The phone on the table made a sound.
It was the special ringtone he had set for Margaret. No matter how busy he was, he could see her messages first.
Raymond put down the lighter in his hand, picked up the phone, and opened it, seeing Margaret's message.
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