Chapter 499 Desolate Scene
Three days later, Raymond got the test results.
Feeling uneasy, he sent Margaret to the hospital cafeteria to grab some porridge.
The VIP hospital room was spacious, with just Raymond, Rufus, and Alvin inside, but Raymond felt incredibly tense.
Raymond clutched the test report tightly, like he wanted to punch a hole through it.
"Mr. Howard, we didn't expect your condition to get this bad. We still haven't found a matching bone marrow donor. If we can't find one within a week..." Rufus trailed off.
Raymond looked up at him, expressionless. "What happens then?"
"The disease will get worse fast, and there's a high chance that within two weeks, you... you won't make it."
If they couldn't find a matching bone marrow donor within a week, he only had two weeks left to live?
He'd been told he had six months. He didn't know whether to lament the rapid progression of his illness or the unpredictability of life.
"What are the chances of finding a match?" Raymond forced himself to suppress the bitterness in his heart, looking up at the IV drip, watching the liquid slowly flow away.
It felt like it was mirroring his own life.
Rufus's expression was complex. He glanced at Alvin, then at Raymond lying on the hospital bed.
"Just say it straight," Raymond said in a deep voice.
After a moment of hesitation, Rufus looked at him with regret. "Mr. Howard, do you want the truth or a comforting lie?"
Raymond knew then that his situation was worse than he had imagined.
Lies might be comforting, but they were still lies.
"No hope?" Raymond smiled at Rufus, though he didn't know how he could still manage to smile.
Rufus's eyes reddened. "That's right. Even if we find a suitable bone marrow within a week, your condition by then will likely be too poor for surgery. The longer the surgery is delayed, the higher the chance you'll die on the operating table."
So that was how it was.
"Keep my diagnosis a secret from Margaret."
"Mr. Howard." Alvin bit his lip. What good would it do to tell Margaret now? Margaret was Raymond's emotional support, and Raymond was still thinking of her.
Raymond's tone hardened. "Do as I say."
Rufus nodded and left the room.
Alvin was about to follow when Raymond stopped him. "Wait a moment."
The atmosphere in the room was suffocating, unbearably so.
"Did Sarah say anything?"
Alvin hesitated, then tried to change the subject. "Mr. Howard, why don't we focus on your treatment first? We can deal with Sarah's matter once you're better. She won't be able to run away. You need to get better to stand up for Mrs. Howard."
"What did she say?" Raymond squinted, pressing for an answer.
Alvin looked at him with pity and concern. "Mr. Howard, you need to hold on. What I've found out might be very cruel."
Cruel? Could it be that the fire that killed his parents had nothing to do with Marlon?
Had he avenged the wrong person?
"Sarah said, and the prison confirmed, that Percy's testimony matched Sarah's. Your father's death had nothing to do with Mr. Hughes. The real culprit was Sarah."
Raymond's hand clenched into a fist, his face paled, and his breath caught.
Alvin summarized the events of that year.
The night Gilbert had his car accident, there were actually two accidents.
Gilbert's injuries were caused by Sarah's car, and then Sarah's driver fled the scene.
On the way to the hospital, Gilbert encountered Marlon's car, which was on its way to Ironwood Lane for a business meeting. Marlon's car also hit Gilbert, but it didn't cause any significant damage.
According to Percy's account, Marlon got out of his car, saw the blood on the ground, and mistakenly thought the accident was severe. After returning to Silverbrook, Marlon couldn't sleep, believing he had done something terrible.
He then took his driver Percy back to Ironwood Lane to find Gilbert's address, intending to compensate Gilbert and take him to the hospital.
But just as they found the address, the Howard family perished in the fire.
Percy started the fire, but he was threatened by members of the Martinez family. Sarah was Percy's niece.
The Martinez family knew Marlon had also hit Gilbert, so they shifted the blame onto Marlon.
Percy initially didn't want to frame Marlon, but the Martinez family had evidence of Percy's embezzlement from the Hughes family.
Faced with two evils, Percy chose the lesser one.
The most pitiful was Marlon, who died never knowing the real culprit was someone else.
Raymond instructed Alvin to throw Sarah and the Martinez family members involved in the crime into prison.
"Have the Hughes Group's legal team draft an adoption document for the Hughes Group. Make sure the process is completed within the next two days."
Everyone left the room, leaving Raymond alone.
Perhaps the truth was too cruel, or maybe he was nearing the end of his life, or perhaps he and Margaret had thought they had finally overcome their hardships.
But in the end, he had avenged the wrong person.
Marlon was innocent, Margaret was innocent, and so was his mother-in-law.
The Hughes family was destroyed, and Margaret became an orphan.
Now he was nearing his end. Was this karma?
It must be karma.
Raymond's heart was a tangled mess, filled with guilt for indirectly causing Marlon's death, helplessness over his terminal illness, and an overwhelming sense of reluctance.
He didn't want to die.
Margaret was so innocent, what would she do?
His complex emotions were mixed with fear and guilt.
Margaret had lost her memory, she was a ticking time bomb.
After his death, if she regained her memory, she would probably hate him, feel disgusted at the thought of him.
He didn't deserve it; his hands were stained with her family's blood.
How could he deserve her love?
His eyes reddened, his body trembling in the hospital gown.
His throat was unbearably sore.
Tears of regret, helplessness, guilt, and despair fell from his bloodshot eyes.
These tears landed on his hand with the IV, on the white bed sheets.
Afraid Margaret might return suddenly and notice his emotional turmoil, he yanked out the needle from his hand and left the room.
He took the elevator and walked out of the hospital.
He wandered aimlessly.
Looking up, he saw the sky, dyed red by the setting sun.
Raymond, in his oversized hospital gown and slippers, watched as a gust of wind blew green leaves in front of him.
He looked at the sturdy tree trunk, its branches neatly trimmed, sprouting fresh green leaves.
Everywhere he looked, there was the vibrant hope of spring. But to him, it was a scene of desolation.
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