Chapter 635 Lifting Hypnosis
George kissed the top of her head. "It doesn't hurt anymore." He paused, "Emma, I'm really sorry for everything these past few weeks..."
She pressed her finger to his lips. "It's all behind us now."
Outside the window, the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the two of them as they embraced. George looked at the sleeping Emma in his arms, feeling a peace and contentment he had never known before.
He finally understood that no amount of hypnosis or deception could change one fact: his heart had always and only beat for one person.
Celeste lay in her hospital bed, staring blankly at the sunlight outside. Zachary had been by her side almost constantly these past few days, bringing her various supplements and snacks.
"Celeste, try this," Zachary said, presenting a bowl of soup like it was a treasure. "I had the chef at home make it just for you."
Celeste forced a smile. "Zachary, you don't have to go through all this trouble."
"Don't be silly!" Zachary ruffled her hair. "You're my sister."
Just then, the door to the hospital room opened, and Michael walked in. He was holding a bouquet of lilies, his expression softer than usual.
"How are you feeling today?" he asked gently.
Celeste's eyes lit up, like stars suddenly shining bright. "Much better, Michael."
Michael placed the flowers on the bedside table and, in a rare gesture, tucked her in. "Get some rest."
This gentle side of Michael was something Celeste had never seen before. Her heart raced, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
That afternoon, Celeste felt a bit more energetic and wanted to get out of bed and move around. She slowly made her way to the lounge area, supporting herself against the wall, when she overheard Zachary and Michael talking around the corner.
"Michael, you've been doing well these past few days," Zachary teased.
Michael snorted. "Only because you keep nagging me."
"I'm doing it for your own good," Zachary said seriously. "Celeste has done so much for you. Can't you be a little nicer to her?"
"I've been nice enough," Michael said impatiently. "If it weren't for your constant nagging, I wouldn't be coming to the hospital every day."
Zachary grew anxious. "Do you even know that Celeste..."
"Enough!" Michael interrupted. "I've done more than enough for her. She's just a tool, nothing more. Don't take yourself too seriously."
Those words were like a sharp knife, stabbing into Celeste's heart. She covered her mouth tightly, trying not to cry out loud.
So all the gentleness these past few days was because of Zachary's request. Michael didn't care about her at all, never had.
Celeste stumbled back to her room, tears silently streaming down her face. She finally understood that she would never be able to enter Michael's heart.
Zachary had already told her about the cervical cancer. She had planned to stay in the hospital for treatment, to live a long life, to stay with Michael for as long as possible.
But now, she felt there was no reason to stay.
"It's time to end this," she murmured to herself.
But before she left, she had one last thing to do: help George break free from the hypnosis. It was something she owed Emma, and it was the last thing she could do for Michael.
The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains into the bedroom. Emma opened her eyes and saw her phone screen lit up. A text from an unknown number made her instantly alert. "Emma, please bring Mr. Russell to 17 Sycamore Lane in the south part of town. It's about his hypnosis. Celeste."
She turned to look at George, who was getting dressed. His brow was furrowed, still seemingly struggling with the remnants of the hypnosis. Emma gently caressed his cheek, making up her mind.
"George," Emma called softly, waking him. "We need to go see someone."
17 Sycamore Lane was an unremarkable building with a sign that read "Psychological Counseling" at the entrance. Emma pushed open the door, and the smell of disinfectant hit her.
Celeste, dressed in a doctor's uniform, stood in the consultation room, her face pale but her expression calm. Seeing them, she bowed deeply. "I'm sorry."
George protectively placed Emma behind him. "You're the hypnotist?"
"I am," Celeste said with a bitter smile. "Please, have a seat."
The curtains in the consultation room were drawn, with only a dim lamp providing light. Celeste's fingers unconsciously rubbed the red string on her wrist. After today, her connection with Michael would be severed.
"When you were in Sunterra," Celeste's voice was soft, "I hypnotized Mr. Russell without permission."
She pulled up the surveillance footage on the computer. In the video, George sat in the room with a vacant look in his eyes while Celeste whispered in his ear, "The person you love is Wanda. Emma betrayed you."
Emma covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
"Michael... Michael has liked Emma for many years," Celeste's fingers trembled. "I thought if Mr. Russell fell for someone else, Emma would..."
"Do you know how many people you've hurt?" George stood up abruptly, the chair clattering to the floor.
Celeste's tears fell onto the keyboard. "I know. That's why today, I'm going to undo the hypnosis."
Surprisingly, when Celeste started the reversal process, the machine showed that the hypnosis lock had already loosened.
"That's impossible," she looked at George in shock. "How did you..."
George held Emma's hand. "Last night, when I looked into Emma's eyes, those false memories began to crumble."
Emma remembered the painful struggle George had gone through on their wedding night. It turned out he had been fighting the hypnosis with his willpower.
"In medical terms, it's called 'emotional breakthrough,'" Celeste explained softly. "When real emotions are strong enough, they can break through the constraints of hypnosis." She smiled bitterly. "It seems Mr. Russell's love for Emma is stronger than my hypnosis."
Though most of the hypnosis had been undone, Celeste insisted on a thorough cleansing.
"Please look at this pendulum," she took out a silver hypnosis tool. "When I count to three, you will completely forget the influence of Wanda."
As the pendulum swung rhythmically, George's eyes gradually cleared. When the treatment was over, he exhaled deeply, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
"Thank you." This expression of gratitude brought tears to Celeste's eyes.
While packing up her equipment, Celeste's hands trembled. Emma suddenly held her hand. "What will you do next..."
"I'm leaving Lakeside Haven," Celeste forced a smile.
Emma wanted to say something, but Celeste interrupted her. "There's no need to say anything. I've already decided."
That evening, Celeste boarded a train heading south alone. There was no one to see her off, only the falling sycamore leaves.
As the train started, she took one last look at the city where she was born. The photos of Michael stored on her phone were deleted one by one, burying her hopeless love forever.
On the other side of the city, Michael felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked out at the darkening sky, suddenly remembering the girl he had taken in on a rainy night many years ago, her eyes bright as she said, "Michael, I'll always be with you."
How far does "always" go?
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