Chapter 556 I Understand
Louis clutched his head and let out a gut-wrenching scream.
Seeing him like this, Pearl's heart shattered, and Jimena, who was with him every day, felt even worse.
Pearl stepped up, put a hand on Louis's shoulder, and said softly, "This ain't on you. Don't beat yourself up..."
"It is on me. If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't have done what she did. I've seen death before, but this... this is different. Pearl, you get it? I watched her die right in front of me," Louis cut her off, his voice all raspy and strained.
Pearl had never seen Louis this messed up before. She wanted to help but felt totally useless.
Worried Louis might hurt himself, Pearl quickly called RavenWing.
RavenWing swiftly arrived with the lab crew. Witnessing Louis in such a state shattered him.
But when he checked, he found out Louis had been secretly popping barbiturates.
And not just any kind—he'd messed with the formula, making them addictive.
Louis's freak-out was 'cause he hadn't taken his meds on time.
RavenWing laid down the law: From now on, all meds in the lab needed his okay.
And anyone who knew about Louis's drug use got dealt with.
Louis was the leader now, and plenty of folks wanted to take him down and put someone else in charge.
If word got out about Louis's drug habit, those schemers would jump all over it.
Jimena wanted to stay with Louis, but RavenWing stopped her. "Louis being MIA can be chalked up to work, but if you vanish too, how do we explain that?"
Jimena got it, but she didn't want to back down. "He didn't stay with me on our wedding night, and he's been in so much pain lately. If I can't be with him now, then what am I?"
As she spoke, it felt like something was choking her. Especially her heart, like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand.
Louis had thought about this before; because of certain issues, they had to be apart, and she was the one left out.
But now, she couldn't leave Louis alone. "Please, let me stay with him."
RavenWing stayed quiet, looking super serious.
Pearl couldn't stand seeing Jimena so upset and said, "Dad, please let Jimena stay with Louis. With you in charge of the Eldorians, nothing's gonna happen for now."
RavenWing thought it over and agreed, "Alright, you can stay and take care of him."
"Thank you." Jimena wiped her tears and rushed to Louis's side.
She held Louis's hand tight, feeling a deep certainty in her heart. No matter what, no matter when or where, she'd stick by Louis, through thick and thin.
She even blamed herself for not taking better care of Louis, leading to his guilt and pain, and ultimately, his drug use.
Louis caught every word Jimena said.
When she couldn't hold back her tears, he reached out and wiped them away. "Hey, it's not your fault. Why are you crying?"
Seeing Louis wake up, Jimena was over the moon. "Louis, you're finally awake. Do you know how worried I was?"
Louis patted her head and gave a warm smile. "I'm sorry I made you worry."
"Louis, you gotta get better. You can't leave me. We still have so much to do, so many things left undone." Jimena hugged him tight, her voice all choked up. She was genuinely terrified.
If Louis had some perfect First Love, she wouldn't feel this torn up. She didn't want Louis to spend his life drowning in guilt.
Louis gently patted her head and said, "I get it. Don't worry, I'll do my best to move past this."
Jimena had always said she didn't care about these things, and Louis knew the real issue; he wouldn't blame her.
Jeffery showed up after hearing the news.
RavenWing would handle Louis's drug problem, while Jeffery was there for the mental stuff.
Louis understood a lot, but he couldn't get over the guilt. After all, Paloma died because of him.
Jeffery got where Louis was coming from. He hypnotized Louis, slowly digging into his thoughts to help him out.
Louis's voice was rough. "I never realized how unstoppable death is." Tears filled his eyes.
Jeffery spoke softly, "There's regret in everything. You did your best; it's not like you abandoned her. Reality is harsh, and sometimes there's nothing you can do. For her, death might have been a release. There were so many people in that slave camp. When RavenWing did experiments, Kevin was involved too, and how many people died? Louis, it's not about being cold-hearted; the dead are gone, and the living have to keep going. You still have RavenWing, Jimena, Pearl, and the whole Eldorians behind you. If something happens to you, what happens to them?"
Louis cared most about responsibility, and Jeffery knew that was the way to reach him.
Louis stayed silent, his face twisted with pain.
Jeffery kept going, "Louis, since you became the leader of the Eldorians, you have to be responsible for the country and its people. You're not alone anymore. Paloma had feelings for you. If she didn't, do you think she would have risked harming you as the leader?"
Louis stayed quiet.
Jeffery pressed on, "Everyone has a destiny. Her death is tragic, but you're the leader now. The country needs you, and Jimena just married you. Can you really push yourself to death and leave her a widow?"
When Jeffery mentioned Jimena, her face popped into Louis's mind.
His eyes slowly regained focus. He pressed his lips together and said softly, "I get it."
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