Chapter 426 Ethan Gets a Strange Illness
'Ashley's death has left Ethan in ruins, and no amount of consoling helps,' Doris thought. 'Perhaps hypnotherapy could give him a reason to live again.'
Making this decision tore at Doris. She knew Ethan would never consent, but without intervention, his life was slipping away.
"I'll contact the medical team immediately," Garrett said, squeezing her hand.
Doris gazed at Ethan's ashen face and nodded reluctantly. "Alright."
Three days later, Cornelius, a renowned hypnotherapist from Ferndale, arrived at the hospital. Ethan remained unconscious, his pale face contorted with pain despite his comatose state.
"Cornelius, he's in your hands now," Garrett said. "We just want him back among the living."
"Trust me," Cornelius assured them.
While family members waited outside, Cornelius spent over an hour alone with Ethan. Doris paced the hallway anxiously.
"Cornelius is the best in his field," Garrett reassured her. "Ethan will be okay."
"But what if he remembers someday?" Doris fretted. "Won't he resent me for making this decision?"
Garrett fell silent, unable to answer. Given Ethan's nature, he would indeed be devastated if he remembered Ashley after the treatment, but what choice did they have?
The uncomfortable silence was broken when Cornelius emerged from the room. "I've removed the memories causing him pain," he announced. "Unless he encounters specific triggers, he shouldn't remember."
"It worked already?" Doris asked incredulously.
"Indeed," Cornelius replied with confidence.
While Garrett pulled Cornelius aside to discuss details, Doris hurried to Ethan's bedside. Already, his complexion seemed improved, bringing her both relief and apprehension.
Moments later, Ethan's eyes fluttered open. Looking around in confusion, he croaked, "Why am I in the hospital?"
"Ethan, you're awake!" Doris exclaimed. "Do you... remember who I am?"
He gave her a puzzled look. "Mom, how could I forget you?"
Doris's heart skipped a beat. Had the hypnotherapy failed?
"Mom, could I have some water?" Ethan asked.
Doris quickly fetched a glass of warm water, her heart lightening at this simple request. After a month of surviving on IV fluids, his asking for water felt like a miracle.
After gulping down half the glass, Ethan said, "I'm hungry."
"I'll have food brought up right away," Doris promised, hope rising within her.
"Mom, why am I here?" Ethan asked again.
Doris treaded carefully. "Don't you remember?"
Ethan's brow furrowed in concentration, but then he winced, clutching his head. "I don't know..."
"Ethan," Doris ventured hesitantly, "do you remember Ashley?"
At the name, a sharp pain shot through Ethan's chest. He frowned. "Who is that?" The name made breathing difficult, though he couldn't understand why.
Doris's eyes widened. "Do you remember your grandparents? Garrett?"
Ethan nodded, perplexed by her strange behavior. "Of course."
Doris understood—Ethan remembered everyone except Ashley and everything associated with her.
"What's wrong, Mom?" Ethan asked.
"Nothing," she lied. "You were in a car accident with a head injury. The doctor warned you might have memory loss, but you seem to remember most things."
Ethan smiled weakly. "How could I forget my family?"
Doris returned a brittle smile. He remembered everyone—just not Ashley.
Garrett entered carrying takeout. "Here's the food you requested, Doris."
Ethan eagerly took the utensils, his hands trembling from disuse. Despite his obvious hunger, the moment food touched his lips, he retched violently, lurching for the waste bin.
"Ethan, are you alright?" Doris rubbed his back as he heaved.
"Maybe it's too rich," Garrett suggested. "Try some porridge instead."
But even the porridge triggered the same violent reaction. Doris watched in horror as Ethan's body rejected all nourishment.
Doctors ran tests but found nothing physically wrong. They diagnosed him with psychological anorexia—he could keep down water but rejected all food.
That night, Ethan lay awake staring at the ceiling, haunted by a sense of profound loss he couldn't name. His soul felt incomplete, though he couldn't identify what was missing.
Days passed in this hellish limbo. Ethan couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and wasted away before their eyes.
"Please," Doris begged the medical team, "there must be something you can do!"
The specialists could only offer sleeping pills and intravenous nutrition. "His body is fine—it's his mind that's broken," they explained.
Even with medication, Ethan's sleep dwindled from six hours to barely two. He was suffering beyond endurance.
Then one day, Garrett received an unmarked envelope containing a USB drive. When he and Doris viewed it together, what they saw left them utterly stunned.
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