Chapter 1027 Giving Up on Himself
Patricia pushed open Charles's door, and a strong smell of alcohol hit her face.
The room was pitch black, with the curtains tightly drawn.
When the door opened, a faint light seeped in from the doorway, and everyone vaguely saw Charles sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed, surrounded by empty wine bottles and shards of broken glass.
Charles's right hand weakly pounded the floor, while his left hand held a bottle of red wine, pouring it down his throat.
His right hand, limp on the floor, was covered in blood.
Patricia was startled and quickly turned on the room's light, finally seeing the situation clearly.
Charles had a scruffy beard, bloodshot eyes, and dark circles under his eyes. He looked utterly despondent, as if he were on the brink of collapse.
Patricia's tears fell instantly. She ran over, squatted down, and carefully lifted Charles's injured hand to inspect it.
"Charles, what happened to you? Why is your hand covered in blood?"
Fannie immediately ran downstairs to find the first aid kit.
Martin approached Charles, glancing at the empty wine bottles and broken glass on the floor, his brows slightly furrowed.
Charles's vacant eyes slowly focused on Patricia. When he realized it was her, he completely broke down, leaning on her shoulder and crying.
He cried like a child, filled with helplessness and despair.
"I can't find Hannah, Mom. I can't find her. I've tried everything, but she's still missing. What should I do? I feel so useless. I can't even protect the woman I love. What kind of man am I if I can't save her?"
Charles berated himself, hitting his head with the wine bottle as if it were the only way to lessen his pain.
Patricia was terrified and snatched the bottle from his hand.
"It's not your fault; it's that person who's too cunning! The world is so vast, and there are so many places to search! Think about how many kidnapped children are found each year. It's not because their parents don't want to find them or didn't try hard enough. Not finding Hannah doesn't mean you're useless; it just means the world is too big to search every corner."
Charles couldn't hear a word she said. Without the bottle, he used his palm to keep hitting his head.
"It's all my fault. If I had stayed with Hannah, if I hadn't let her go to the bathroom alone, if I had known Violet was back in time, none of this would have happened. It's all my fault! I didn't protect Hannah. I promised to take care of her for life! I failed! I lost her, I lost her."
Charles clung to Patricia, burying his face in her shoulder as he cried uncontrollably.
He felt guilty.
He blamed himself.
Every moment of every day, he blamed himself.
He wished he could end it all.
But there was no time machine in the world.
He couldn't go back to the day of the engagement party.
Hannah was gone.
Patricia, already in tears, was further overwhelmed by his emotions and cried even harder, her shoulders shaking.
"Charles! It's not your fault! Really, it's not your fault! Stop blaming yourself. You can't control everything. If Violet had that intention, this would have happened sooner or later."
Charles held Patric ia, and in no time, her shoulder was soaked with his tears.
"Mom, my heart hurts so much, it really does! How can I live without Hannah? I love her so much, more than I've ever loved anyone. I can't go on without her. Where is she? Why can't I find her?"
Patricia's heart broke hearing his cries. Not knowing how to comfort him, she could only cry with him.
She had been through something similar and could deeply empathize.
When she thought Martin was dead, she wanted to die with him.
If it weren't for the children needing her, she would have followed him.
Living without the man she loved, what was the point?
She never thought her children's love lives would be as tumultuous as hers.
Randy was about to get married, and his fiancée ran away.
Charles's fiancée was swapped at the engagement party and disappeared since.
Even Fannie, who seemed happy now, had a rocky love life before finally being with Elijah.
Fannie came up with the first aid kit, only to see Patricia and Charles crying together.
She was moved by their emotions and couldn't help but cry too.
Martin glanced at them.
He couldn't tell if they were there to comfort Charles or to join in the crying.
Martin sighed deeply and took the first aid kit from Fannie. "Get someone to clean up the room! There's glass everywhere, and you don't want Charles to get hurt."
Fannie snapped out of it and quickly ran downstairs to get someone to clean the room.
Martin, holding the first aid kit, squatted beside Charles, skillfully cleaning and dressing his wounds.
Having been married to Patricia for so many years, as a doctor's husband, he was adept at basic care.
While cleaning Charles's wounds, Martin said, "I know you're heartbroken about Hannah. When I lost your mother, I felt the same—like life had no meaning. But I got through it for you kids. You're not alone; you have your family. We all care about you.
I got through it for you, and I hope you can get through it for us! If I hadn't, I wouldn't have the happiness I have with your mother now.
Charles, you're a man! It's okay to be weak for a while, but not forever.
I'll give you the time you need to get through this.
I believe in you; you can do it! If I could get through it back then, you can now. No matter what happens, we'll stand by your side."
Fannie, leading the servants in, heard his words and walked over, squatting down. "Charles, I have a feeling you'll find Hannah one day! When Violet went missing, I didn't have this feeling, but now it's strong. You know my instincts are usually right. You must pull yourself together; you can't give up. Hannah is waiting for you to save her!"
Charles replied, "But I have no idea where to start! It's like Hannah vanished from the face of the earth. There's no clue. In this vast world, where do I look?"
Fannie said, "How can you not find her? Hannah is an adult, and adults have memories! Unlike children, who might never be found if kidnapped. As long as Hannah remembers you, she'll find her way back to you one day."
Fannie didn't know the full situation.
She thought Hannah had simply run away from home.
Charles looked at her in confusion.
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