Chapter 861 Charles is Heartbroken
Wyatt shut down the video chat and glanced up to see Hannah already making her exit.
"Hey, Hannah, what’s up? You needed something?" he called out.
Hannah stopped for a sec, then shook her head, "Nah, nothing!"
What else could she say? The truth was out there, plain as day.
Charles was in Sunset Bay. No way his phone was dead or off for three whole days.
But he ghosted her three times a day.
Or maybe he didn’t even bother to open her messages.
She was clueless. Why’d he suddenly go back to Sunset Bay? Why’d he stop talking to her out of the blue?
But whatever. At least she knew one thing: he didn’t want anything more than a boss-employee thing.
Wyatt sensed something was off and, worried, got up and ran over. Just as she was about to open the door, he grabbed her wrist.
"Hannah, what’s wrong? What happened?" Wyatt asked.
Hannah didn’t want Wyatt to see her upset. She turned, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying.
"Wyatt, don’t worry, I’m fine," she said.
Wyatt was freaked out by her look, "You say you’re fine, but you look like a ghost. Are you sick? Need to hit the hospital? Or should I call your boyfriend?"
Hannah didn’t want to see Austin, so she shook her head, "No need! I’ll be fine after some rest!"
Wyatt said, "If you’re not feeling well, go home and rest! If it gets worse, have your boyfriend take you to the hospital. Don’t mess around with your health."
Hannah nodded, "Got it. Thanks, Wyatt."
She left Wyatt’s office, quickly cleaned up her desk, grabbed her bag, and bounced.
Since she’d snapped at Austin last time, he hadn’t come to pick her up. He just sent her check-in texts every day. That was it.
Hannah didn’t feel sad; she felt relieved, like a weight was off her shoulders.
When she got home, she turned off her phone, took a shower, and curled up in bed, feeling totally drained.
She just wanted to be alone and quiet.
She didn’t know what was wrong; she just felt super uncomfortable, with a sharp pain in her chest.
The pain was so bad she almost passed out.
What was wrong with her?
Why was this happening?
No!
She couldn’t keep going like this.
Since Charles wanted to keep his distance, she should let their relationship go back to just boss and subordinate, no personal stuff.
Just as she decided this, the image of Charles kissing her flashed in her mind. Her heart ached more, and she started crying uncontrollably.
She wiped her wet face with her hand.
Was she crying?
How could she be crying?
Was it because of Charles?
Was she crying for Charles?
The more her heart ached, the more her tears fell.
At first, she cried silently, but then she couldn’t help but cry out loud. She realized that crying out loud made her heart hurt less, so she started sobbing loudly.
She’d been with Austin for so long.
She had never cried.
Even when they argued, and Austin always tried to control her life, she didn’t cry.
She’d always been optimistic, thinking crying wouldn’t solve anything, so she never wasted time on it.
But now, she just wanted to cry.
She just wanted a good cry.
Meanwhile, in Sunset Bay, at Sunshine Manor.
After ending the video call, Charles didn’t leave the study right away. He sat there, staring blankly at his laptop.
Was it Hannah who knocked on the door just now?
How was she holding up?
What had she been up to these past few days?
She should be happy, right?
His leaving shouldn’t have messed her up at all.
If anything, Austin should be over the moon that he was finally stepping back.
Lost in his thoughts, a knock on the door snapped him back to reality.
Patricia walked in with a tray, carrying a bowl of dark, steaming medicine, followed by Fannie and Maria.
Patricia smiled, "Charles, you done with work? Time for your meds."
"Yeah, I’m done," Charles said, shutting his laptop.
Patricia set the tray on the desk and handed the medicine to Charles, "If you’re done, then drink up! Seriously, you should’ve told me you were sick. Good thing I noticed, or were you planning to get worse?"
When Charles got back, he’d locked himself in his room and crashed for a whole day and night.
At first, Patricia thought he was just wiped from work and needed some serious shut-eye.
But later, when she checked on him, his face was burning up, and his forehead was drenched in sweat. When she touched him, she realized he had a raging fever.
After checking his temp, she freaked out.
102 degrees Fahrenheit. He’d never had a fever that high before.
She immediately gave him some fever meds and whipped up some cold medicine herself.
After another day of groggy sleep, his fever finally broke.
Even though the fever was gone, his face was still pale, and his eyes looked dead. Patricia was super worried about him.
Charles smiled without a word, took the medicine she handed him, and downed it.
When he first got back, he felt physically and mentally wrecked, just wanting to crash.
After lying down, he drifted in and out of weird dreams.
He knew he had a fever and wanted to get up, but he had no strength, and his throat was so sore he couldn’t even call for help.
Later, Patricia noticed something was off and gave him meds, which made him feel better.
Patricia habitually touched his forehead to check his temp.
It was normal. No fever.
The worst thing about a fever is when it keeps coming back. It’s the most draining and painful.
Fannie pulled up a stool and sat across from Charles, crossing her hands on the table, looking at him curiously and with concern, "What’s eating you? Why do I feel like you’ve got something heavy on your mind this time?"
It was rare for the whole family to be together, so she’d taken a few days off to hang out with them.
Charles smiled and tried to play it cool, "Since when did you become so observant, Fannie?"
Fannie pointed at his forehead, "Your forehead might as well have 'I’m heartbroken' written on it."
Even when Violet went missing, he wasn’t like this, because he always believed Violet was still alive.
But this time, he seemed to be carrying a heavy load.
Suspicious, very suspicious.
Maria sat next to Fannie and also chimed in, "Fannie’s right. If something’s bugging you, you can talk to us. We’re family; we can help."
Charles didn’t want to go there, so he stood up and headed out.
"You’re overthinking! I’m tired. I’m gonna rest. Call me if you need anything," he said.
With that, he vanished from their sight.
Fannie and Maria exchanged glances.
Fannie said confidently, "Something’s definitely up."
Maria nodded, "I think so too! Charles has been acting weird since he got back."
Patricia, who had been quiet, suddenly said thoughtfully, "I have a way to find out what’s going on with him."
Fannie and Maria looked at her, puzzled.
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