Chapter 193 No One Else, Only Her
Stuart ended up in the hospital again, this time because of a bleeding ulcer.
Jair couldn't believe how childish Stuart, an adult, could be.
Yesterday, Stuart promised, "I won't do anything stupid." But in the middle of the night, he drank several bottles of alcohol alone.
When Jair opened the hotel room door, the smell of booze hit him hard. Empty bottles were scattered on the floor, and Stuart looked dead, scaring Jair to death.
At the hospital, when they found out it was a bleeding ulcer, Jair was even more terrified. Too much bleeding could be fatal!
Luckily, they caught it in time, and his blood loss wasn't too severe. After some emergency treatment, his vital signs stabilized.
Since they were out of town, Jair didn't dare call Andrew. Fortunately, the doctor said Stuart wasn't in any life-threatening danger but needed to rest and watch his diet.
"Even celery is off-limits," Jair said, exhausted. "Did you hear me?"
Stuart had just woken up.
They were in the best hotel, and the suite had everything, including a liquor cabinet with Stuart's favorite drink.
As the night dragged on, Stuart stood by the bed, looking at the city lights. The longing was silent but gnawed at him.
The pain felt like it was seeping from his bones, making life unbearable.
When he opened the liquor cabinet, Stuart thought, 'I'll just have a little. Maybe if I get drunk, I'll fall asleep, and then I won't think about her.'
However, the more he drank, the more he wanted. By the time Stuart realized something was wrong, there were already several empty bottles beside him.
Being drunk slowed his thoughts, but it didn't stop Josephine from haunting his mind.
Stuart never knew missing someone could be so bitter. He used to think love was just child's play, that adults didn't have time for it.
He always thought he liked Angela. Even though he liked her, he could handle it calmly. Years without seeing her, he would only occasionally think of her; his daily life went on as usual.
He never knew love could drive someone mad. Only now did he understand what it meant to truly like someone.
Liking someone might mean sweetness and happiness. But for Stuart, it meant pain and regret.
He couldn't blame anyone else. He had only himself to blame for the mess he was in.
Now, he had feelings of love and affection, but the person he liked was someone he had lost.
In the past few years, he had lived so freely and recklessly. Now, he lived in pain.
The feeling of being tormented by longing and regret was like someone squeezing his heart, painful yet unavoidable.
Only now did he realize that liking someone was something he couldn't control.
He used to think he was so carefree, that he could handle his emotions with ease.
Now he knew that true liking was never something he could handle with ease.
He understood this now. But it was too late.
His stomach ached, but Stuart ignored it and kept drinking. Before losing consciousness, tears streamed down his face.
He looked at the glowing light above, feeling like he was entering a dream. He found Josephine, knelt before her, crying and apologizing.
Josephine forgave him, and they hugged tightly. Then, the dream ended.
Jair sat by Stuart's hospital bed, first scolding him, then saying, "You've put yourself in this state. How am I supposed to explain this to Grandpa Haustia when I get back?"
Stuart opened his eyes and then closed them again. It felt like Josephine's warmth was still in his arms, but now, it was all gone.
If he could, he would stay in that dream forever and never wake up.
Jair took a deep breath and started giving him instructions. "Even celery is off-limits, did you hear me?"
Stuart still looked lost in thought. Jair wanted to punch him. He took another deep breath and said, "I have to get back to the military base. I've already been delayed for half a day."
Stuart finally opened his eyes. "You can go."
"You're in this state, looking like you're about to die. How can I leave?" Jair shouted. "Is it worth it for Josephine?"
For Josephine, almost losing his life seemed not worth it. But he had done so many things to hurt her before.
Thinking about how he had made her sad and how many times she must have cried, Stuart felt like his heart was being torn apart. If dying could make up for his past mistakes, he would gladly die. He owed Josephine too much.
Especially when he remembered mistaking Donna for Angela and the things he said to Josephine, Stuart really felt like he wanted to die. Josephine was right. He owed Angela a life, so he should repay it with his own.
He shouldn't ask anything of Josephine. Where did he get the nerve? He had never given her anything, yet he had the audacity to ask her to repay his debts.
Only now did he realize how deeply he had hurt Josephine. The things Josephine said before were because she was truly heartbroken and wanted to separate from him, to have no more ties with him in the future. It was laughable that he thought it was part of her plan.
Stuart now could hardly stay calm. When he wasn't busy with work, his mind was filled with thoughts of Josephine. Thinking about their past interactions and the warmth they shared, thinking about their harmonious married life, he could smile. However, more often, with those memories came pain and loneliness. Now, it was accompanied by physical pain as well.
Jair got him settled and hurried back to the military base. Stuart's hospitalization couldn't be kept from Andrew. In the end, someone from Hustalia came to take him back.
Andrew had thought that after Stuart's first incident, he wouldn't do it again. He didn't expect there to be a second time. Andrew was too tired to even scold him, not wanting to say a word, just giving him a stern look.
Stuart stayed at home for a few days. There was a doctor at home, and Andrew had also called in professionals to take care of him. Andrew was angry, but he couldn't really ignore him.
After a few days, when it was confirmed that he was physically fine, Stuart went downstairs and had a deep conversation with Andrew. In the end, Stuart knelt at Andrew's knees, like he did when he was a child, burying his face in his lap, silently crying.
Andrew patted his head. "All my life, I've only had your grandmother in my heart. But you and your father, neither of you are reliable. Now, whether you find Josephine or fall for someone else, don't treat your feelings like a joke anymore."
Stuart nodded heavily. But there was no one else. Only Josephine.
Whether he found her or not, in his heart, there was only Josephine.
