Chapter 526 Evan Called Evelina "Mom"
Evelina had lost count of how many times Evan had hurt himself, but it still broke her heart to see him in the bathtub, covered in blood again.
What kind of family and experiences had shattered this kid so completely?
"Doesn't it hurt? Or do you just want to make yourself hurt?" she asked.
Evelina walked into the bathroom, not leaving, not avoiding, and not calling Elbert. She grabbed a small stool and sat by the tub.
Evan was in light gray pajamas, now stained red with blood. His face was pale, hands trembling, still clutching a piece of broken glass. He kept cutting his wrist, his whole body shaking. "I'm sorry, Auntie, I can't control myself."
Evelina's eyes filled with tears. She knew Evan didn't really want to die; it was just self-harm. Maybe he felt he hadn't suffered enough compared to Jasmine, so he didn't dare to die.
"You don't have to apologize to me," Evelina said, taking the glass from his hand. "You're hurting yourself."
Evan's body shook, his eyes red. He looked down, unsure what to say. "I'm still sorry. I promised to be a good family member for three months, and it's not even a month and a half, and I've already worn you all out."
Evan could see Alex was exhausted, trying to make up for the fatherly love Evan had missed. But childhood trauma and a broken family couldn't be fixed in a few months.
Evan had severe depression and anxiety, feeling guilty about Jasmine. Elbert revealed Evan had been ill since childhood, stemming from an unhappy family, discovering he wasn't Benjamin's biological son, and his fear of loss. He had always been unhealthy in body, soul, and personality.
"Evan, it's not your fault. If you were born into a complete family, if you were Alex and my son, you would have had a different life," Evelina said hoarsely.
She often wished she had known about Evan earlier. Even if Alex opposed, she would have brought Evan into the Everhart family.Karen was unfit to be a mother. She would have given Evan a complete and loving upbringing.
Evan looked at Evelina, his gaze wandering, seemingly also fantasizing.
"Wash off the blood and come out. The family doctor is waiting outside to help you with your wounds," Evelina said, standing up and ruffling Evan's hair. "Good boy, listen to me."
As Evelina turned to leave, Evan couldn't hold it any longer. He hugged his legs and cried out loud.
Why couldn't he die? Why couldn't he live again? Why did he have to endure so much suffering?
When he came out of the bedroom, Evan had changed into clean clothes. His face was still pale, and he looked extremely thin from not eating well. The wounds on his legs had healed, and he could now walk slowly with a crutch.
Outside the door, Elbert rushed in anxiously. Seeing that Evan was still alive, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was using shock therapy and was under a lot of pressure, fearing Evan wouldn't hold on and would commit suicide. If that happened, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life.
"Are the wounds treated?" Elbert asked, trying to stay calm despite his heavy breathing.
Evan didn't respond or even look at him.
Elbert turned to the family doctor. "Does he need stitches?"
The doctor shook his head. "No stitches needed. Basic wound dressing will do."
Elbert took the medicine and gauze, nodding apologetically to Evelina. "Auntie, I'll handle this."
Evelina nodded, her eyes red, and headed to the kitchen.
Evan frowned. "There's no one here; you don't need to pretend."
Feigning concern, Elbert pushed Evan, making him fall onto the sofa. Evan glared at Elbert with anger and shame. He was so weak now, with muscle atrophy from not exercising, that he had no strength and was no match for Elbert.
Elbert bullied him on purpose, just to mock and provoke him.
Evan clenched his fists, glaring at Elbert with anger.
Elbert just sneered, squatting down to apply medicine. "Do you think doing this will make up for it?"
Evan stayed silent. His wrists, still scarred, bore new wounds and cigarette burns, evidence of his harsh self-punishment.
"Jasmine almost died giving birth. How do you plan to repay that? Are you going to have a baby too?" Elbert mocked.
Evan thought that by walking the path Jasmine had walked and suffering the injuries she had suffered, he could feel better. But Elbert always gave him another blow just when he started to feel a bit better.
Evan believed that repaying his debts in this life would qualify him to see Jasmine in the next. But Elbert repeatedly crushed his hope and provoked him.
Evan knew he could never repay Jasmine for nearly dying in childbirth.
In desperation, he cried. "I'll stab myself, and cut open my stomach. Will that do?"
Elbert paused while treating the wound, thinking Evan had gone mad. "What about the pain of separation? Watching your young son while you go to prison—how will you repay that?"
Evan, speechless, lowered his head and clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. He knew he couldn't repay it.
"Give up. Hurting yourself won't make up for anything to Jasmine. If I were you, I would pull myself together, live well, give Jasmine what she wants, help her, protect her, even if it's silently from behind, without letting her know."
Elbert continued, "Annabelle is still thinking about dealing with Jasmine's kids, and Howard wants to harm Ethan. Ethan is Jasmine's weakness. If anything happens to him, Jasmine won't survive. If you really want to make up to her, pull yourself together, become strong and capable, help her in business, and protect her from behind instead of being useless."
Evan was stunned for a long time, looking at Elbert, his gaze flickering.
After a long pause, he finally spoke hoarsely, "You psychologists are really scary."
Always giving people hope, pushing them into the abyss, and giving them a glimmer of hope again, making them run towards it without hesitation.
"No, you patients are scarier." Elbert sneered, sitting opposite Evan. "It's up to you."
Evan didn't speak, finally looking towards the kitchen. "Mom, I want to eat some oatmeal."
Evelina took a step back in surprise, dropping a plate on the floor.
Holding back her tears, Evelina smiled and answered loudly, "Okay, Mom will make it for you right away."
He hadn't forgotten that he was supposed to be her son for three months.
Evelina hadn't forgotten either. For these three months, Evan was her son.
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