Chapter 910 Brandon and Bradley: Never in This Lifetime
Brandon jumped out of the car, frantically trying to call Bradley back, but the call history had been deleted by Theodora. He couldn't find his number.
He tried Bradley's old number, but it was disconnected.
With no other option, Brandon called Vincent.
At first, Vincent didn't answer. Brandon called again and again.
A sense of dread crept over him, an inexplicable fear taking hold.
"You'd better stay the hell away," Vincent finally answered, his voice low and seething with anger.
"Where's Bradley? Is he with you? I need to talk to him," Brandon said urgently.
"Bradley's been hurt," Vincent said, his voice dropping.
Brandon froze. "Where is he?"
"Maple Grove Hospital. But he probably doesn't want to see you." Vincent was clearly restraining his fury, yet he couldn't bring himself to keep this from Brandon.
Perhaps Bradley didn't want to see Brandon, but Vincent suspected only Brandon could comfort him now.
"Brandon, I'm warning you," Vincent continued. "If you don't have genuine feelings for him, if you're disgusted by him, then don't come. Only show up if you're ready to commit to him for life and end things with your fiancée. I'm making myself perfectly clear."
If Brandon intended to go through with his marriage while keeping Bradley on the side, he should never contact Bradley again. Vincent would make sure of it.
"What happened to him?" Brandon asked, his fingers going numb.
"He jumped."
Vincent practically spat the words, but they hit Brandon like a hammer to the chest.
"He tried to kill himself?" Brandon's voice turned hoarse with panic.
"He was at a gay bar. Some bastards drugged his drink..." Vincent couldn't finish, the words catching in his throat. He wanted to kill them.
Brandon stood rigid, his mind blank, his heartbeat thundering in his ears.
After a long silence, he spoke firmly. "I'm calling off the engagement. I'm going to him."
In truth, the moment Vincent said Bradley had jumped, Brandon's world had shattered.
He was terrified of losing Bradley. His obsession with keeping Bradley close had always been about protecting him, keeping him safe.
He should have recognized his feelings when Bradley had that car accident.
But only now did he finally understand.
Maple Grove
The staff had called the police after Bradley's jump.
Fortunately, the men had taken Bradley to a guest house on the third floor. There was an awning below that broke his fall. He suffered a fractured right leg and broken arms, but no life-threatening injuries.
"The police have arrested those three men," Vincent said, standing by the hospital bed, gently ruffling Bradley's hair.
Bradley stared vacantly out the window.
"Even if the police let those bastards go, I'll make sure they pay," Vincent said, trying to offer some comfort.
Bradley remained silent, clearly not himself.
Vincent had arranged for a therapist, but Bradley refused to see them.
"Bradley, those three have been tested. They don't have any diseases," Vincent said, rubbing his temples.
At least they could be grateful for that small mercy.
Bradley's face and mouth were covered in injuries—some from the men, some from the fall.
What happened that night was something Bradley couldn't bear to think about.
But this wasn't something he could simply forget by not thinking about it.
"You should go," Bradley finally spoke after a long silence. "I'm fine. I didn't know the police called you."
He had thought that night would be the end of everything.
"How can I leave you like this?" Vincent frowned.
"I'm fine. I'm a grown man. I won't dwell on it. At least they're STD-free," Bradley said quietly.
But was he really okay?
Of course not.
"Besides, I went to that gay bar looking for exactly that kind of thing. They just drugged me, and I wasn't thinking clearly," Bradley added with a bitter smile, pretending he was alright.
Vincent's expression darkened, but he didn't want to argue with Bradley in his condition.
"Just..." Vincent sighed. "Focus on healing. Don't think about anything else right now."
Bradley said nothing for a moment, then spoke with a slight catch in his voice. "Please go."
He didn't want anyone to see him like this. He just wanted to be alone.
Vincent ignored the request. He couldn't leave yet.
At least not until Brandon arrived.
Bradley's current state was deeply concerning.
Meanwhile, in Silverlight City at Ethan's home, Jasmine returned from work to find Ethan wasn't home yet.
Usually by this time, he would have delegated his work to Brandon and come home early to look after the children.
Why wasn't he back yet?
"Ethan, are you working late?" Jasmine called him.
"Brandon had to go to Maple Grove urgently, so I'm covering for him," Ethan replied, sounding slightly annoyed.
"Maple Grove? Did something happen?" Brandon was dedicated to his work and wouldn't abandon it without good reason.
"I don't know. He seemed pretty anxious," Ethan was curious too about what could have pulled Brandon away so suddenly.
"Isn't he getting engaged soon?" Jasmine asked, fishing for gossip. "I saw his girlfriend Theodora at the Sunshine Restaurant today with her family. Brandon wasn't there, and she was crying. I didn't feel right asking about it."
Ethan paused before responding. "You're saying Theodora was crying this afternoon and Brandon wasn't there?"
Just yesterday, Brandon had been talking about discussing engagement and marriage plans with Theodora's parents.
"Yes, he definitely wasn't there," Jasmine felt that only something truly important could have pulled Brandon away from his fiancée and future in-laws to rush to Maple Grove.
"I'll ask him about it later," Ethan said, equally curious.
"By the way, Vincent and Lily have been getting close lately. Samuel has seen them together several times, looking quite intimate," Jasmine warned Ethan, suggesting they should be concerned.
If Vincent allied with Lily, it could spell trouble for both the Raymond Group and the Cunningham family.
"Vincent won't turn against us. I trust him," Ethan said with conviction.
"That's good," Jasmine trusted Ethan's judgment. If he was so certain about Vincent, she would trust Vincent too.
"Rest well at home. I'll be back to make dinner later," Ethan said affectionately.
Jasmine murmured in agreement as she lay on the couch.
Since getting married, she felt Ethan had spoiled her completely.
Back at Maple Grove Hospital, Vincent had just left when Brandon burst into the room.
Bradley looked up in surprise, then lowered his gaze, his eyes empty.
Suddenly, he felt nothing—no flutter of emotion, no stirring in his heart.
Brandon would never love him, and he no longer loved Brandon.
Falling for a straight man had been truly pathetic.
"How are you? Are you in pain?" Brandon asked anxiously, staring at Bradley's bandaged hands.
In that moment, he too wanted to kill those men.
"Mr. Russell, Why are you here?" Bradley asked coldly.
Shouldn't he be at home planning his engagement?
"Bradley, can we talk? Please?" Brandon's voice trembled with fear. "I've called off the engagement. I'm not getting married. I..."
Brandon hesitated, nervous. After all the hurtful things he'd said to Bradley in the past, professing feelings now seemed hollow.
"Bradley, let's give us a chance," Brandon said softly.
Bradley's fingers twitched, but he didn't look up at Brandon.
"A chance at what?" Bradley asked with bitter amusement.
Was Brandon going to try being with a man, only to reveal his disgust later and trample on Bradley's dignity?
"Let's be together," Brandon said, looking directly at Bradley.
"Do you pity me? Or do you think no one else would want me?" Bradley finally met his gaze.
Whatever might have been between him and Brandon was impossible now.
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