Chapter 521: Chapter 521: No Longer Able to Control Myself
On this day, Silas Hawthorne did many things.
He first went downstairs and returned to the car.
Secretary Sawyer waited outside for a while before sitting in the driver’s seat.
Giving Silas Hawthorne time to sort out his emotions.
Everyone in Aeston knows that Silas Hawthorne’s feelings for Serena Sterling run deep.
Over the past year, others have tried to introduce different women to Silas Hawthorne, but each time he angrily turned them away.
Many people advised him—
"Serena may never wake up in this lifetime, you need to let go a little."
"You’re not getting any younger, and you can’t always raise a child by yourself. Seraphina is a girl and needs a mother."
Things like that.
But Silas Hawthorne rejected them all.
He would say—"Even though Seraphina is a girl, there are female elders and a nanny at home, no need for everyone to worry about me and Seraphina."
It was actually because he always had Serena on his mind.
Secretary Sawyer sighed deeply and sat in the driver’s seat, looking in the rearview mirror at Silas Hawthorne, who was looking down at his tablet, seemingly no different from usual.
"Mr. Hawthorne, where are we heading now?" Secretary Sawyer asked.
Silas Hawthorne put down the tablet in his hand and said, "Let’s head back to Hawthorne Manor first."
"Yes." Secretary Sawyer responded, then started the car.
He had seldom returned here over the past year.
For the most part, he stayed at the hospital.
Today, he suddenly wanted to come back and take a look.
The place was regularly maintained by the housekeeper and others; it remained unchanged from before.
Their cat was sent to the house next to the hospital, but the cat tree was still here.
Thinking back to when everyone dined together here, they had even set up a cat-powered wheel for the cat, which now remained here.
"Sir, you’re back." The housekeeper hurried over.
Silas Hawthorne nodded.
He went upstairs all the way, back to their bedroom, where they had peacefully slept together for countless nights and days.
Her sleep was always light, often waking startled in the middle of the night.
"This time, you seem to be sleeping deeply." Silas Hawthorne whispered.
He went out again, to their study, where they used to work together; there was a safe behind the painting in the study.
He recalled showing her the will, thinking it might be him who got into trouble, but it turned out she was the one eternally asleep.
He walked outside and looked down to see the children’s playground they had set up for Seraphina, filled with alpaca toys that she particularly liked.
Later, they even bought several live alpacas to keep for fun.
Silas Hawthorne went upstairs and opened the door to the art studio.
After the wedding, those paintings were brought back here.
Looking at these paintings now, he felt sorrowful.
Over the past year, he and Seraphina had sometimes painted together about Serena, but often because it was too saddening, they would stop halfway through.
Thus, there were many unfinished pieces here.
Recalling the words spoken here with her, and the way she looked at him, his heart ached even more.
"Sigh..."
Silas Hawthorne let out a long sigh, turned off the lights, and went out.
"Sir, it’s almost lunchtime. What would you like to eat?" the housekeeper asked.
"Just make something simple, I’ll be going to see Mom later," Silas Hawthorne replied.
"Okay." The housekeeper immediately set about preparing.
Silas Hawthorne, meanwhile, took some fish food to feed the plump koi and then fed the alpacas some carrots, imagining her presence beside him.
After a simple lunch, he took some things and went to see Sheila Jenkins.
Just like Serena used to, Silas Hawthorne would regularly deposit money into Sheila Jenkins’s account and bring her seasonal clothes and jewelry.
Whenever he noticed that Sheila Jenkins lacked something, he would provide it.
Everything remained unchanged, as if Serena were still awake.
Seeing him, Sheila Jenkins’s eyes turned red again.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Silas Hawthorne left.
He then spent some time with Clara Huxley before returning to the hospital, placing Serena in a wheelchair, and bringing her out, picking Seraphina up early from school.
"Dad, where are we going today?" Seraphina asked, holding Serena’s hand.
Silas Hawthorne patted Seraphina’s head and said, "Today, you’re going with Dad to see the place where your mom and I prepared for our wedding last year, okay?"
"Okay." Seraphina nodded.
It was the same venue as last year.
The decorations were identical to those of last year.
Silas Hawthorne pushed Serena in her wheelchair, with Seraphina by his side, and they stayed there for quite a while.
In the evening, when they were returning, Clara Huxley and Sheila Jenkins took care of Seraphina, while Silas Hawthorne drove Serena to the cemetery once more.
The cemetery was silent.
Silas Hawthorne was alone burning offerings.
After burning offerings in front of Evan Sheridan’s grave, he went to the child’s memorial that Serena set up, and finally to his father’s grave.
Taking Serena with him, he went everywhere, and then drove to the big lake where they chatted last year.
He lifted her from the wheelchair and sat on the bench where they once sat.
Gazing at the moon reflected on the lake surface, which looked the same as last year’s, she softly leaned against him, seemingly unaware.
As they sat there, he suddenly felt an overwhelming sadness.
Unable to hold back any longer, he embraced her, silently shedding tears.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Julian Lawson sat alone in the back seat of the car.
During the noon, he took the opportunity when Silas Hawthorne left, to visit Serena.
Later that night, when he finished his work, he went to check on her again, only to find her gone.
He inquired with the hospital staff.
"Her husband took her out earlier, said they’d return later," was the response from the nurse’s station.
"Did something happen to her?" he asked anxiously.
"No, the patient is the same as before, her body has recovered and there’s nothing wrong, just that she hasn’t woken up yet," the nurse replied. "Her husband said she’s been lying down for too long, wanted to take her out to see the world."
Julian Lawson then left.
He looked at the dark night sky outside.
He knew why Silas Hawthorne suddenly wanted to take her out.
Because tomorrow would be the first anniversary of her wedding.
Everything that happened on that day last year seemed like a dream.
Julian Lawson looked at his leg.
Suddenly, he felt the pain in his leg flare up again.
"President Lawson, where are we heading now?" Jude Chaucer, the driver, asked.
Jude Chaucer had taken a few months’ break during Julian Lawson’s resignation, and now was back in the same position as before, but with a raise and increased bonuses, while the months on break were treated as paid leave by Julian Lawson.
"To the apartment," Julian Lawson instructed.
"Yes." Jude Chaucer replied, then drove towards the apartment.
They took the elevator up, with Jude Chaucer pushing Julian Lawson’s wheelchair, reaching the floor of the apartment.
