Chapter 525: Chapter 525: Awakening, Serena Sterling Opens Her Eyes
At this moment, Serena suddenly seemed to understand.
She remembered that she was no longer the little girl she once was.
Everything had long since drifted away from her.
"Time’s up..." Serena whispered, her voice choked with emotion.
"Mm." Dad said, gently stroking her head.
So hard to bear.
"What if I don’t want to leave?" She asked softly.
She looked at her father who looked as young as he did back then.
"Dad, I’m so tired."
Only in front of her father did she dare to speak her true feelings.
"Ever since you left, I’ve always been so, so tired..."
Many people’s slanders, many misunderstandings, and many, many hurdles, layer upon layer of obstacles and trials.
So many times, close calls, and desperate situations where she had to find a glimmer of hope.
It’s truly difficult, painfully exhausting.
"Dad, I actually don’t want to be a strong person." Tears flowed continuously, she said, "I want to always be your daughter, to always stay by your and mom’s side."
She just wanted to be that once happy and blissful little girl.
All these years of life, what she pursued was merely a home.
Yet everything is so difficult.
She leaned against her father’s knee, and he gently patted her back.
"But can you really let go?" her father’s voice lingered in her ear, "Your children, your loved ones, your friends, and so many, many things."
He softly asked, "Serena, can you really let go?"
She closed her eyes, tears silently flowing.
"The things dad taught you, you’ve learned them well, and over the years you’ve taken care of the people around you very well."
Her father’s voice kept coming, "Serena, you are dad’s pride."
"Dad misses you too, but in the future, Serena, we have a long, long time ahead."
Serena cried uncontrollably: "Dad..."
"Now there are two paths in front of you." He said, "One is to stay here forever, the other is to go back."
"Serena, you must make a choice."
Her father’s voice came, "If you choose to stay here, then you’ll let go of everyone who is still waiting for you, gradually forget them, and they will completely lose you."
"If you choose to go back, then Serena, we’ll temporarily part ways."
Serena lifted her head, looking at her father before her.
He was still young and handsome, and he reached out to wipe away the tears on her face.
"Serena, you’ll make the right choice, won’t you?" He smiled, face gentle, "In the future, I’ll come to get you again, okay?"
Serena looked at her father’s face, truly reluctant to part.
But, can she really let go of everything?
Ultimately, she closed her eyes, nodded.
Tears kept falling, and as she opened her eyes, she watched the once warm house quickly fade away.
The house was like a small world made of blocks.
Inside was a happy and joyful family of three.
Father, mother, and child.
They were harmonious and beautiful, joyful laughter constantly coming out.
And all of it was moving away from her.
Her father’s face quickly faded, everything returned to a single point of light.
Finally, the point of light vanished.
The whole world fell back into darkness.
She stayed in this darkness for a long time.
She sorted through her emotions, continuously searching for a way out.
But there was no direction.
In the darkness, there was no concept of time; she only knew she seemed to have run far, searched for a long time.
Occasionally, sounds would appear around, but she could never see, unable to discern the exact direction.
She always felt like she was very light, able to drift to wherever she wanted, yet also felt very heavy, too heavy to lift her eyelids.
She seemed to see something, but it wasn’t a visual experience.
Time and feelings seemed intermittent, everything blurred.
Until...
Something cold slipped onto her finger.
...
Aeston.
Today seemed no different from usual.
But some people remembered what day it was today.
The cruise ship named after Serena was now docked at the port.
Someone asked whether there was any sailing plan for today.
The answer was "no."
"Today’s the first anniversary of the maiden voyage, staying here, seeing if they want to celebrate... but probably..." the staff replied.
Nothing else was said, but many understood.
The cruise ship’s maiden voyage day was Serena and Silas Hawthorne’s wedding anniversary.
Serena fell into a coma on the same day and hasn’t woken up since.
What celebration is there to have?
It couldn’t help but leave people feeling nostalgic.
Last year’s grand wedding still leaves countless people amazed to this day.
Discussions had begun online.
"Unexpectedly, it’s already been a year."
"Yes, a year has passed, Serena still hasn’t woken up, and who knows if she ever will."
"I don’t know... but for now, it seems Silas intends to stay with Serena for a lifetime, haven’t you seen him taking their daughter everywhere?"
"And Julian Lawson, said to have a crippled leg, not willing to accept anyone else’s introduction either."
"If Serena is like this forever, what will they do?"
...
No one knows.
...
Meanwhile.
Outside Serena’s hospital room.
Julian Lawson had been sitting here alone for a long time.
From the morning when last year’s wedding tape played until now, he’s been sitting here.
The joyful sounds of the wedding continued to come, he kept listening.
Until it ended.
And at this moment, a low sobbing sound came from inside, Julian slightly dropped his eyes.
He seemed unchanged, but his clenched, trembling fists and slightly reddened eyes revealed his emotions.
...
Inside the hospital room.
Silas Hawthorne held Serena’s head, heart wrenching with pain.
His tears slid from the corners of his eyes, falling on her cheek, waves of heartache.
"Serena..."
He kept calling her name, voice hoarse, over and over.
The outdoor sunshine was bright, a gentle breeze swayed the branches, a scene of serene times, yet inside the hospital room, the people were in agony.
"Serena, what should I do..."
Pain spread.
Just at this moment—
"Beep beep beep..."
One of the devices suddenly emitted a sharp sound.
Silas paused slightly, immediately looking at the machine beside him.
His heart skipped a beat, anxious, was it the same as last year, was the condition worsening?
"Beep beep beep, beep beep beep!"
The machine’s sound was very sharp.
Silas was at a loss.
He was about to press the bell, just then, as if gently pushed by the wind, he became aware of something.
Silas slowly lowered his head, looking at Serena on the bed.
Serena had already opened her eyes.
She was looking at him.
