Nathan exited the ward, with Oliver trailing closely behind, closing the door as he followed.

Observing Nathan’s somber demeanor, Oliver questioned coldly,” Nate, deep down, do you still love

Sally?”

Nathan paused in his tracks, his expression turning icy.

“Sally may have made mistakes in her attempts to win you back, but it’s all because she loves you too

much. The incident at the pool must

have been an accident.

“If you can spare a moment, perhaps you should check on Sally. Her fear of water might have

traumatized her,” Oliver suggested.

Despite Oliver’s words, Nathan remained silent, his back to Oliver as he strode away with purposeful

steps, leaving no room for further

discussion.

Watching Nathan’s retreating figure, Oliver’s eyes flickered with determination: Sally had crossed a

line. Despite his multip ings to keep her hands off Suzanne, Sally persisted in harming h

Nathan walked out of the hospital and entered the military ba armed vehicle.

Cole and Lucas turned to Nathan in the back seat anxiously, their faces filled with concern. “General

Morrison, is Mrs. Morrison alrigh

Exhaustion weighed heavily on Nathan as he closed his eyes, his burdened shoulders heaving under

the weight of invisible defeat.” There’s no life-threatening issues.”

“General Morrison, let us know if you need anything. Mrs. Morrison needs your company now,” Lucas

suggested.

Nathan’s furrowed brow tightened even more, his hand slowly clenching into a fist on his thigh. He

closed his eyes, leaning back

into the chair.

A wave of overwhelming guilt and self-blame washed over him. The woman he cared for nearly died

before his eyes, yet he saved Sally

instead.

Suzanne’s reluctance to see him was understandable, but every fiber in him ached with bitterness and

pain, leaving him profoundly unsettled.

After a moment, he spoke faintly, “Has the surveillance footage by the pcpool been retrieved?”

Lucas responded, “General Morrison, the surveillance system at the MMorrison Residence was

breached an hour ago. All the data has been lolost.”

NaNathan’s tone was turned resolute. “Contact the engineering dedepartment to recover it.”

“WWe’ve tried, but they reported that the damage was the theyey can’t recover it. These hackers were

among the best marksket, Lucas explained.

gh, and

lack

Nathanafeffell into silence, his weary posture resembling that of someoneneleleeping against the chair,

motionless and devoid of

After a pauses ai his deep voice resonated slowly, “Do you guys k how to comfofoa a woman?”

Lucas and Cole lexexchanged glances, and after a brief moment, Col spoke up, “General all Morrison,

I’ve never been in a relationship.”

Lucas chimed in,i’vevealdad two, but they both found me lacking in romance. They cornpipilained

about my busy schedule and dubbed me an unromantic fellowEveventually, they walked away. My

experience

20

isn’t great.”

Nathan absorbed their words in silence before finally stepping out of the car. He returned to Suzanne’s

ward and sat on the bench in the

corridor, maintaining his vigil.

Time drifted by, nurses bustling past him. As the night grew quieter, Nathan remained rooted to the spot

for hours.

Only when the lights in the VIP ward dimmed did he finally rise, gently pushing open the door and

entering.

Suzanne was already fast asleep. Approaching the bedside, Nathan’s gaze, both steady and warm

lingered on her pale face.

She had teetered on the brink of death, a fact Nathan found impossible to forgive himself for. Had it not

been for Oliver’s swift intervention, would Suzanne have slipped away from him forever?

Nathan settled into the chair beside the bed, tenderly cradling Suzanne’s hand in his palm. His lips

brushed against her hand in a gentle kiss. Despite feeling her warmth, he couldn’t shake the lingering

fear.

Suzanne stirred at Nathan’s touch and slowly awakened from h slumber. Upon catching sight of

Nathan, she hastily withdrew he

hand.

The emptiness in his palm felt like a profound loss, leaving Natha

awash with a sense of desolation.

X