Chapter 20
Samuel’s rationality had long been washed away by his overwhelming despair. He only ended the call with a bitter laugh when the caller mumbled out a random address within the country
Unsurprisingly, the caller had lied to him, but he didn’t have the energy of the motivation to pursue the matter
From that day onward, he received numerous other calls just like that one. Everyone claimed to have seen Emily somewhere and demanded varying amounts of money from him.
Despite knowing that most of these were con artists, he gave them the money anyway just for the sake of clinging onto the tiniest possibility of hope. All of the money went down the drain without ever bringing anything in return.
Still, Samuel didn’t care. He was relying on that bit of hope to keep himself going. Even if the caller asked to meet him in person, he would do it.
Some women approached him this way, but they were all dressed sudily and obviously had ulterior motives. They care right out and offered, “I’ve got plenty of friends, Mr. Porter. If you’re feeling lonely, we’ll be more than happy to spend some time with you,”
He’d ended up attracting escorts and courtesans. When dealing with such people, he flat–out told them to get lost.
Eventually, even the con artists stopped calling him. His phone remained silent all day long, even quieter than he was.
After a month, he ended up collapsing at home,
That afternoon, the household staff noticed that he never left the bedroom. Even when they knocked on the door, he didn’t snap at them to stop disturbing him, so they gingerly opened the door to check on him.
They found him lying unconscious on the rug. It looked like he was in a dire state and could barely breathe, Immediately, they called for an ambulance and had him brought to the hospital.
In a matter of weeks, Fred and Nora looked like they had aged many years. As they waited outside the emergency room, they looked as though they might faint at any given minute as well.
Alas, the doctor only had bad news for them.
“The patient fainted due to a combination of dehydration and malnutrition. While his condition isn’t life–threatening, it is clear he is suffering from a severe psychological breakdown. If he doesn’t undergo treatment as soon as possible, he might start having thoughts about harming himself.”
Upon hearing that, Nora fainted. Fred felt light–headed too, but he needed to look after his wife and son. He had no choice but to stay strong and handle the hospital paperwork. Once both their conditions were stable, he made a video recording right in Samuel’s room.
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