Sarah looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes and pale skin, when Alden entered her room. The moment she saw Alden, her face brightened. She reached out to him with both hands.
“I miss you,” Sarah whispered.
Alden embraced Sarah, gently patting her back. “Why aren’t you resting? You need to recover, Sarah.”
“I can’t sleep. I’m scared, Alden. I want you here with me.” Tears streamed down Sarah’s cheeks.
Alden glanced at Kenneth, who was sitting on the sofa looking equally worn out.
“Okay, I’ll stay here until you fall asleep,” Alden said.
“Promise?”
When Alden nodded, Sarah immediately lay down on the bed, not letting go of his hand.
“Sometimes my mind is foggy, Alden. I often don’t remember anything, but I always remember you,” Sarah whispered.
“Get some rest.”
“Aren’t we going to get married, Alden? Once I get out of here, we’re getting married, right?”
Alden couldn’t bear to answer. He didn’t want to say ‘yes’ because he was engaged to Hannah. But if he said ‘no,’ Sarah’s fragile state wouldn’t be able to handle the truth.
“I want you to get well, so let’s focus on your recovery first, okay?” Alden requested gently.
“I love you, Alden.”
Kenneth’s footsteps were heard leaving the room. Alden remained silent, patting Sarah’s hand until she finally fell asleep.
Alden got up after making sure Sarah was sound asleep, her soft snores confirming it. He left the room, not finding Kenneth in the corridor. Alden hurried to the cafeteria.
In the cafeteria, Kenneth sat with his arms resting on the table, a cup of coffee in front of him. Alden exhaled, then approached Kenneth, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
“I can’t take Sarah back abroad in this condition. If our parents find out she’s sick again, she’ll be permanently institutionalized,” Kenneth said weakly.
“What do you mean?”
“I assured our parents that Sarah could live a normal life. In many ways, she is normal. But when she’s even slightly disturbed, she always retreats into the past. She only wants you.”
“How can we help Sarah move on from me, Kenneth? We can’t have a future together.” Alden looked at Kenneth. “I have a wife. I can’t sacrifice her for Sarah.”
“I know!” Kenneth replied, frustrated.
Alden didn’t confront Kenneth; he just stared at him coldly.
“Before Sarah met you, she was fine,” Kenneth said.
“So, you blame me? How was I to know she was holding on to feelings from the past?”
Sarah always acted as if she was okay, but there was a broken part inside her. When she reunited with Alden, she had hope. Unfortunately, due to her illness, Sarah kept reliving the past. Forcing her to let go of those memories could drive her completely mad. Sarah would never live a normal life; she’d remain in a mental hospital forever. Alden couldn’t bear to see Sarah go through that.
Regardless, Sarah needed to move on. She needed to love someone new who loved her back and build a family. She couldn’t live in a place that was almost like a prison.
“I tried hard to keep Sarah from contacting you. But everything got messed up.”
“We need to resolve this quickly. I don’t want my marriage to fall apart, but I don’t want Sarah to break down either,” Alden replied.
“How?”
“Let Sarah work with me for a few months, then gradually you can take over her position and distance me from her.”
“I’m on the board, Alden. I can’t just get involved in company matters easily. And there are other board members besides me.” Kenneth sipped his coffee.
“Can’t you make Sarah a board member of another company? Abroad?”
Kenneth was silent for a moment. “Actually, I could, but with Sarah’s unstable condition, I don’t know. If she has another breakdown, it would tarnish our family name.”
That’s why Kenneth constantly monitored Sarah. There was a heavy burden on Kenneth’s shoulders to keep his sister from causing trouble.
If word of Sarah’s illness reached the other board members, the Young family name would become fodder for the media. Their businesses could lose their reputation.
“The only solution is for you to stay with Sarah,” Kenneth swallowed hard, “she can’t be separated from you, Alden. Can’t you ask Hannah to understand our situation?”
“You have no right to ask that of Hannah. She healed me; hurting her would be cruel,” Alden shook his head. “No.”
Kenneth ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “I can’t bear to see Sarah like this.”
Alden stood up. “I’ll continue to support Sarah until she fully recovers. But only to the extent that I can. I don’t want her to disrupt my marriage.”
Kenneth didn’t respond.
“Your job is to watch over Sarah, so she doesn’t do something like this again,” Alden added.
Alden hurried away without saying goodbye.
On the way, Alden’s thoughts were tangled. He couldn’t live between two women who both loved him. He had a past with Sarah, but that was behind him. Hannah had made Alden feel love again.
If Alden broke Hannah’s heart, it would shatter her for the second time. First by Jeffrey, then by Alden. That was something Alden couldn’t let happen.
Alden arrived at Hannah’s house, went inside, and climbed upstairs to the bedroom where Hannah was curled up and sleeping soundly. A sudden fear gripped Alden at the thought of losing Hannah.
He climbed into bed and hugged Hannah from behind.
“Sweetheart, I love you,” Alden whispered.
Hannah murmured in her sleep, her body shifting slightly. But she didn’t wake up.
“I’ll make sure Sarah gets better so she can live her own life,” Alden took a deep breath, “please be patient, Hannah.”
“Alden…” Hannah whispered.
“I’m here, sweetheart.”
Hannah seemed to be dreaming. “Alden… go away…”