After I Died, My Husband Went Mad - Chapter 85
“Are you feeling calmer now?”
Sebelia asked, looking at Claude, who was sitting on the bed. He lifted his head just a bit in response to her question. Letting out a faint chuckle, he nodded.
“I got some help. Thank you.”
“You’ve helped me more than you know. Don’t worry about it. Well then, rest well.”
As Sebelia was tidying up the empty teacup, about to leave, Claude suddenly jerked his head up, staring at her as if struck by lightning. Startled by his abrupt movement, Sebelia turned to face him.
“Mr. Claude?”
“Bella, if it’s not too much trouble… Wait, how did you know my name?”
“Mr. Watts told me.”
“Ah, I see. He could have told you. Yes, well, if I may continue speaking… Can I ask you a question?”
His low voice carried a serious tone. Sebelia gripped her tray and stared at him wordlessly. After a short pause, she nodded
Claude clenched his fist, hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“Was Dehart…chasing after you?”
Until now, it had been a fact that both Claude and Sebelia had avoided addressing. Claude hadn’t asked because he thought they would send Dehart away quickly, and Sebelia had remained silent because he hadn’t asked.
However, the situation had changed. Dehart, who had regained his memories… had boldly demanded to stay.
[We’ve been separated for almost twenty years, and we’ve only just met as family. I want to be together.]
[You…]
[Uncle, didn’t you want to see me?]
Claude couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter with hope, even though he knew that Dehart was deliberately taking advantage of his emotions. When Dehart looked at him with affectionate eyes and called him uncle, the best Claude could do was run away like a coward.
If he stayed, he would have given Dehart everything he wanted.
As Claude hurried down the stairs, he ran into the kindly Bella, who helped him back to his room. When he came to his senses, he realized that he had gotten himself into a much more serious situation.
Wait, she’s the reason Dehart came here.
Of course, it was a guess, made by piecing together Bella’s and Dehart’s reactions and behavior…but to be honest, there was simply no way this wasn’t the case. So Claude knew he was in a real bind.
Because once he regained his memories, Dehart would fight tooth and nail to stay here at all costs…
“Could it be that Dehart is planning something against you? You have my word that you can tell me.”
If his speculation was correct, the woman in front of him must be a victim of his pursuit. Sure enough, upon hearing Claude’s earnest plea, Sebelia’s face hardened.
And Claude’s face turned grim at her negative response.
* * *
“So… the combination of medications you’ve been taking has been discontinued for over twelve years due to severe side effects.”
Dehart burst into laughter in disbelief. According to Watts, the medication he had been taking was highly addictive, causing withdrawal symptoms, and long-term use could lead to seizures and other serious side effects.
“I’ve been taking this medication for about fifteen years now… No matter how I think about it, I can’t help but blame my former physician.”
Dehart growled with a fierce expression.
“It’s suspicious that he insisted on the wrong prescription for so long.”
A few years ago, Dr. Roden, the former primary care physician at Hillend Hall who had retired, had specially compounded a much stronger sedative than the commercially available ones, claiming it was for headaches and nightmares that plagued Dehart at the time.
Since Dehart had suffered terribly from severe migraines and nightmares, he had unquestioningly accepted the prescription. It worked well, and Dr. Roden had been a trusted figure in the family since his grandfather’s generation, so even after he retired, Dehart continued to receive prescriptions from him through Lord Rems.
It had been almost fifteen years since then.
“If you’re not familiar with the latest trends in academia, you might be a bit behind. However… yes, you’re right. It’s ridiculous that your doctor didn’t realize the side effects of the drug after all this time.” Watts bluntly agreed with Dehart. “It’s more likely that he’s been deliberately prescribing it knowing the severe side effects.”
“First my uncle and aunt, and now my former doctor.”
Dehart lay sprawled on the bed, covering his face. With both eyes tightly shut, he clenched his teeth as if he might scream at any moment.
This is unbearable.
It felt as if, for a moment, he had opened his eyes only to realize that he was actually a character in a play. He had come to the terrible realization that the world surrounding him was nothing but a fabricated drama, and he was just a puppet made to dance on a stage.
And all of this started with Sebelia’s death. It was the beginning of unveiling the hideous secrets that Hillend Hall had concealed. If it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t have come this far…
“Ah.”
Dehart sat up, letting out a weak groan. Watts’s eyelids fluttered as he dozed against the wall. With a smile that seemed drawn on, Dehart politely spoke.
“I beg your pardon, sir, but would you mind taking off these damn chains?”
“My uncle ran away before I could ask,” he added, sounding rather sweetly sarcastic.
