novelraw Chapter 422: The dead silent heart began to beat wildly, suppressed by him with almost no mercy.
Chapter 422: The dead silent heart began to beat wildly, suppressed by him with almost no mercy.
Chapter 422: Chapter 422: The dead silent heart began to beat wildly, suppressed by him with almost no mercy.
The moment the man felt her approach, his body tensed immediately, holding his breath and gripping the armrests of his wheelchair tightly. The faint fragrance on the woman’s body brushed past him, and at the instant of her touch, his mind went blank. The memories of the bloody tragedy from back then surged back—how she had declared she would never see him again for the rest of their lives. Over the years, the pain had cut into his bones. During the sleepless nights, he could only get up and sit alone in the courtyard, waiting from midnight till dawn, day after day, year after year.
He had never imagined that one day, she would willingly get close to him again.
The long-dead heart within him began to pound frantically, but he ruthlessly suppressed it. Don’t scare her. Don’t scare her.
Leah felt inexplicably flustered under the man’s deep and intense gaze.
"Richard, let’s go to the hospital," Casimir Shaw said, his big eyes pooling with concern as he noticed Richard Shaw acting so strangely.
"Yes, to the hospital," the assistant Swann suddenly snapped out of his daze and quickly chimed in. They had to get the Major General’s wife checked—how could she not recognize them?
"I’ll carry the bags. The car is parked outside." For the first time, Swann began issuing orders in front of the Major General. His head was spinning as he grabbed the large and small bags from Leah’s hands. His heart raced like a tiny boat on a vast ocean. Overjoyed, he suddenly thought, the Madam is alive. Does this mean the Major General might come alive again too? Could he treat his legs now? Would they return to the Military District?
Casimir Shaw looked at the silly, grinning Uncle Swann and happily held his mommy’s hand. He blinked his bright, mischievous eyes and broke into a smile himself. How wonderful. Richard forgot to smack his bottom, and even Uncle Swann didn’t remind him.
"Do I not have to pay for what was broken?" Leah avoided the man’s overly intense and nearly impudent gaze, pointing at the mess on the floor with some irritation.
"Oh, oh, oh, I’ll pay," Swann fumbled as he rummaged for his wallet and ran off to find the mall manager to settle the bill. Meanwhile, the mall’s security staff and management, still dazed from earlier, dared not approach. The silent intrusion of the armed forces earlier had been terrifying and left everyone stunned.
As soon as Swann left, the atmosphere grew even more awkwardly cold.
Leah looked at the man sitting in the wheelchair, so still he resembled a slab of wood. He said nothing, his deep gaze bordering on brazen. He ignored Casimir entirely. Frowning, Leah bent down and asked Casimir with a furrowed brow, "So, who is Richard to you?"
"He’s my daddy," Casimir replied brightly, his clear eyes sparkling. After answering, he tugged at Leah’s hand and immediately slipped into a pitiful demeanor. "Mommy, Richard is so sad. I’ve grown up this much, and he has never been to a mall, never bought new clothes, and never eaten ice cream. He just stays alone in the courtyard making wooden crafts."
A vivid mental image instantly formed in Leah’s mind: a man with paralyzed legs, no formal job, relying on woodworking to earn a living and raise a son. It was such a pitiful picture that her heart softened for a moment. She gently poked at Casimir’s soft little cheek and asked, "Where’s your mommy, then?"
Casimir’s dark, round eyes darted mischievously, but he pouted and said nothing.
A father and son abandoned by the mother—how pitiful. Leah looked at the strikingly beautiful little boy, then at the boy’s father. Though his legs were paralyzed, his features were sternly handsome and he exuded a steady, reliable aura. They were truly unfortunate.
With her charming almond-shaped eyes, Leah discreetly glanced at Richard Shaw’s paralyzed legs.
The man instantly noticed her scrutiny. He sat up straight in his chair, his heart sinking to the bottom. His paralyzed legs, his baggage as a single father—gone was the once most promising Major General of the Imperial City. For the first time, Richard Shaw realized, in this new age teeming with wealthy heirs and pretty young men in South Asia, he had already lost at the starting line.
Disheartened, the man’s face grew darker, and the air around him seemed to chill by several degrees.