He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 275

Walter and Beatrice had both cheated and strayed off the path, yet they had relied on each other to make it this far. Even if love was gone, a twisted sense of family remained.

Juniper stayed for a while. Before leaving, she said, "The foreign specialists said that as long as you have the will to live, you can survive another five or six years. When you're discharged, Brooks will take care of you."

Walter lay rigid in the bed, tears streaming continuously down his face.

Juniper didn't look back. Walking out of the hospital, she stared up at the heavy, overcast sky.

She blinked. Her eyes were still swollen and aching.

It felt as though she were still standing in the torrential downpour of growing up, trembling from the bone-deep chill.

Brooks called her, his voice weak. "Mom's funeral cost tens of thousands of dollars, so there are a few thousand left from the house money. Give me your account number; I'll transfer it to you."

Juniper's tone was flat as she got into her car and leaned back. "Keep it. How else are you going to make money?"

He was paralyzed now, confined to the apartment, unable to go out and work.

Brooks's eyes instantly welled up, but he had cried so much lately that it only brought a sharp sting. "Juniper..."

"Brooks, I really do resent you as a brother, but I don't want you to die either. Keep the money and focus on surviving. Dad will probably be in the hospital for six months. I'll bring him back then, and it'll be your job to take care of him."

Brooks wiped his eyes. "Okay."

His throat felt like sandpaper, but he still forced out the words, "You can't marry Nelson. You can't let him ruin your life. Juniper, you're my sister. Nelson had my legs broken. He's good to his daughter, and he treats his wife well. But you? He wants to destroy you."

Juniper found it almost funny, rubbing her temples. "You're overthinking it."

"I'm not. I may be a useless coward, but I'm a man. I can see it. He's furious that he lost control."

Juniper's lips twitched. Yes, Nelson was just bitter.

He was furious that the Juniper he had discarded hadn't threatened suicide or thrown herself into his arms weeping the day they reunited.

He was furious because his impact on a woman was so utterly insignificant.

Juniper was about to ask what kind of show when she heard Julian Sterling's voice drift from next door. "Nelson, couldn't you have waited for us to finish eating before showing up?"

She froze. Nelson and Julian's crew were next door?

She looked at Zara in confusion. What was this woman playing at?

Zara poured her a glass of sake and gestured for her to keep listening.

Nelson seemed to take a seat, his tone laced with impatience. "Hanging out every three to five days... You trust fund kids really have too much free time."

Julian, annoyed by the jab, sneered. "What's the matter? Did Juniper piss you off again? Don't you think you're going a bit overboard? You reek of Lydia's perfume, yet you keep messing with Juniper. What the hell do you actually want from her?"

Julian genuinely didn't get it. He couldn't read Nelson at all.

Miles Whitaker and Finn Lawrence also turned to look at Nelson. This was the first time Finn had joined them recently; his family's business was chaotic, and he had too many rivals to fend off.