The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 234

Riley stared at him in absolute shock. "Why would she attack him?"

"It's a long story. When Mr. St. John was fifteen, he was kidnapped and held hostage for an extended period. The trauma completely shattered his mother's mind. She had a total psychotic break. Mentally, she's permanently trapped fifteen years in the past."

Franklin sighed heavily, the weight of his boss's tragic history pressing down on him. "When he finally made it back, he checked her into the best psychiatric facility in the state. He goes to see her all the time. But she doesn't recognize him anymore. Because he's an adult now, she constantly thinks he's an imposter trying to replace her missing boy, and she lashes out violently."

Riley's heart ached. "Where is his father?"

Usually, even after the trauma of losing a child, a supportive spouse could prevent a complete mental collapse of that magnitude.

Franklin's eyes darkened with profound sorrow. "His father died in a massive car crash the exact same year he was abducted."

Riley's chest tightened violently, a sharp spike of genuine pain piercing her heart. Kidnapped at fifteen. Surviving and escaping, only to find his mother permanently insane and his father dead in the ground. The agony he must have endured was unimaginable.

She suddenly realized that despite knowing who Sebastian St. John was, she knew absolutely nothing about the man himself.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

Franklin shook his head. "He refuses to talk about it with anyone. He's forged himself into an impenetrable wall of steel. But beneath the armor, he's still human. No one is entirely bulletproof."

Riley walked in silence, a heavy, suffocating ache settling over her. She had assumed a billionaire with infinite power lived a life of untouchable luxury. She had no idea he was walking through an endless nightmare.

Franklin didn't push the conversation further; revisiting the boss's past was agonizing for him too. "I called you behind his back. I figured since you're a doctor, you know how to talk to people in crisis. I hope I didn't cross a line dragging you into this."

"You didn't."

But this meant she definitely couldn't meet Winona at the mall. She sent Winona a quick text, explaining she was at Sebastian's place and suggesting Winona come straight there instead.

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