The Year She Stopped Being Crazy for Him novel Chapter 6

The assistant quickly gathered the photos, brushed past her into the room, and led Adrian out.

Dressed in a tiny white shirt and suspenders, Adrian clutched his notebook, his chubby face wearing an expression of quiet indifference.

The first time she met this boy, she had thought he was incredibly adorable with his delicate features. His calm, aloof personality reminded her so much of Hassan, making her instinctively fond of him.

Looking at him now, her blood ran cold, and a cold sweat broke out over her skin.

Under the crushing weight of the trauma, a blinding headache struck her. She stumbled, crashing hard against the console table.

Crash—Smash!

A heavy vase toppled to the floor, shattering instantly into countless jagged shards. The piercing, violent sound of the breaking porcelain was like a needle driving straight into a nerve.

Adrian suddenly went rigid. The notebook slipped from his hands and smacked against the floor. He covered his ears and began to shake violently, his face flushing deep red as his breathing turned frantic.

"Adrian!" Gardenia screamed, throwing herself forward to pull him into her arms. "Natalie, what did the child ever do to you?!"

"Ah—Ah—" Adrian curled into a ball on the floor, trembling and screaming hysterically.

"Natalie, there's a limit to throwing a tantrum!" Hassan scooped the boy into his arms, his voice slicing toward her like a blade forged in ice. "You know perfectly well that glass shattering triggers him."

She stood frozen, her feet bolted to the floor, ice flooding her veins.

Everyone rushed around the boy in a frantic panic, rushing him straight to the hospital.

She watched Hassan's desperate, hurried retreat, realizing how much of a stranger he truly was. He was actually capable of panic—just never for her.

She answered, "I'm on my way."

"Come to the hospital. I sent you the room number," he added quickly. "Your grandmother is here."

Before she could panic and ask what was going on, he hung up.

When she finally arrived at the hospital, covered in sweat, she found Room 1202. Standing at the door, she heard voices from inside.

"Don't call Natalie! I've lived long enough," her grandmother's voice rasped, sounding fragile and aged by whatever agony was tearing her apart.

Her grandfather sighed heavily. "If I had any other choice, of course I wouldn't want her begging the Carlson family for favors. But right now, the only person with the highest chance of saving you is Dr. Weston, and the only way to get him is through them."

"I don't want to hear it! Natalie is already suffering enough alone in that house. The least I can do is not be a burden to her!"