Chapter 1206
Amelia was taken aback as if she had not even contemplated this question moment ago. She had merely found comfort in Warren’s presence.
Warren sighed and said, “Regardless, if you happen to encounter Zephyr again, please refrain from provoking him with your words.”
Amelia responded softly, “But earlier, when I brought up Riley missing a finger, Zephyr seemed unaware of it. He called Riley a lunatic. Did he ever truly love Riley?”
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“He did love her. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have reacted to what said earlier,” Warren replied.
“His reaction seemed as if he harbored some deep-seated grudge against Riley,” Amelia commented..
“If there’s no love, how can there be hate? The deeper the love, the deeper the hatred,” Warren mumbled, his gaze fixed on Amelia, who was in front of him. “You understand this principle, don’t you?”
Amelia’s body trembled slightly, and she pondered, “How could I not understand? Back then… for both of us… it was the same, wasn’t it?”
“Zephyr’s hatred toward Riley, was it due to the rumors and gossip that circulated involving Riley and Nicholas in the past?” Amelia inquired.
“Whether those were mere rumors or not, only the three of them truly know. It’s also possible that it wasn’t just rumors,” Warren said.
“It’s not possible. When Riley loves someone, her heart remains unwavering. If she had second thoughts, she wouldn’t have prolonged the situation. She would have chosen to end the engagement instead of letting those rumors persist,” Amelia asserted. After all, Riley had a candid personality.
Warren reminded, “You’ve only met Riley in prison, and your understanding of her is quite limited.”
“But…” Amelia argued.
“Indeed, now that you’ve met Zephyr, if you genuinely want to
understand what transpired in the past, you’ll have to take things slowly,” Warren advised.
“Take things slowly…” Amelia’s emotions swirled, but Riley could not afford to wait for things to move at a slow pace. Every additional day spent in the psychiatric hospital was another day of torment!
Upon returning to the office, Zephyr was still cloaked with tension, the aura enveloping him. Even his secretary, who typically accompanied him, was cautious, fearing that she might inadvertently say something to upset him.
“Leave. No one is allowed in without my permission,” Zephyr said.
“Yes, sir,” the secretary replied.
At that moment, Zephyr found himself alone in the office. After a while, he made a phone call and requested, “I need all of Riley Summer’s medical records from her stay at the psychiatric hospital during these years. Additionally, I want information on her physical condition, specifically if there are any… physical impairments.”
As he uttered the last part of the request, it appeared as though he had exerted all his strength.
When the call was over, Zephyr shut his eyes wearily.
“Riley… Riley…” The name echoed in his thoughts.
How many years had he buried this name?
Throughout these years, he neither dwelled on this name nor permitted others to bring it up.
Those who were familiar with him knew that this name was his taboo.
Who would have expected a stranger to mention Riley’s name like that today? Furthermore, they claimed that Riley’s right ring finger was… missing!
He had once slid the engagement ring, a symbol of their love, onto her ring finger.
At that moment, her finger, adorned with the sparkling diamond ring, appeared stunning.
“If she hadn’t cheated on him back then, if Nicholas hadn’t died, would everything have turned out differently?” Zephyr pondered.
As the sky gradually darkened, well past the end of the workday, Zephyr remained seated in his leather chair in front of the desk. He waited patiently, showing no signs of movement.
Finally, his phone rang. “Mr. Scott, I’ve compiled all the information you requested, and it’s been sent to your email,” a voice on the other end informed.
“Very well,” Zephyr replied, opening his email to review the documents mentioned.
However, as he looked through the documents, his expression grew increasingly grim.
The content of the documents was not extensive, given the brief time frame. However, they contained the information he wanted to know.
From the information he gathered, Riley’s right ring finger was indeed gone!
The documents also noted that Riley’s living conditions in the psychiatric hospital over the years had been far from ideal. Although Harriet would visit her several times a month, every time after Harriet left, Riley would need medical treatment for “self-inflicted injuries.”
The documents did not provide further details regarding whether the self-inflicted injuries were real or simply a justification for the new wounds found on Riley’s body.
However, Zephyr was no fool. He could guess to some extent what the listed “self-inflicted injuries” meant.
The phone rang once more. This time, it was Harriet’s gentle voice that came through. “Zephyr, when are you coming back? I haven’t had dinner yet, and I’d like to wait for you so we can have it together.”
“You should go ahead and have dinner. I’ll be late tonight,” Zephyr replied.
After the call ended, Zephyr gazed coldly at his phone, his fist clenched tightly around it.
The next day, Zephyr did indeed visit the psychiatric hospital, and there he met Riley.
In the quiet ward, he gazed at the woman he had once loved with all his heart. She sat on the hospital bed in her patient gown, and it seemed as though they were worlds apart.
Zephyr was taken aback by the absence of Riley’s ring finger, and it appeared to have been brutally severed from its base.
His voice quivered as he asked Riley, “Tell me, how did you lose your finger?”
However, Riley merely lowered her head and remained silent.
The caregiver standing beside him chimed in, “Mr. Scott, she’s been like this for years. She seldom speaks, remains absorbed in her own world, and seldom responds to questions from others.”
Zephyr disregarded the caregiver’s words and moved closer to Riley’s bed. “Tell me, how did you lose your finger?” he asked again.
Riley remained silent.
The nurse cautioned him, “Mr. Scott, please don’t get too close. She’s a psychiatric patient-and can be aggressive.”
“That’s right, she’s a psychiatric patient,” Zephyr thought to himself, and yet here he was, asking a mentally ill person how she lost her finger.
He should not have asked at all!
Could it be that, on some level, he secretly wished she was not mentally ill, and perhaps he genuinely believed she was perfectly fine?
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Zephyr raised his hand. He wanted to touch Riley for a better look at her face.
At that moment, Riley’s head hung low, her long hair covering her face, making it impossible for him to see her features.
However, before his hand could touch her, Riley jolted into sudden motion, and in the next instant, her mouth clamped down tightly on his right hand!
Observing this, the caregiver exclaimed and tried to pull Zephyr’s hand from Riley’s mouth, but Riley bit down harder, so the nurse resorted to striking her.
