Torn Between Love and Hate

Chapter 247

Chapter 247 Ashton Kneels in Public

A month had passed since Ashton received the Twitter message forwarded by Joseph.

After undergoing a bone marrow transplant, he spent over a month in an aseptic chamber before finally

being moved to a hospital room.

Joseph and Deborah were already busy preparing for a lively and bustling wedding.

Ashton had just turned on his phone when he found out about their marriage registration news.

In the blink of an eye, it was already March, with the warm spring sun shining brightly. Outside the

hospital room window, the peach blossoms were in full bloom, covering the tree branches and basking

in the vibrant, radiant sunlight.

As everything began to warm up, the lively atmosphere could be felt everywhere, making the deathly

silence in the sickroom feel even colder and more desolate.

Ashton looked at the photos on his phone, seeing Joseph and Deborah holding hands, and their

wedding pictures. Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Looking out the window again, there’s sunshine and fresh flowers.

Suddenly, he remembered that year when he married Deborah. It was also during such a beautiful and

warm spring season.

As she smiled at him, she resembled the most dazzling peach blossoms outside the window. It seemed

as if the sunlight had spilled into her eyes and brows, making her

entire being radiate with light.

Unfortunately, at that time, he couldn’t see.

Ashton reminisced about those days and realized that his mind had become sluggish.

It seems like that was such a long time ago, so long that it feels unreal, and he’s starting to forget it.

How many distant years ago was that?

He stared out the window, constantly looking and thinking, wondering just how many

years ago it had been.

Deborah had just been with him for a year, only 19 years old, so young and innocent.

When she first followed him back to Flora Villa, her jet-black eyes were like those of a little deer, filled

with anticipation yet tinged with apprehension.

In the blink of an eye, those deer-like eyes disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, she was almost 28 years old.

Time flies so fast, just like the sand he once held in his hand, never worrying about losing it, has now

completely slipped away.

There was nothing left, not a single thing remained.

Suddenly, the curtains were drawn shut with a “whoosh,” blocking out the sunlight, flowers, and tree

branches from outside.

Ashton suddenly snapped back to reality and saw Rebecca pulling the curtains closed. She then

pushed Hector, who was in a wheelchair, back to the bedside.

Hector’s voice was filled with exhaustion, and he didn’t have the energy to say much

more.

“Just relax, Ashton. The past is in the past, so don’t dwell on it anymore.”

Ashton’s face was tense, and he didn’t speak.

He couldn’t see his own face, thinking he had concealed it well. He didn’t realize how terrible his

expression looked, nor did he know that his eyes had turned red.

Hector could only feel an immense sense of helplessness, as he knew all too well that his body was

failing him and wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.

The Mullen family doesn’t have many reliable people left. After I leave, what will happen if my grandson

continues down this path?

He no longer held out much hope that, after his departure, Ashton would be able to properly manage

the Mullen Group and take care of the affairs of the Mullen family. These were expectations he no

longer dared to entertain.

All he hopes for now is that after he’s gone, Ashton can at least live a healthy life,

without being too immersed in the pain of the past.

Up until now, this has been his only little hope.

Kneels in Publie

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There’s so much that even if you dared to dream, you couldn’t possibly imagine it all.

It seems that even this little hope is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve.

Hector looked at Ashton lying in the hospital bed. The once spirited and proud face was now reduced

to nothing but paleness and exhaustion.

Even when compared to this man in his eighties, there wasn’t much difference in their

complexions.

The more Hector looked, the more he couldn’t let go, his heart aching like it was being twisted by a

knife.

His heart ached, and he couldn’t help but cough, which only grew more intense as it

continued.

Blood pressure rose, heart ached, head ached, and the whole body began to hurt.

Ashton finally snapped back to reality and saw Hector suddenly fall ill. He immediately propped himself

up and got out of bed to help.

The medical staff quickly brought over a stretcher and took Hector to the emergency

room.

As the elderly reach a certain age, illnesses come and go like gusts of wind, arriving suddenly and

becoming severe just as quickly.

Previously, they had been barely hanging on, but now, after being in and out of the emergency room

several times, they finally reached their breaking point.

It was already the latter half of the night when they finally emerged from the

emergency room.

Ashton pushed Hector back into the ward and settled him onto the hospital bed.

Hector was still in a semi-conscious state, sleeping quite restlessly.

In a state between sleep and wakefulness, she mumbled incoherently, “Ashton, please

don’t divorce, we can’t separate, it’s a mistake.”

Ashton averted his gaze, not daring to look at the hospital bed again.

A chill settled in my heart, quickly spreading to every limb and bone in my body.

Chapter 24&chton Kneels in Public

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Hector slept deeply throughout the night, while Ashton sat by his bedside, keeping him company all

night long.

He couldn’t sleep, and spent the entire night holding his phone, repeatedly looking at the photo of

Deborah and Joseph’s marriage certificate.

Alright, the days she had been longing for peaceful, happy, and stable days had finally arrived.

Hector’s health took a sudden turn for the worse. The doctor called Ashton aside, shook his head with

a sigh, and said that the family should be prepared for the worst.

Ashton didn’t have much of a reaction, just nodded and said he understood.

As he left the doctor’s ward, he faintly heard two nurses whispering behind him.

“It’s really strange, the Mullen family used to be so capable. How did the grandfather and grandson

both end up like this? It’s as if they’ve been cursed.”

Ashton turned around and glanced at them, causing the two frightened nurses to immediately shut their

mouths and scurry away in a fluster.

In the past, Ashton might not have let it go so easily.

But now, he couldn’t say anything and returned to Hector’s hospital room.

Hector’s waking hours were getting shorter and shorter; he hardly ate anything and

barely spoke anymore.

Sometimes, upon waking up, she would just gaze intently at Ashton, as if she had something urgent to

say but couldn’t find the words to express it.

Ashton leaned in closer and heard him panting, struggling and anxiously saying, “Grandpa is worried,

Grandpa’s Ashie.”

–

Ashton’s face suddenly froze, and he couldn’t help it tears began to stream down his

cheeks.

The last time Hector called him like that was when he was just a few years old.

Hector was seriously ill and delirious, mistaking the present for his childhood days.

Ashton informed his company and took a long vacation of more than half a month. He

set aside all his work to accompany Hector.

In just half a month, Hector had taken less than seven days off. On the morning of the seventh day, he

passed away.

For seven consecutive days, Hector had barely spoken a few words, seemingly in a daze.

On the morning of the seventh day, just before leaving, it was as if he suddenly woke up from a deep

slumber.

With eyes wide open, staring at Ashton, his trembling hand gripping Ashton’s, he said word by word,

“Ashton, oh Ashton. I’m sorry, I owe you, I owe Deborah…”

Ashton gripped his hand, just about to speak when Hector closed his eyes and took his

last breath.

The funeral was kept simple, and even after it was over, Ashton still hadn’t used

month-long leave.

The passing of a loved one only takes a few short days.

up

his

On the day Ashton laid Hector to rest, more than half of Richmond’s media outlets were

present.

After Hector’s funeral, as everyone was about to leave, Ashton suddenly knelt down on

both knees in front of the media.

The media was all abuzz, thinking that he had knelt before Hector./

I heard his trembling voice say, “I owe my ex-wife and my daughter an apology. I’ve owed them this for

nine years.

Today, right here, I want to confess everything I’ve done in the past, all my mistakes and my sins