The degree of Nathan's injuries weren't as alarming as they had looked. Therefore, he was out of the operating room in less than half an hour. With Irena by his side, there was no need to worry about his condition. Irena finished seeing to Nathan's needs and noticed Avery and Charlotte still waiting outside the door.

She walked over and said, "I just asked the doctor. They said that Shane's case is equivalent to ingesting pesticide. It will take a long time to dilute it. We can only hope that the medicine's effect is not too strong."

"It's all my fault." Charlotte rubbed her temples and said, "I should have checked properly before administering it. I didn't think this would happen."

It's too late to say anything. It's her negligence that led to this mishap. If only she had caught on to her mistake earlier.

Irena shook her head and assured, "This is not your fault. Stop overthinking. When I was administering medicine to Nathan, I noticed the hospital did not label many items. When Nathan and Shane have recovered, we can lodge a joint report for medical malpractice. Don't shoulder all the blame yourself when the hospital should be

held responsible as well."

Charlotte sighed and nodded. Avery immediately added, "Although Shane isn't out yet, you'll need to take care of him when he does. He'll be indebted to you, then. It's good for him to be in someone's debt." Charlotte was dumbstruck. "Avery, sometimes I really think that you have nothing between your ears."

"Why, don't you feel gleeful about his suffering?" Avery sneered, "Compared to both of you at odds with each other, I really think it's better for you to feel guilty about him. Have you ever thought about why Shane was hurt? It's because no one was watching him. He's always pursuing some nonsense, and because he was alone, this happened to him. Do you think this would happen if you were by his side?" "It's not that I didn't want to be with him. I'm just..." Charlotte trailed off mid-sentence with a sigh. She really didn't know how to face Shane.

"Give it a rest," Irena nudged Avery gently. "Charlotte must be in a bad mood right now. There's no point in aggravating her further."

"Whatever, I'm leaving now. I'll leave them to both of you. I'll stop by tomorrow and will leave for my business trip in the afternoon." Avery glanced at his watch and decided to take his leave first.

Irena looked at his back, her eyes flashing for a moment before turning back to Charlotte again. "Miss Charlotte, do you want to go in and rest for a while?"

"There's no need. I'll be waiting for him here."

"But we don't know how long it will take. It must be uncomfortable for you to stand here. Don't collapse as soon as Shane comes out. It's better to replace somewhere to sit down."

Although Charlotte was reluctant to leave, Irena's words did make sense. She made her way to a bench and took a seat.

She fell asleep after a while.

In a stupor, Charlotte felt as if she was in an otherworldly state. She heard a cacophony of sounds, like birdsong and blooming flowers, or cascading waterfall.

Her forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat.

Despite being asleep, she still broke out in a cold sweat for Shane.

Heavy rain.

Sheryl sat in the living room with a doll in her arms, looking at the rain outside with a stoic face. She felt uneasy every time it rained, but she liked the rain. Hence she slowly started accepting this emotion. The sound of a thunderclap reverberated.

The person beside her quivered at the loud boom. She turned and saw Freddie's ashen face as he clung tightly to his pillow.

"Wow, I've discovered that you're actually afraid of thunder," Sheryl said in a child-like voice.

"I'm not afraid of thunder!" Freddie denied vehemently.

At this moment, a crack of thunder boomed. Freddie was caught off guard and his entire body flinched violently. Sheryl laughed out loud and said, "You really are afraid of thunder and you still denied it. As a man, you are actually afraid of thunder. What a shame."

"Shut up!" Freddie was extremely embarrassed.

"Even if I shut up, you're still afraid. Why don't we play a game?" Sheryl grabbed his hand and led him to the window.

A peal of thunder followed.

At the same time, a bolt of green-purple white lightning flashed across the sky and struck a nearby building. Freddie was so frightened that his face paled. He kept retreating and tried to leave the window, but Sheryl grabbed him, refusing to let him go.

She started counting from 1 in a low voice.

As she counted, another crack rang out at the moment she reached 9. However, this time, Freddie was not scared. He stared at Sheryl as if she had some sort of magical power. Sheryl started counting from 1 again.

The first time was 9, the second time was 10, the third time was 13, and the fourth time was 16. Just like that, the interval between each thunderclap was getting farther. Freddie gradually calmed down.

When he finally relaxed, Sheryl

said, "Look, not only is the net

pointed at a streak of lightning and

getting farther away, but the lightning too. Next time you can count and see if the thunder is getting further away or not!

Another crack of thunder was produced.

Thunder and lightning appeared at the same time.

This time, not only was Freddie not afraid, he was looking forward to it. He stared at the gloomy sky and started counting.

Freddie reached 17. Just when he thought that the thunder and lightning were gone, thunder sounded again. Lightning flashed from a particularly far distance. His eyes lit up and he began over again. Finally, they reached 60 without any lightning or

thunder.

Sheryl raised her chin proudly. She looked like a regal queen with her hands on her hips. "Look, we defeated the lightning and thunder!"

Freddie tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Every time I count the thunder, they

will quickly recede. If I don't, it will

е

last for a long time. So, the more you are afraid of something, the more you have to face it head-on. Only making to 1 is also a victory. If you are unwilling to take a step to reach 19then the remaining 99 wouldn't appear in the future."

"Why are you so philosophical?" Freddie pursed his lips. He did not agree with what she said.

Lightning and thunder were a natural reaction. No matter if you count them or not, they would happen anyway. No one could change that.

"In any case, I believe that no matter what, I am in control of everything in my world, not the opposite."

Freddie did not say anything.

Sheryl yawned and said, "I am so sleepy. Let's go upstairs to sleep."

"My dad hasn't come back yet."

"He may not come back today. It's already so late. Don't wait for him anymore. We kids need to go to

bed early and rise early to grow up."

Freddie was still worried about Nathan.

He knew that both he and his father had many enemies in the world. Now they had come to uncharted territory. If they met enemies

familiar with the territory, there net

would be no escape. If his father

M

was targeted by those people, the consequences would be unimaginable.

However...

If that's the case, what could a child like him do?

Freddie sighed. "Alright, I'll go up and rest with you."

Sheryl raised her eyebrows and observed with a smile, "Freddie, you seem unhappy today. Are you worried about your father?"

"That's right," he answered irritably.

"But you can't do anything."

Sheryl's words were really heart-wrenching.

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