Chapter 224

Brandon and Darden hurried to the sanatorium.

Not long after, Darden said he had some matters to attend to and left, leaving Brandon to make his way alone through the quiet corridors to the ward Eugene had told him about earlier.

Eugene was waiting outside. The moment he saw Brandon, he rose to his feet. "Mr. Watson."

Brandon nodded briefly and asked, "What's the situation?"

Eugene hesitated, and then explained from the beginning. "After Mr. Harris and I stopped Vivian's livestream, I thought it wasn't appropriate to let her stay at Serenity Villa, so I took her to a nearby apartment. While I was trying to convince her to tell the truth, she suddenly cut her hand."

At the time, Eugene had been genuinely shocked.

Vivian had pulled out a knife so suddenly that, for a moment, he thought she meant to stab him.

"I brought her here right after. The doctor treated the wound,"

Eugene continued. "The bleeding has stopped, and the caregiver is looking after her, but..."

Brandon caught Eugene's implication and nodded."Find her previous attending doctor. Also, get her medical records from the archives and bring them al here."

Eugene exhaled, relieved to have clear instructions.He stood up and hurried off.

Once Eugene was gone, Brandon pushed open the door.

Vivian was half-reclined on the bed in a single ward.Her wrist was swathed in thick bandages, with faint streaks of red blood seeping through.

Beside her, the caregiver sat peeling an apple.

Vivian looked pale. At the sound of the door, she turned her head. When she confirmed it was Brandon, she gave a strained smile.

"Brandon, you came." Her voice was fragile. "I thought you wouldn't visit me anymore."

Brandon said nothing. His eyes were cold.

He walked straight to her bedside but didn't address her. Instead he looked to the caregiver. "What medication is she on?"

"She had a sedative earlier. Right now, she's on a glucose drip," the caregiver replied respectfully,standing. "We're waiting for her attending physician to arrive and adjust her medication."

Glucose.

Brandon's eyes flicked back to Vivian, who still wore a pitiful expression.

Inside, Brandon was laughing coldly.

"You can go now," he told the caregiver.

The woman nodded, set the apple on a nearby plate,and left, shutting the door behind her.

Brandon pulled a chair closer and sat, watching Vivian in silence.

She shifted uncomfortably under his stare, and a chil ran through her. But remembering her plan made her compose herself.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Brandon asked. "Or maybe something you need to confess?"

Vivian hesitated, guessing this was about what had happened at Serenity Villa.

She pressed herlips together as tears suddenly ran down her face.

"Brandon, I know I shouldn't have gone to Serenity Villa to livestream without your permission."

She had been winding herself into a bad mood earlier, and now that Brandon was here, she found

the perfect opportunity; the tears flowed freely.

"But Darden's place had a burst pipe. I had no choice but to go there."

She suddenly sat upright, clutching his hands and sobbing. "I didn't know what was going on there.I didn't know the wedding photo of you and her was still there... Brandon, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

Vivian's tears slid onto Brandon's hand, making her look all the more pitiful.

"I didn't know it would hurt her. I've been so full of regret... I've thought about it over and over, and l can't stand myself like this, so l... I'm sorry."

Her voice trembled as she put up a show of tears and emotions.

The folding knife had been prepared long before.She'd cut her hand in front of Eugene on purpose,knowing he would stop her before she went too far.

She hadn't even cut deep-just enough for a little blood, just enough for the show. All that was left later

" even dragged you into trouble by hurting myself,"she said, sobbing even harder and cautiously sneaking glances at Brandon's face.

But from the moment he walked in, his expression hadn't changed; it stayed cold.

She was trying to gauge him when Brandon suddenly laughed.

He actually laughed loudly

Vivian froze.

"Brandon?" she asked in a shaky voice,sniffling.

"Enjoying the performance?" Brandon glared at Vivian, his eyes full of disdain.

He had given her one last chance to come clean. But even now, she clung to her lies.

Her clumsy little act made him laugh.

He was angry at himself for ever believing her.

"Brandon, I don't understand what you mean," Vivian said, fear starting to seep in, though she kept up the crying.

"You don't understand?" Brandon's laughter vanished,replaced with coldness.

A knock distracted them.

The door opened, and Eugene stepped in, handing over a file folder and a stack of papers to Brandon.

"Mr. Watson, the documents you asked for. And the doctor is on his way. He'll arrive shortly," he said.

In his other hand was another file. He hesitated,unsure whether to give it to Brandon or not.

He had accidentally stumbled into it from the archive.The archive clerk had carelessly handed him two documents.

One was Vivian's record, and the other was Millie's.

He weighted his options and then decided to hand the document to Brandon in private once this was

settled.

With that decision made, Eugene gave a slight bow before turning to leave, the door clicking shut behind him.

The room was quiet again, with Brandon and Vivian being alone.

Brandon flung the file onto Vivian's bed.

She wiped her tears, glancing at it.

"What's this, Brandon?" she asked, making no move to touch it.

"Your medical records," Brandon said flatly.

He threw the other stack Eugene had handed to him beside it.

"And this?"

"An analysis report," Brandon replied, his voice still cold. "Vivian, are you still pretending? You're not sick.At all."

The words caught Vivian off guard, but when she realized he meant her so-called depression, she eased a little.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Brandon,"she blurted, breaking into tears and tossing the papers and records aside.

"Did Millie say something to you?" Vivian's eyes darkened with resentment. "She's lying!"

Brandon's lips curved into a bitter sneer.

"She hasn't mentioned you once."

In truth, Millie didn't even want to see him, let alone talk to him.

"Vivian, what do you take me for?" His voice was low but burning with fury.

He glared at Vivian.

"To deceive me? To threaten me?"

He had completely overlooked the harm she caused Millie because of her act, her fake depression.

He had let it slide again and again