Chapter 233 For the Sake of Her Dream, Be Strong
Alexander's voice began to tremble, "I'm sorry... Caroline. I was wrong to think that way."
But he remained kneeling there, looking up at her, his eyes still holding a flicker of hope.
"But my feelings for you are real. Don't you... believe me at all?"
"I believe you," Caroline said calmly. "I believe what you're saying right now is true."
Something lit up in Alexander's eyes.
"But, Alexander," Caroline's tone shifted.
"Because you like me, you're able to completely deny your past feelings for Edith, reducing her to a flower that needed your protection, rather than a real, complex person. This attitude makes me doubt, and it frightens me."
"If one day you stop liking me, or fall for someone else, will I, Caroline, also become a 'misunderstanding' in your words? Will I become a comparison to prove your new feelings? Just another 'that was only an illusion'?"
She shook her head firmly.
"I like you. I can accept your hesitation, and I can accept that you once liked someone else. But acceptance isn't the same as overlooking what matters. Dismissing past emotions and carelessly rewriting what others meant to you—that's not a flaw, it's a kind of disrespect I can't tolerate. I can't and won't trust that kind of careless affection to last."
With that, she stood up.
"I'm still grateful for what happened today. Goodbye, Alexander."
She turned and walked down the hillside.
"No... Caroline! Wait! Let me explain!"
Alexander tried to chase after her, but his weakness made him lose balance—he couldn't even stand properly.
He practically dragged himself forward, desperately reaching out to grab her retreating figure.
"Caroline!"
His hand hit some invisible barrier, solid and cold. He could only watch as Caroline disappeared before his eyes.
He pounded on that transparent wall, his voice breaking, "No! Let me through! Caroline!"
"No!"
"Caroline!"
Alexander's eyes flew open.
Above him was the familiar ceiling of David's clinic.
David's anxious voice reached his ears, "Mr. Hamilton! Are you awake? How do you feel?"
The hypnosis had ended.
He was back in the cold reality without her once again.
"Mr. Hamilton, do you remember what happened in the dream?" David asked urgently.
Alexander blinked slowly, tears sliding down silently.
"I remember... Of course I remember..."
He remembered Caroline leaving him.
He also remembered that even in another world, he still couldn't win her heart with his broken soul.
Alexander lay quietly for a long time before finally sitting up with Mark's help.
"Mr. Hamilton, do you need me to give you a sedative?" David offered water, his brow furrowed.
Alexander turned to look at him.
"Dr. Ortiz... tell me, what is love?"
David thought for a moment, adjusting his glasses.
"In psychology, there are many ways to define love. Psychoanalysis emphasizes desire, attachment, and childhood experiences; humanistic psychology sees love as unconditional support, a force that helps us grow; social psychology studies intimacy, attachment styles, and Sternberg's triangular theory—passion, intimacy, commitment."
Seeing his distraction, David's tone softened.
"In my practice, I've seen too many people struggling with love. Some lose control over it, some are destroyed by it, some use it to manipulate others, and some treat it as their only salvation. It can be possession or devotion; it can be a sweet illusion or a painful truth."
"Go on," Alexander said quietly.
David nodded.
"Biologically, love comes from dopamine, phenylethylamine, and oxytocin—chemicals that make us feel connected to someone. But what we experience as romantic love goes far beyond brain chemistry. It's shaped by culture, literature, personal history, and expectations—given meaning, responsibility, fantasy, and limits."
Alexander's throat moved, "So... is it real, or just something we convince ourselves of?"
David fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly.
"From where I stand... love may never have a single right answer."
"It has no absolute definition, and no one definition is more valid than another."
"I think it's more like a rare moment when two people truly see each other. And there's always a gap between meeting someone and really understanding them. So to meet, to know, and then to love—that's incredibly rare."
"It's not guaranteed, just chance."
"To have experienced it even once—however briefly—is already more than most people get."
They had loved deeply, but not for long enough.
And so the story reaches its end.
"I understand," Alexander said hoarsely.
He left the clinic with Mark's support and got into the car.
Mark looked at him through the rearview mirror, "Sir, are you alright?"
Alexander didn't answer, just extended his hand out the car window, letting the wind pass through his fingers.
He thought to himself, 'Caroline, spring is coming to Grandhaven. But our story, like this wind, slips away the moment I reach for it. David was right—love is when two people truly see each other. I came so close to seeing you, yet I kept missing what mattered.'
The car stopped in front of Ravenwood Manor.
Alexander looked up to see someone he hadn't expected standing at the door.
"Mr. Hamilton."
Andrew stepped forward, about to smile, but when he saw Alexander's pale face, hollow eyes, and the mud and bloodstains on his body, his expression immediately turned grave.
"Mr. Hamilton, I heard about your wife. My condolences."
The moment Alexander got out of the car, his knees buckled and he collapsed in front of Andrew.
"Mr. Hamilton!" Andrew quickly helped him up.
"Please stand up. You must be strong. Do you remember that theory Mrs. Hamilton proposed? After our company's trial run, the data has been very promising. For the sake of her vision... please be strong."