Chapter 384

Chapter 384
“Dad, you're so cruel! How could you abandon me after all this? Why, Dad? Why did you do that?” Josh asked himself, trying to find answers to the chaos that now consumed his thoughts.
But the more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.
"God, why did this happen to my family?! Why did you take everything away from me in such a short time?
My father, my mother, my wealth, and my future...“
Josh took a deep breath, feeling the air rush in and his breathing become heavy. The injury to his ribs throbbed excruciatingly. Just when he thought he couldn't take any more of the physical and emotional pain, something suddenly occurred to him.
”Mom! Lilian said she knew where you were!"
Josh looked at Lilian, ready to ask, but Carlos Arbex interrupted him before he could speak.
“Josh, my grandson, what I'm trying to tell you is: stop acting like you're stuck in the past. Wake up. Face your harsh reality and become a decent person. You're still young; you still have a chance to become someone better and succeed with your own hands.”
Josh said nothing, but his expression darkened. The mirage of greatness that had always existed in his mind slowly crumbled under the weight of his grandfather's words. It was all true. He had been living in a world of illusions all this time.
His heart tightened, drowning in regret and self-criticism. However, he didn't know where to start to fix things.
Before long, Josh's vision blurred. Tears began to moisten the corners of his eyes. He closed his eyelids to hide his silent crying, too ashamed to face his grandfather and little sister.
He wanted to disappear, just as his father had done, and leave everything behind.
But then he faintly heard a familiar voice calling his name—the voice of someone he had truly missed over the past few weeks.
“Mom...” Josh whispered, forcing his eyes open and looking in the direction of the sound.
He was surprised to see his mother standing there. She was pale and thin. Her once impeccable hair was grayer; he no longer saw the dark strands of before.
But what hurt the most was seeing her eyes. She looked at him with eyes red from crying. The pain in her gaze hurt him more than his broken bones.
“Mom, I finally found you...” His voice faltered, choked with emotion. “Why did you leave us? Why...”
The pain in his arm and chest returned with an unbearable twinge, torturing him.
“Josh, I'm sorry...” said Juci, walking toward her son.
“No! Please don't say that. I'm the one who should apologize to you, Mom. I...”
His voice faded away. His vision darkened, the edges of reality blurred. And then, he saw nothing but darkness.
“Josh! My son!” Juci's scream pierced the air. She ran toward the sofa, where her son's massive body lay motionless.
Lilian and Carlos stood up immediately. While his mother held Josh's pale face, Lilian, with the coldness of a surgeon, pressed two fingers behind her brother's ear.
“Is he alive?” Juci asked, her eyes wide with terror.
“His pulse is stable,” Lilian confirmed emotionlessly. She turned to the security guard. “Charlie, the ambulance?”
“They're already at the gate, ma'am,” Charlie replied, looking out the window as he heard the growing sound of sirens.
The mood in the room grew heavy. Juci trembled, holding her son's limp hand, noticing his lips turning purple and the deathly pallor of his skin.
“Lilian... what happened?” Juci's voice faltered. “He seems to be in terrible pain. Was it a seizure? His heart?”
Before Lilian could answer, the living room door burst open. Charlie guided the paramedics, who entered with stretchers and equipment, taking control of the scene.
“Mom, let them do their job.” Lilian gently pulled Juci to a corner of the room, away from the chaos.
Reluctantly, Juci let herself be led away, but her eyes remained fixed on Josh. She grabbed her daughter's arm tightly, her nails digging into her skin.
“Lilian, please... tell me the truth. Why did he collapse like that? Is he sick?”
Lilian sighed, covering her mother's hand with hers.
“No, Mom. Josh isn't sick.” She paused, choosing her words carefully. “Let's just say he had a... little accident.”
“An accident? In here?”
“Mom...” Lilian looked her in the eye, serious. “I had to slap him. And maybe kick him. I think I used too much force.”
“WHAT?!” Juci shouted, covering her mouth with her hands immediately when she realized she had attracted the attention of the medical team.
She lowered her voice to an incredulous whisper, staring at her daughter from head to toe.
“Lilian, this isn't funny. How could you leave a man his size in that condition? He weighs three times as much as you do!” It was Charlie, wasn't it?
Lilian gave a weak smile. She knew her mother would doubt her. The image of “little Lilian” was still too strong in everyone's minds.
“It was me, Mom.” Lilian's voice hardened slightly. “He tried to hit me. Right here, in front of Grandpa.”
Juci's shocked expression instantly turned to fury.
“He tried to hit you?”
“Yes. And I couldn't let that happen.” Lilian leaned close to her mother's ear, playing her final card. "Because, Mom... if he had touched me, and Ethan had found out... Josh wouldn't be going to the hospital right now.
He'd be on his way to the cemetery. I just broke a few bones to save his life.
Juci shuddered. She knew Lilian wasn't exaggerating. Ethan's protective obsession was legendary.
“That jerk...” Juci muttered, maternal concern mingling with anger. "He deserved it. You did what had to be done. If he wakes up, I'll give him a piece of my mind myself!
Shortly after, one of the paramedics approached, removing his gloves.
“The patient is stable but unconscious due to extreme pain,” the doctor reported clinically. "We suspect broken ribs and a possible spleen injury. We're taking him in for emergency surgery.“
As the stretcher was wheeled out, Lilian exhaled the breath she had been holding in her lungs. Her brother would survive, but the lesson had been taught. And, more importantly, her mother was by her side.
”Thank you, gentlemen,“ Lilian said to the paramedics. ”You can take him now."
Juci insisted on accompanying the ambulance. Despite Lilian's concerns, there was no argument that would make her stay. Lilian just signaled to Charlie and Ana, instructing them not to leave their mother's side, even if the destination was a Legrand network hospital.
As the siren faded away, silence returned to the mansion.
Lilian took a deep breath and turned to the sofa. Her grandfather looked like he had aged ten years in ten minutes. Guilt gnawed at her.
“Grandpa...” Her voice came out soft. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause this chaos or ruin plans for our family dinner.”
Carlos looked up and smiled, a tired but affectionate smile.
“Lilian, don't apologize. It's not your fault. Josh sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind.” He sighed. “Now go home. Théo must be confused by the delay.”
Lilian nodded and stood up. But she stopped at the door, hesitant.
“Grandpa... come have dinner with us. Antonio has prepared a feast. I don't want you to stay here alone brooding over this.”
Carlos pondered for a second, but shook his head.
“Thank you, dear. But if you don't mind, I'll take my share of dinner to go.” He looked in the direction the ambulance had left. “I'm going to the hospital. I need to have one last conversation with your brother. He needs to understand that his world has changed forever.”
Lilian didn't insist. She knew her grandfather needed that closure.