Chapter 172 The Truth of Those Years

Chapter 172 The Truth of Those Years

Astrid's face was pale, her lips trembling slightly. Thinking about all this, she pushed Silas away. Her expression became a mix of surprise and complexity as she spoke to Silas and Christopher.

"You two should go back first. I want to stay here until Uncle Rolf wakes up."

Silas glanced at Christopher without showing any emotion.

Christopher caught his look and opened his mouth, his voice somewhat unnatural. "Then I'll head back first. If you need anything, anything legal, call me anytime."

Astrid pressed her lips together and nodded.

Right now, she had only one wish - she desperately wanted to see Rolf and ask him what all of this was really about.

Why did he care for her when she was little, but distance himself when she grew up? Why did he kick her out of Starlight Gems, making her a laughingstock, only to risk his life to save her?

If he was really the one who loved Lillian, why did they separate?

What exactly happened back then?

Astrid clutched the photo album tightly in her hands. Her expression gradually became calm as she turned to walk upstairs. Sensing Silas behind her, she paused for a moment but said nothing.

There were guards at the ICU entrance who told them that, without the doctor's permission, no one could go in to visit. This was to let Rolf recover in peace.

Astrid sat on the bench by the door, waiting quietly.

The sky went from light to dark, then from dark to light again.

"Ms. Prescott, Rolf is awake." The nurse came to her with a serious expression and reminded her quietly, "His condition is very unstable right now. Whatever you do, don't upset him."

"The doctor said he could have major bleeding at any time. You'd better not stay too long."

Astrid's heart sank as she said softly, "I understand."

She couldn't quite describe what she was feeling right now.

"Go on in." Silas gripped her shoulders and looked at her. "Don't worry."

Inside the hospital room, a bunch of equipment made noise. It was kind of loud.

On the bed, Rolf's face was deathly pale, his lips completely colorless. A nurse was carefully using a cotton swab to moisten his lips with water.

Rolf's unfocused eyes gained a bit of light the moment he saw Astrid.

The gentle and refined Rolf, who once used the softest voice to say the cruelest things, no longer had that presence.

"Uncle Rolf," Astrid called out softly.

Rolf's gaze fell on her. It was unclear whether he forgot to look away or couldn't bear to look away.

"Thank you for saving me." Astrid's voice was choked with emotion.

Lillian had used her life to give birth to her, and Rolf had used his life to save her. To both of them, she was more important than their own lives.

Rolf weakly pulled at the corner of his mouth, showing a faint but genuine smile.

"Sit here and talk with me for a while." Rolf's voice was low and soft. Because of his injuries, he'd lost his usual vigor.

After the nurse finished moistening Rolf's mouth, she left.

Astrid sat in the seat closest to the head of the bed. She took out what she was holding and asked in confusion.

"What's the story with this photo album?"

Seeing the familiar cover, Rolf slowly turned his head to look at the ceiling with its single lamp. His expression seemed unusually peaceful.

"So you've seen it."

His voice was soft and gentle, his thoughts drifting into memories.

"I've been wanting to find a chance to tell you."

"I didn't expect this day would come so soon."

Rolf's tone made Astrid instantly recall her childhood - the way he looked when he played with her in her memories was just as gentle.

All the adults would stand and scold her, but only Lillian, Rolf, and Garth would crouch down to be at eye level with her.

So the person who was in love with Lillian really was Rolf.

Back then, they were inseparable, both thinking they would spend their lives together, when something happened.

Somehow, Arthur heard that Lillian had a gemstone. Rumor had it that the stone was magical and worth a fortune. Everyone wanted it but couldn't afford it, yet countless people desired it.

One day, when Rolf wasn't home, Arthur used the excuse of looking for him to find Lillian, and raped her.

When Rolf found out, his heart filled with grief and rage. He got into a fight with Arthur, but Lillian refused to see him anymore.

Catherine had long admired Arthur. Seeing Lillian with Arthur, she confronted him. Arthur said that only by getting that gemstone and having Lillian's status to rely on could he establish himself in the Prescott family and gain real power at Prescott Jewelers.

Jealousy drove Catherine mad. She contacted foreign gangs and worked with them to steal the gemstone and get rid of Lillian.

Lillian appeared to be seriously ill, but it was actually a psychological illness and chronic poisoning.

After Rolf learned that Lillian had married Arthur, she was depressed all the time. Only after Astrid was born did his mood gradually improve.

But he never expected Lillian to die so young.

His instinct told him that Lillian's death wasn't that simple, so he followed the trail and tracked down the foreign forces, using his own methods to crush them.

During the time Rolf was away from the country, Lillian had just passed away. Astrid lived like an orphan, struggling to survive each day under Catherine's abuse. Arthur completely ignored her, and even when he saw her suffering, he thought it was Astrid's fault.

"Seeing you become like that, I really regretted it. I blamed myself." When Rolf said this, his eyes became moist.

Having just been injured, he didn't know how much longer he could live.

If he didn't tell Astrid the truth now, he might never get another chance.

"When I heard that Catherine was starting to test you, and those foreign forces were coming after you again, I guessed you might be in danger."

"To keep them from noticing, I kept waiting in the shadows for them to make a move. And to keep you from getting involved, that's why I came up with the idea of kicking you out of Starlight Gems."

"As long as you had no connection to the Prescott family, and went abroad where my people could secretly protect you, you would live an easier, freer life."

Hearing this, Astrid opened her mouth, too shocked to speak.

She had no idea that Rolf had already planned out every step for her, and she had misunderstood his motives.

As Rolf mentioned the past, his expression grew paler and dimmer.

"It's my fault. I didn't protect Lillian. If I had seen through Arthur's bad intentions earlier, I never would have let him succeed. Lillian wouldn't have left me so soon."

"And now, I haven't even taken good care of her only beloved daughter."

"I've failed your mother."

When Rolf said this, he closed his eyes. A tear rolled silently down from the corner of his eye.

The surrounding equipment beeped emotionlessly.

Learning the whole story, Astrid's emotions couldn't settle for a long time. So Rolf had been secretly protecting her all along and had planned everything for her.