Chapter 281 Have You Ever Seen a Doctor
The bodyguards all stepped back, clearing a path for Ambrose.
When Ambrose finally reached the car, William, sitting on the roof, said softly,
"I'm really scared of you."
To Ambrose, the words felt like an insult.
The hatred in his eyes deepened.
William shook his head. "It's not time yet. You're not ready."
No one understood what he meant.
William wasn't about to tell him that his own body was close to failing. Even if Ambrose didn't kill him, he didn't have much time left.
But he couldn't afford to die now.
Juniper had just found out she was pregnant, and he wanted her to experience the pain of losing a child, too.
William had always believed that only then would his punishment of Juniper be complete.
So he couldn't die yet. He had to wait for her belly to swell, day by day.
When he finished this last thing, he could help Ambrose get what he wanted.
Wasn't the man standing in front of him just as wretched as he was?
Ambrose had sacrificed so much for Isabella, given so much.
He had poured almost everything a man could give into Isabella.
William felt a real stab of envy for the Ambrose in front of him.
Since Isabella's death, the entire world had seemed guilty in William's eyes.
And yet, there were still a few fools in this world who were stupid enough to stay pure and kind.
William couldn't quite bring himself to hurt.
"Go."
"Come find me when the time is right."
"Stay alive. Live well."
Even Ambrose was taken aback to hear William say that.
He stared straight at William, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him.
"I really don't want to make things difficult for you," William said flatly.
Even with all his wealth and power, he couldn't go back and change the past.
Among all those mistakes that could never be undone, Ambrose had suffered no less than anyone else because of him.
But William didn't want to say anything about regret.
Regret was useless—he had already tried.
He regretted it every single night.
Every morning, when he opened his eyes and saw Isabella's body, his remorse was impossible to hide.
But no matter how much he suffered or tortured himself, nothing could be saved.
The ending had already been written.
Isabella was already dead.
Little by little, William had come to understand Donny's way of thinking.
But understanding was one thing—he wasn't going to change.
Whether it was Isla or Juniper, as long as he was still alive,
they could only wash away his sins with their pain.
Ambrose stared at William for a long time.
Then he suddenly snapped and rushed forward, trying to climb onto the car and drag William down.
But as soon as he got close, the bodyguards grabbed his arms and legs and slammed him to the ground.
His face was ground into the dirty earth, the reek of mud and dust filling his nose.
Ambrose felt like he had been pressed into the dirt itself.
In the soil in front of him, he saw a single green blade of grass, crushed flat.
It was right there, at eye level.
Ambrose let out a bitter laugh. He was just like that blade of grass now, trampled almost flat.
He heard William's voice from above.
"Send him back."
"Remember what I said—don't let him die."
"If anything happens to him, you'll all die with him."
Though the bodyguards looked troubled, two of them still dragged Ambrose away and drove far from the overpass.
More than eighty homeless men had taken turns with her, one after another.
Juniper collapsed on the ground, her whole body as limp as mud.
She didn't even have the strength left to move a finger.
And yet, somewhere inside, Juniper still felt lucky—she had survived.
As long as he didn't let her die, William could do whatever he wanted.
A few bodyguards rinsed Juniper off with river water.
Juniper lay on the ground, letting bucket after bucket of water crash over her face, chest, and legs.
She just let it all happen.
In the end, someone had to pick her up and carry her to the car.
By the time they got back to the villa, it was already five in the afternoon.
William watched his men carry Juniper into the cage.
Looking at her lying there like a discarded puppet, he noticed there was actually a smile on her lips.
William personally took a bag of dog food and scattered a handful into her bowl.
He called to her twice. Juniper's eyes moved, but her exhausted body couldn't respond at all.
Only then did William nod in satisfaction and turn his gaze to Isla.
Since that night when she broke down, Isla had only become more and more dull to him.
She wouldn't eat or drink, wouldn't speak, wouldn't even seem to react.
She just curled up in the corner of the cage, neck tilted, mouth slightly open.
Drool dribbled from the corners of her mouth, annoying William.
He stepped closer and peered into those lifeless eyes.
"Don't you want to see your own daughter?"
A cruel smile tugged at the corner of William's mouth.
But Isla seemed unable to hear him at all.
She just hugged her legs and stayed curled up, drool still sliding uncontrollably from her lips.
"Don't you want to see your husband?"
William raised the stakes.
Still, Isla didn't move.
"Aren't you afraid he'll see those videos?"
Getting nothing from her, William stood up, bored.
He glanced at the people beside him and said coldly,
"If she starves herself to death, none of you will live either."
The subordinates traded looks, at a loss.
However excessive William's order was, they had no right to object.
After exchanging glances, they could only open the cage and drag the vacant-eyed Isla out.
One man pried her mouth open while another stuffed dog food into it.
Isla let them move her like a doll. After the food was shoved into her mouth, she just held it there, jaw slack.
So another man grabbed her hair and her chin, forcing her jaw up and down, making her chew.
Saliva and mushy dog food spilled from the corners of Isla's mouth.
Even William found the sight disgusting, but he didn't look away.
Forced through the motions of chewing, Isla suddenly coughed and spat all the half-chewed food back out.
The subordinates' faces darkened as they repeated the same steps.
This time, they changed tactics—tilting Isla's head back, yanking on her chin and hair to make her bite a few times, then pouring water into her mouth.
This time, the food finally slid down Isla's throat.
Only then did they let go.
Isla crumpled to the ground, still motionless.
In the end, they tossed her back into the cage.
William frowned as he watched, then turned his gaze to Dylan.
"Have you found a doctor?"