Chapter 71
Not good, not good at all.
"Walter, I've never expected you to marry me." Nora smiled with difficulty, tears stubbornly welling up in her eyes. "Just hide me away, keep me hidden, and I'll be good."
As long as you're willing to call off the engagement, as long as you're willing to publicly admit the bullies are guilty.
She would give herself to him, body and soul.
Walter reached out and pulled Nora into his arms, holding her tight.
"Nori, give me some time to think."
Walter's voice was hoarse. For a moment, he actually wanted to agree to Nora's request without caring about anything else.
To take her home and hide her away.
"Give me an answer at the Chamber of Commerce dinner." Nora knew Walter was smart.
He knew what Nora wanted.
She wanted Walter to use the bullies' guilt as an excuse to cut ties with the Clark family.
This was the most suitable reason and excuse she could find for Walter.
Hospital.
The doctor carefully examined Nora's condition, his expression serious. "Your ear injury is so severe, why aren't you taking better care of it?"
Nora just lowered her head and said nothing.
"Your left ear has permanent hearing damage."
Nora looked up at the doctor numbly. "If someone causes disability, will the punishment be more severe?"
The doctor sighed. "Of course, the forensic examiner will assess the injury based on how serious it is."
Nora made a sound of acknowledgment and continued sitting there numbly.
Outside the examination room, Walter's face looked terrible as he watched the video of Nora being bullied five years ago, over and over again.
"Mr. Wood, you should take this opportunity to call off the engagement with the Clark family." Royce spoke softly.
Walter glanced at Royce coldly and said nothing.
Royce lowered his head, feeling a pang in his chest.
If Walter didn't call off the engagement, the Wood family would definitely get involved in this matter. After all, if the Clark family had a scandal, it would also be bad for the Wood family.
Once Walter got involved in Pearl's situation, Nora definitely wouldn't be able to accept it.
She was already pitiful enough. What had she done wrong?
Just as Walter was about to say something, his phone rang.
It was Walter's grandfather, Noah Wood.
Walter took a deep breath and got up to go to the stairwell.
Obviously, the Clark family had already gotten the news and contacted Noah right away.
Royce was a bit worried. Walter wasn't afraid of anything or anyone, except he respected his grandfather Noah.
He wouldn't go against Noah's wishes.
"Ms. Adams." Seeing Nora come out of the examination room, Royce quickly ran over and handed her a bottle of warm water.
Nora took the water and said thank you as usual.
Royce smiled and sat down next to Nora awkwardly. "Ms. Adams, you didn't do anything wrong. Don't worry about those videos online. Mr. Wood has already taken action. All those videos have been taken down, and the links won't open anymore."
Nora didn't say anything.
"Don't pay attention to those comments. Victim-blaming is wrong to begin with. You didn't do anything wrong—the bullies are the ones who are wrong." Royce didn't know how to comfort her. He didn't have the ability to protect Nora, so he could only try to console her.
Nora smiled at Royce. "Thank you."
Royce was startled and felt his ears turning red.
When Nora smiled, she was really beautiful.
Even now.
"How's your ear?" Royce quickly changed the subject.
"Permanent hearing damage, can't be fixed." Nora said it calmly. She liked quiet anyway, so this was fine.
She still had her right ear to hear things.
"Nora." Royce took a deep breath, his fingers clenching. "Don't get your hopes up too much about Mr. Walter Wood. The marriage between the Wood family and the Clark family isn't as simple as you think. It involves the relationship between the Wood family and the Clark family. Plus, Mr. Noah Wood hasn't completely handed over power yet, so Mr. Walter Wood, he..."
Nora understood what Royce was getting at and lowered her eyes, continuing her silence.
She hadn't really had much hope for herself to begin with.
Her body wasn't worth that much.
Not enough for Walter to completely break with the Clark family.
She laughed at herself and stood up, walking toward the hospital exit.
After finishing his call, Walter's expression remained grim.
He glanced at Royce. "Where's Nora?"
"Ms. Adams said she was going out for some air." Royce placed the examination results in Walter's hands. "Permanent hearing damage, can't be fixed. Severe depression and anxiety, multiple suicide attempts, and the anxiety and depression have started showing physical symptoms..."
Walter held the examination results, his breathing painful.
He ran out of the hospital in a panic, looking everywhere for Nora.
In the pavilion, Nora sat on a bench in thin clothing, looking at the frozen lake.
Silverlight City was snowing again.
According to Yasmin and the others, this might be Silverlight City's last snow, because spring was coming soon.
New Year was approaching.
---
During her twenty years with the Adams family, Nora looked forward to New Year every year.
Because every New Year's Day, Aiden would put a lot of thought into giving her the most amazing gifts.
Nora loved fireworks, and Aiden would hold a fireworks show every year and take her to see the sky full of fireworks.
Her gaze drifted as Nora reached out to catch a snowflake falling outside the pavilion.
The snowflakes were big, not like in Emerald City, where it almost never snowed.
Even when it did snow, it was just small ice pellets.
"Nora, do you still want to go back to school?" Walter walked over and asked softly.
He wanted to do his best to make it up to Nora.
"I was a sophomore when I went to prison, and my student status was revoked. How can I go back to school?" Nora shook her head.
She didn't want to go back to school anyway.
In a few days, she would be twenty-seven.
She laughed sarcastically and leaned on the railing to watch the snow. "Walter, are you busy? If you are, you should go."
She wanted to be alone. The hospital environment was really quiet.
"I'll stay with you." Walter wrapped his coat around Nora and took the scarf Royce handed him to wrap around her too.
Nora moved her lips but said nothing in the end.
"You were once a talented young woman in Emerald City. Why don't you try taking the SAT again?" Walter knew that Nora's situation was such a waste, really such a waste.
Nora's eyes reddened as she pointed to her head. "I forgot. I forgot everything."
She no longer had the good memory she used to have.
More than ten MECT treatments had made Nora's memory fuzzy, her memory worse, and she had become numb and slow.
Walter took a deep breath, realizing he had upset Nora again, and held her hand.
"It will get better."
Nora didn't say anything, nor did she ask Walter what he would choose.
Since she had given Walter seven days, she would wait.
---
Once Pearl's situation came out, the internet erupted in mockery. At first, people blamed the bullies, but when someone deliberately steered public opinion toward Nora stealing the life of a rich young lady, all the comments changed.
They were all cursing Nora like crazy, saying she got what she deserved, that it was her own fault.
Obviously, someone was deliberately manipulating public opinion online.
"Did you find out who?" Walter asked coldly.
Royce lowered his head. "It might be the Adams family."
The Adams family and the Clark family had a good relationship. They were trying to use public opinion to save Pearl.
"Suppress all the negative comments!" Walter's face looked terrible.
"Mr. Wood, as long as you don't cancel the engagement with the Clark family, we can't suppress it." Royce spoke up boldly.
Walter's steps paused, and he rubbed his temples. "I can make it up to her in other ways."