Chapter 144 Psychological Trauma

Chapter 144 Psychological Trauma
Dr. Henry shook his head frantically.
His neck was clamped tight. 
Despair and suffocation swirled together, causing his face to turn purple and contort. 
All he could do was struggle desperately to pry Ethan’s hands away.
Finally, Dr. Henry managed to gasp for air and spoke with great difficulty, “I didn’t drug her! Miss Hayes witnessed her father’s death with her own eyes. She’s suffering from post-traumatic stress, which has triggered selective amnesia."
Ethan lowered his blue eyes and stared at Dr. Henry thoughtfully for a moment. "You know what happens to people who lie to me, don’t you?"
Dr. Henry shuddered with fear. 
How could he dare pull any tricks or lie to Ethan?
Ethan casually flung him aside. 
Dr. Henry clumsily tumbled to the floor, gasping for breath.
He scrambled to his feet and hurriedly explained, "Miss Hayes's selective amnesia is essentially a self-protection mechanism triggered by the physical and psychological shock of certain extreme events, causing her to forget certain unpleasant experiences."
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly. “So her memory is currently frozen at the point before I first brought her from the church to this apartment on St. Island? She thinks her father is still alive?”
Dr. Henry nodded nervously, afraid of provoking this volatile man again.
Ethan leaned against the railing of the rooftop garden and took a drag on his cigarette. 
The smoke drifted away in the night breeze. 
“When will she recover?”
Dr. Henry chose his words carefully. "It's hard to say at this point. She might suddenly snap out of it one day, or she might remain stuck at this stage forever."
Ethan’s piercing blue eyes seemed to pierce the panoramic, floor-to-ceiling glass wall and look into the room where Lydia was.
Seeing that he hadn’t spoken, Dr. Henry hesitated before saying, "Mr. Edwards, didn't you previously want Miss Hayes to forget everyone and everything? She hasn’t managed to forget you as you wished, but isn’t it for the best that she’s forgotten her father’s death and all those unpleasant memories?”
Ethan snapped back to reality upon hearing these words.
He shot him a sidelong glance, his tone laced with skepticism. "Are you sure she’s truly forgotten?”
Dr. Henry gave a wry smile and replied, "If you don't trust me, you're welcome to have another doctor examine Miss Hayes."
Ethan’s eyes narrowed, his gaze sweeping over Henry like a knife. “You’re not even afraid of death anymore, are you?”
Dr. Henry rubbed his still-aching neck and said with a grimace, "I'm just telling the truth. Anyway, if you want me dead, I won’t live past tomorrow.”
Ethan snorted, his jawline taut and sharp.
He crushed his cigarette against the railing viciously and strode inside with long strides. 
He pressed the button on his earpiece and gave a few instructions. “Boris, tonight…”
After finishing, he turned off the earpiece and walked briskly into the room. 
His gaze swept over Lydia on the sofa, and his voice softened. "Sweetie, come here. Let Uncle hug you." 
Ever since Dr. Henry finished examining her, Lydia had sat on the sofa in a daze, her chin resting on her knees.
Her vacant gaze was fixed on the glass on the coffee table. 
Hearing Ethan’s voice, she immediately straightened her back and turned to look at him with a slight smile. 
She remained seated on the sofa, awkwardly extending her legs to the floor.
"Mr. Edwards, I can’t stay here too long. Mom and Dad will worry about me," Lydia said, betraying no sign of unease. "I need to go back to the hotel."
Ethan’s gaze fixed on her as he scrutinized her.
He strode over and sat down beside her.
He rested his elbow on the back of the sofa and turned to look at her.
"Baby, you went shopping yesterday and happened to run into Davies’s sister-in-law, so you spent the night at the Davies' last night. You’ll be back in a few days.”
"Huh?" Lydia tilted her head to look at him. 
Her round eyes still held a trace of bewilderment as she struggled to process what he had said. 
Ethan’s gaze was dark and intense as he fixed it on her face, scrutinizing her.
Lydia simply furrowed her delicate brows and pouted. "You’re lying, aren’t you? You're using the Davies family as an excuse to deceive my parents again."
Did she really not remember?
The corners of Ethan’s lips twitched slightly. 
A wave of warmth radiated from his palm as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her slender waist.
With a gentle yet irresistible pull, he held her so tightly that she couldn't struggle. 
Her body went limp, and she collapsed into his broad embrace.
Ethan rested his chin on her hair. 
His breath, now light, now heavy, brushed the back of her ear and sent a tingling sensation down her neck.
Lydia flinched slightly.
He said with a smile, "So just settle in. From now on, this is your home. Do whatever you want here—as long as it makes you happy.”
Lydia’s ears burned. 
She lowered her eyes, avoiding his lips, and a voice drifted from her throat. "This isn't my home."