Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 31 - Chapitre 40

Arlene's POV The garden was beginning to look different. I noticed it while kneeling beside one of the flowerbeds that afternoon, carefully pulling out a few stubborn weeds that had grown around the plants. When I first came here, this place had looked forgotten. The flowers had been overgrown, the soil was dry in some places, and weeds had practically taken over everything.Now, there were tiny splashes of colour scattered throughout the garden. The first flowers I had planted were beginning to bloom.I sat back on my heels and stared at them, unable to hide the smile spreading across my face. Some of the flowers were still small, their petals barely opening, but seeing them there filled me with an unreasonable amount of pride."I actually did it," I whispered.I reached out carefully and touched one of the petals. It was strange how something so simple could make me feel accomplished. I was still admiring the flowers when I heard footsteps approaching.I turned around and saw Judi

Arlene's POV For a few seconds, I couldn't understand what I was seeing. I blinked slowly, trying to make sense of the figure sitting beside my bed. My head felt heavy, and everything around me seemed slightly blurred.Simone was actually sitting there in his wheelchair, adjacent to my bed. I stared at him without saying anything, wondering if the fever had finally gotten to my head.Maybe I was hallucinating.It wouldn't have been surprising considering how hot I felt. Besides, Simone had never been inside my room before, and we hadn't properly spoken in days. The last time we had seen each other, I had practically walked out of his room without saying goodbye. So why would he suddenly be here?He stretched his hand and it rested against my forehead, "You're burning up."His voice sounded so real that I slowly frowned, "Simone? Is this really you?"He wore a weird expression on his face but never took his eyes off me."Yes."I blinked again in realization, "Oh. You're real.”He ra

Simone's POV I listened quietly as Arlene spoke, and the more she revealed about her childhood, the more difficult it became to reconcile the woman beside me with the cheerful, stubborn woman I had come to know.But I noticed what she was trying to hide. A tear slipped down the side of her face and disappeared into the pillow.She quickly wiped it away and another followed. This time, she turned her face slightly, as though hoping I hadn't noticed.I had.I turned onto my side to face her."Arlene."She looked at me and immediately tried to smile, "I'm fine. It's just…”Without thinking too much about it, I reached for her and pulled her gently towards me. In shock, she stiffened for a moment. Then a few seconds later, she relaxed.Her head rested against my chest, and her arms slowly wrapped around me. I held her quietly, allowing her to cry without making her feel as though she needed to explain herself."It's all in the past now," I murmured, running my hand gently over her hair.

Arlene's POV After breakfast, Arlene eventually returned to her room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I remained by the window for a while, watching her disappear into the hallway before finally wheeling myself back towards my desk.Her words from earlier kept replaying in my mind:“Maybe you can work on making that possible soon enough.”I had spent years refusing to even consider it, yet somehow, hearing her say it so casually had made the idea feel less impossible.I rested my hands on the wheels of my chair and stared at my legs.What would happen if I actually walked again?If I started walking, would everything change?Would my father suddenly start treating me like the son he had always wanted me to become? Would he expect me to return to the company, attend meetings, take over responsibilities I had spent years avoiding and eventually become the successor he had always planned for?The thought made something tighten in my chest. I had spent years protecting myself from tha

Arlene's POV The entry continued,"I pray Simone never finds out about any of this. He is too young, and I don't want him growing up believing that his father never wanted him or that his family was falling apart because of him. I want to protect him for as long as I can.""I've made up my mind. I cannot stay here forever. One day, I will take Simone away from this house. Somewhere Theodore cannot reach us. Somewhere my son can grow up without constantly looking over his shoulder.""I have started saving money. I will save as much as I possibly can. If the day comes when I have to leave, I need enough to take care of Simone and myself. I don't know when that day will come, but I need to be prepared."So Simone's mother had actually planned to leave and take him away with her. I looked down at the journal, suddenly feeling as though I had stumbled upon something I had no right to know.Simone had told me about his childhood, his father, his mother's depression and the accident. But he