Chapter 144: Rewind time.
Days bled into weeks, and soon, a full month had passed.
Yet Augustine remained unmoving—still lying on the hospital bed, still lost in silence, still not awake.
Mrs. Wales had spent every day of the past month by her son’s side, refusing to leave him for more than a few hours.
When exhaustion finally won, she would returned home to rest, leaving Mr. Wales to keep watch.
Sometimes it takes three days for exhibition to creep into Mrs. Wales and after leaving the hospital, she spends just a day at home and then returned to the hospital.
It became a natural occurrence for her.
Currently, the hospital room was quiet, filled only with the soft hum of machines—until the phone of Mr. Wales suddenly rang, slicing through the stillness like a blade.
It was a call from Charles Donald.
Swiftly, Mr. Wales picked up the phone call and placed it beside his ear.
"Good evening, Mr. Wales," Charles greeted, his voice low and uncertain, as though the weight of guilt still clung to his throat.
His voice had came over from the other end of the phone call.
Charles had just clocked out of work and knew Mr. Wales was the only one at the hospital.
It had become a silent routine—whenever Mrs. Wales wasn’t around, Charles would visit.
Mrs. Wales still couldn’t stand the sight of Charles, so anytime she returned home to rest, Mr. Wales would quietly inform Charles of her absence, giving him the chance to slip into the hospital room without confrontation.
Tonight, however, it was Charles who made the call first.
It had already been five long days since he last saw Augustine—five days of aching to be near him, of being shut out because Mrs. Wales hadn’t left the hospital even once.
Her constant presence made it impossible for Charles to visit, and the distance was eating him alive.
"Charles, are you done with your night shift?" Mr. Wales asked, his voice soft through the receiver.
From the other end, Charles gave a quick nod, even though it couldn’t be seen. "I’m done with my shift for today," he replied quietly.
Then, after a brief pause, he added more boldly, "Is your wife still at the hospital? I miss Augustine already... and I really want to come over."
Mr. Wales smiled faintly. "My wife’s gone back home, so you can come over," he said. "Besides, I have a friend to visit tonight... so you’ll be spending the entire night with my son—alone."
Charles beamed with joy. "Thank you so much, Mr. Wales. I’ll be there in the next thirty minutes," he said quickly before ending the call.
Without wasting a second, Charles grabbed a blanket, threw on a hoodie, and stepped out of the mansion, his heart pounding with anticipation.
Stepping outside the mansion building, Charles hailed a cab and instructed the driver to stop by a flower shop.
There, he carefully selected a bouquet of rose flowers before returning to the cab.
With the flowers resting gently on his lap, the driver continued the journey, heading straight for the hospital.
Stepping down from the cab, Charles paid for the ride and headed straight toward Augustine’s hospital room.
Upon arrival, he found Mr. Wales standing by the door with a warm smile tugging at his lips.
"You brought flowers again?" he asked, a soft grin spreading across his face.
Charles bit his lower lip, nodding his head. "I know the flower from five days ago was starting to wither, so I thought I’d bring a fresh one."
"Hahaha," Mr. Wales chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.
He paused, taking a deep breath, before shifting his gaze from Charles to Augustine.
For a brief moment, Mr. Wales eyes lingered on his son, filled with concern, before he looked back at Charles, his smile softening.
"I have to go, so please take care of my son," Mr. Wales mumbled before giving Charles a small nod.
Charles responded with a slight nod of his own, watching as Mr. Wales stepped out of the room.
After the door softly clicked shut, Charles walked over to the bedside table.
He carefully removed the wilting flower from the vase, his fingers brushing against the petals as he tossed it into the trash.
The gesture was simple, but it felt like he was slowly making a fresh start for Augustine, as though he was silently willing him to wake up.
Charles gently placed the fresh rose into the flower vase, the sweet scent filling the air.
He exhaled deeply, his chest tight with emotion.
Taking a seat beside Augustine’s bed, Charles gazed down at the peaceful, pale face of the man he cared for.
Charles heart ached as he leaned closer. "If... If I’m being honest, I regret the way I always treated you."
Charles voice wavered slightly, the weight of his words hanging in the air.
He reached out with his index finger, brushing the strands of hair that had fallen across Augustine’s forehead, tucking them gently behind his ear.
The simple gesture felt like an apology, one he wished he could’ve given earlier.
"I’ve always heard that it’s best... it’s best to cherish what you have, because when you lose it, you’ll regret not doing so," Charles murmured, his voice soft and tinged with regret.
His index finger traced gently from Augustine’s hair, moving down to his brow, carefully arranging the strands as if trying to fix everything he had broken.
"I love you Augustine Wales, and... and I wish I had said it sooner," Charles stated as his words trailed one after the other. "You’re the only man who’s ever made my heart race like that... and now it just hurts..."
Charles’s voice broke as tears brimmed in his eyes.
He slowly withdrew his hand from Augustine’s brow, then leaned forward, wrapping his arms around him and resting his head gently on Augustine’s chest, hoping to feel a heartbeat—any sign he was still holding on.
"It hurts that I’m the reason you’re here," Charles whispered, his voice cracking as the tears spilled freely. "I hate that I put you... I put you in this condition because of my stupid choices, and I... I... I’m terrified of losing you," Charles choked out, his tears soaking through Augustine’s hospital gown as he held him tighter, clinging to the hope that his words might somehow reach him.
"Ohh," a familiar voice purred.