Theo stood frozen.
He remembered gripping Gregory’s collar outside the operating room, demanding answers. And now, those words had come back at him.
It was because of his grudge against Gregory that he had been so desperate to take Anathea away. Other than wanting to protect her, his biggest motivation was to make Gregory regret it.
Gregory was always so cold and aloof. Even when their mutual friends died, Gregory hadn’t shed a single tear. He was like an unfeeling monster, so cold and heartless it made Theo furious.
So he had dragged Gregory to this remote place, hoping to keep him and Anathea apart for good. He wanted to see the regret on Gregory’s face when he rushed back, only to find the ward empty.
Everything had been driven by his selfishness.
But only at this moment did he realize just how foolish that mindset had been.
He had repeatedly attacked Gregory’s weakness, trying to make him feel his pain. Now he understood that he really was just a petty villain.
Regret overwhelmed Theo. He grabbed Gregory’s hand and asked in a trembling voice, “W–What do we do now?”
Gregory said nothing. His expression remained cold and unreadable.
Theo froze. A pang twisted in his gut.
Had Anathea been hurt because of him? But that was never his intention.
Adrian, watching Theo’s ashen face, shook his head with a sigh and patted his shoulder. “Relax. Gregory already has people secretly protecting Anathea.”
Theo suddenly came back to life. His eyes were full of surprise. “Who?”
“Thank you, Dr. Anderson.” Anathea nodded politely to Louie, who had just subdued the nurse.
“No big deal.” Louie handed the nurse over to the police. “You were quick to react.”
When the nurse had tried to lure Anathea into the elevator, the latter had sensed something was off and hadn’t followed.
It wasn’t that she doubted Theo. She just didn’t trust anyone around him.
The nurse immediately gave chase when she realized Anathea had run off. But just around the corner, she came face–to–face with a swarm of dark–clad bodyguards.
Anathea heard the nurse scream, then turned to see Louie leading the group that quickly overpowered the nurse.
Louie, who usually appeared gentle, didn’t hesitate. He took the knife–wielding nurse down with a clean throw over his shoulder.
“Did Gregory send you?” Anathea asked, but her tone made it more of a statement than a question.
Louie nodded. “You figured that out already?”
Anathea said nothing. Gregory’s words from last night had sounded like a farewell. He’d known she was leavi
So was he still trying to force her to stay?
Anathea frowned.
1/2
Chapter 466
“Greg asked me to take you to the airport,” Loule said. “He wants me to send you off.” Anathea was stunned. She almost thought she had misheard.
+25 BONUS
Back in the car heading to Castenea, Theo kept his head down but couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Is Anathea really okay?” “Don’t worry,” Adrian replied. “She’s safe with Louie and the bodyguards around.”
Besides Louie and the guards, Gregory had also left Martin behind at the hospital.
Almost all of Gregory’s trusted people were guarding Anathea to avoid repeating past mistakes.
Adrian glanced at his watch thoughtfully. “Loule should’ve already taken Anathea to the airport.”
“What?”
Theo was shocked. It took him a moment to realize, then he looked at Gregory. “Y–You were planning to let Anathea go all along?”
Gregory exhaled. “Yeah.”
“Otherwise, do you really think you could’ve fooled Greg with such a flimsy excuse?” Adrian slapped Theo on the shoulder.
“And those bodyguards had received strict orders. No one was allowed to leave Anathea’s ward without Greg’s command.”
So unless Gregory himself gave the order, no matter how meticulous Theo’s plans were, they were just empty words.
“But why?” Theo still didn’t understand.
Why had Gregory still chosen to let go when he was so pathologically obsessive?
Gregory looked out the window at the ever–changing scenery. When Anathea was in that room, she often looked out at the view like that.
When she saw birds flying free, her eyes always filled with envy. She wanted to be like those birds–free to roam the vast skies.
But back then, Gregory thought love meant holding her close and protecting her, even if that meant limiting her freedom, keeping her in the dark, and cutting her off from the world outside
