CHAPTER 436: CHAPTER 436: DEPRESSION

Charlotte, with her back to him, was searching for ingredients in the fridge and said, "Finish this meal and leave. Don’t come looking for me again."

Ronan didn’t know how much truth or falsehood was in her words, but either way, they were quite hurtful.

He always knew she harbored many stories, and he didn’t deliberately dig into them. He thought that one day, when they grew closer, she would willingly confide in him, and only then would he learn about her past.

Ronan thought, maybe he was too hasty, and she wasn’t ready to open up yet.

So he put the ring away, stood behind her for a few seconds without saying anything, and silently returned to the living room.

Listening to the sounds of her preparing the meal in the kitchen, Ronan slowly calmed himself down.

The meal was served. She set the table and started eating by herself.

Ronan picked up his chopsticks, took a sip from his bowl, and asked her, "Are you going to restock this afternoon?"

Charlotte paused in her action of picking up food, shook her head, and replied, "I haven’t been selling flowers lately."

"Changing careers?"

Charlotte was silent for a moment and just responded casually, "I want to take a break for a while."

Ronan nodded, "It’s good that you suddenly thought of it. I’m almost done with my work lately. Is there anywhere you want to go? I’ll take you out for a bit?"

Charlotte looked at him, put down her spoon, and said to him, "Don’t waste your efforts on me. I won’t marry you."

Ronan furrowed his brow, stuffing a large mouthful of food into his mouth as he said, "It’s not up to you unless you give me a reason compelling enough to convince me."

Charlotte: "Reason? It’s simple, I don’t like you."

Ronan chuckled, "Even if you have a reason to reject me, there’s no need to find such a poor excuse to brush me off, right?"

Charlotte was momentarily stunned, then lowered her head to continue eating without saying anything further.

Ronan said, "Maybe I was too hasty. If you’re not ready to get married yet, that’s okay. I’ll wait for you. When you’re ready to get married, let me know, and I’ll arrange everything. Hmm?"

Charlotte lowered her head, not speaking, feeling a dull pain in her heart.

After the meal, Ronan left and didn’t return that night.

Charlotte sat alone in the cold, lonely living room, a place she’d always been used to, but it felt oddly unfamiliar now that he was gone.

Looking at the bouquet of roses on the coffee table, recalling the words he said when he proposed to her with a beautiful ring.

It was so heartwarming, making her want to nod and agree, making her willing to believe in love and men again. However, the words from the doctor during her check-up in the morning seemed like an unbreakable curse on her remaining life, dooming her never to attain the happiness she wanted.

And clearly, she who was used to being alone, began harboring desires she shouldn’t have...

For the next two days, he didn’t appear.

She didn’t know if he had returned to his former life, surrounded by different women. She thought maybe he never lacked company.

She found a dusty vase from a corner, cleaned it, and arranged the flowers he brought, hoping they would bloom a little longer.

The antidepressant medication, uninterrupted since that night, had recently increased in frequency.

Keeping herself locked in this dim, sunlight-less room, she was unwilling to go anywhere.

Deep into the night, she stared at the bottle of sleeping pills in her hand, not knowing for how long.

Rising, she picked up the cold boiled water from the coffee table, poured out two white pills, and swallowed them, praying for a good night’s sleep.

Ronan, over the past two or three days, handled his business at the company, managing to negotiate a week off from Landon Sutton.

Thankfully, Simon Rhodes returned to the company, making the vacation request successful.

He planned to use this week to properly accompany Charlotte, hoping she would share her concerns with him, and that they could finalize their relationship soon.

After working late into the morning, he didn’t indulge in extra sleep.

Changing into casual yet appropriate clothes, he left the house around seven.

Bringing breakfast for Charlotte, he found no one at home.

Her phone was off, and as he sat on the sofa waiting for her return, he noticed the bottle of white pills on the coffee table.

Sleeping pills?

He was initially startled, but then thought, for someone as stubborn and hardworking as Charlotte, suicide was definitely impossible.

However, the fact that she needed sleeping pills surprised him; he had always thought of her as someone carefree, with a cheerful personality from their banter.

His gaze fell on the slightly ajar drawer beneath the coffee table, and he reached to open it, finding numerous medications inside.

Apart from common cold medicine, there was a medication with a name he seemed to have heard before but wasn’t familiar with.

He searched it online on his phone, finding it was an antidepressant, which surprised him.

Why would antidepressant medication be in her drawer? Could she have depression?

Looking again at the bottle of sleeping pills on the table, Ronan felt uneasy immediately.

He checked the bottle; more than half were left, so she hadn’t done anything rash.

It was hard to imagine her being associated with depression; clearly, he cared and understood too little about her.

He hadn’t contacted her for two days, hoping to give her time to think about their relationship.

But now he was starting to fear; he shouldn’t have left her alone. Who knew what thoughts might cross her mind when alone?

Ronan sat on the sofa, gazing at the still unreachable phone, pondering where he should look for her.

Besides knowing her flower-selling address and home address, he had no idea about her whereabouts.

In the midst of the chaos in his mind, he suddenly recalled the scene of their first meeting.

In the hospital elevator, he could still remember her crying...

And after getting to know her, he almost forgot about it.

Because aside from that time, he never saw her shed a single tear again.

No matter how tough life was, she always appeared optimistic and lively.

Ronan left her house and drove to the hospital where they first met.

He relied on acquaintances to inquire about Charlotte’s records and promptly got a response.

"Miss Sheffield seems to be undergoing a check-up at the hospital now."

Ronan: "Right now?"

The doctor nodded, "Yes, the results aren’t out yet, but we have her previous medical history here."

Ronan: "Let’s hear it."

The doctor hesitated, "We’re not at liberty to disclose patient privacy."

Ronan: "I’m her boyfriend, it’s fine to tell me."

Doctor: "Then you should know that Miss Sheffield has depression, right? She’s been coming for both psychological counseling and treatment frequently recently, indicating her condition seems to have worsened."