CHAPTER 449: CHAPTER 449: EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED

Ronan Rhodes didn’t think too badly, just assumed it was a quarrel between the siblings that turned unpleasant.

But he knew that emotional fluctuations weren’t a small matter for Charlotte Sheffield, so after stepping out of the elevator, he hurried to the door.

When he opened the door and saw the scene in the living room, he was shocked.

All movement froze at that moment, his mind went blank for a few seconds, and then Jasper Sutton’s actions toward Charlotte Sheffield surfaced in his mind.

Heartache, anger, regret...

Without bothering to change his shoes, he walked toward Charlotte Sheffield, looking lifeless on the sofa, with a grim expression.

He covered her body with his suit jacket, unwilling to look any longer at the marks he left on her.

"Charlotte..." he called her name but didn’t know how to comfort her.

She opened her eyes, but her gaze was hollow, as if she had isolated herself from the outside world.

Ronan Rhodes picked her up, carried her into the bathroom, placed her in the bathtub, and wiped her body with a towel repeatedly.

She, who had been unresponsive, suddenly raised her eyes to look at him.

At the moment their eyes met, Ronan Rhodes stiffened, opened his mouth to say something but couldn’t make a sound.

She suddenly sat up and hugged him tightly.

Ronan paused, reached for a towel, wrapped it around her, and naturally lifted her out of the bathtub.

"I’m sorry... I didn’t protect you well."

He hadn’t expected that in less than an hour of his absence, such a thing would happen, nor did he realize Charlotte Sheffield hated her brother so much because of this.

Perhaps this wasn’t the first time he’d done such a thing to her; her depression likely stemmed from Jasper Sutton.

He blamed himself for not caring enough, blamed himself for being overly cautious and not talking to her about it, for not patiently asking why she resisted her brother so much.

If she had told him everything, perhaps he could have been more vigilant, protecting her better, and maybe the nightmare wouldn’t have repeated.

He now really wanted to find Jasper Sutton, regretting that he hadn’t punched him hard when he met him in the elevator.

But he knew that more than teaching Jasper Sutton a lesson, Charlotte Sheffield needed companionship right now.

She clung to him desperately, unwilling to let go, as if seeking a sense of safety.

"It’s okay now, Charlotte, don’t be afraid."

Charlotte Sheffield seemed still immersed in her own world, neither crying nor making a fuss, and didn’t speak.

He worried whether the wedding tomorrow could proceed as planned if she continued like this.

He feared even more that she might not come out of this for a long time.

Ronan Rhodes texted someone to bring in her psychologist, hoping to provide some guidance.

After about ten minutes, the doctor came out of the room.

Sitting on the living room sofa, Ronan immediately put out his cigarette and approached to ask, "How is she?"

The doctor looked troubled and sighed, "She won’t say anything, but such an incident must have caused her significant harm; it’s truly pitiable."

Ronan furrowed his brows, glanced at the bedroom door, and quietly asked the doctor, "Can you tell me what issues she’s consulted you about?"

The doctor pursed his lips and said, "I won’t hide it from you anymore. Charlotte has become quite familiar with me. She’s had depression for two or three years, but she was always quite cooperative with treatment, so her condition was previously well controlled."

"Is her illness... because of her brother?"

The doctor took a deep breath and nodded, "She’s really unfortunate, to have such a family. When she was eighteen, her brother assaulted her. After she reported it to the police, her stepfather intervened to settle it, even saying she seduced her brother, and she was kicked out of her home."

"No wonder she’s so resistant to them."

"But this child actually has a good character, a cheerful and optimistic kid. After I guided her and combined it with medication, she slowly came out of that incident. Although occasionally, she still has a sense of despair, she would come to me for a chat whenever that happened. I often checked up on her, fearing she would do something irrational without someone around, but she’s always managed to pull through strongly."

"In these circumstances, do you think it’s better to let her be alone for a while, or should we try to communicate with her?"

"We shouldn’t disturb her for now, but definitely stay by her side, give her some time first." The doctor paused and added, "But if you have the capability, I suggest suing her beastly brother in court, or he will definitely cause trouble again."

Ronan: "Yes, when her condition improves, I will deal with the matter."

"That’s good, take time to stay with her; never blame her, and try to divert her attention."

"Okay, thank you, doctor."

After seeing the doctor off, Ronan returned to the room and saw Charlotte Sheffield standing in the living room outside the bedroom.

He immediately relaxed his frown and asked her with a smile, "Want to go for a walk? The weather is nice today, the wintersweet in Rillmere is in bloom, I heard it’s beautiful."

She raised her eyes to look at him, her dry lips moved, and she hoarsely said, "Can you come with me to a place?"

"Of course."

Ronan didn’t ask where. As long as it’s a place she wants to go, he would take her there.

Once in the car, she used her phone to set up the navigation and handed it to Ronan.

Ronan glanced at it and only knew it was in the suburbs; he wasn’t very familiar with the specific location.

With soothing music playing in the car, she kept looking out at the passing scenery.

After driving for a while, Ronan tentatively asked, "Where are we going?"

She snapped out of it, withdrew her gaze to look at him, and answered softly, "My home."

Ronan paused, guessing it must be a place where she lived as a child.

After more than three hours, with a stop at a small diner for lunch, they arrived in a small town, surrounded by dilapidated houses, not much better than where she stayed before.

She led him to a three-story residential building, pointed at a window on the second floor, and said, "This is where we used to live."

Ronan looked up; rusty iron security bars with a few pieces of adult and children’s clothing hanging inside.

"Want to go up and have a look?"

Charlotte Sheffield shook her head, "Someone else lives there now; everything inside has long since changed."

She smiled, as if recalling some pleasant memories, but her appearance made it seem rather melancholic.

He just stood behind her, hesitant to disturb her few cherished memories.

"When I was little, our family always lived here. At that time, my father was still around. He was a truck driver, always out on the road, not home for long, but he would always bring me small gifts and play with me whenever he could."

Ronan put his arm around her shoulder, chuckling, "It’s okay; in the future, I’ll take your father’s place and be with you."

She smiled, her eyes moist, murmuring softly, "If only there hadn’t been that car accident..."