Chapter 617
“Is it on the news?”
“Yeah. The ceremony was huge–it looked incredible! Even people overseas are saying that Ms. Ravelle is one of the top hundred most beautiful brides. Mr. Snider sure has good taste.”
“Hush! Keep your voice down! The person in that room is Mr. Snider’s mother!”
“What? We can’t say anything else, then. Let’s go!”
Rhea was married.
Inside the room, Kate was still curled up in her corner, clutching her marriage certificate. For months, she’d sat there every day, no matter the weather. She still hadn’t spoken a single word.
Even when she went to the bathroom, she didn’t ask for help. She felt her way there on her own, not making a sound despite injuring herself in the process.
The nurses and caregiver had no choice but to sigh and tend to her wounds. She had such a pretty face, but it was now nearly ruined from all the bumps and scrapes.
After months of absolute stillness, Kate moved her arm slightly when she heard the people talking outside. When she tried to speak, her voice was as coarse as sandpaper. “Sorry.”
She couldn’t form complete sounds after not speaking for months.
The caregiver heard her. “What did you say?”
But Kate fell back into endless silence.
Two more months passed.
In the morning, Kate leaned against the wall. It was hard to tell whether she was asleep or awake.
When Sawyer appeared at the door, it was closed.
The caregiver hurried over. “She has said a total of one sentence since getting here. Then, all she’s done is huddle in that corner. I brought her a cushion, but she won’t sit on it. She doesn’t use a blanket, either. She just clutches her marriage certificate without moving.”
She knew that people with psychiatric illnesses had their own ways of living, so she didn’t force a conversation with Kate.
Sawyer’s gaze fell on the marriage certificate in Kate’s hands. It was crumpled from her grip and close to tearing.
He opened the door, but she didn’t react. He walked inside and sat in the chair by the window.
The caregiver left.
“You came.” Kate didn’t move, but she spoke. Her voice was even worse than last time–hoarse, parched, and utterly flat.
Sawyer looked at her, his eyes as calm as ever.
Kate sat still, her words slow and labored. “When I woke up in the hospital after going blind, the first footsteps I heard were yours. That’s why I remember them.”


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