Chapter 1715: Wherever the Gaze Falls, There Lies Eternity: Rage Consumes the Heart (2000+)

Daxton Lancaster sat sideways in front of the bed, squeezing some ointment from the metal tube onto his fingertip, and then gently applied it to Violet Zimmerman’s injury.

The early spring sun streamed in through the glass window, casting light on the floor and the bench at the foot of the bed. The man sitting with his back to the sunlight had gentle and soft facial features, looking like a different person from the demon of last night.

His slender fingers lightly touched the injured area of Violet Zimmerman, massaging gently while asking with concern, “Does it hurt? If it does, just tell me, I’ll be gentler.”

Violet lay on the bed, her face turned in the opposite direction of Daxton Lancaster, with her pajamas completely lifted up, and below it was the same, leaving only a small pair of pants.

The scars on her back were not obvious, as they were blocked by a coat that shielded her from the belt that had hit her.

However, the marks on her hips and the base of her legs were shocking, long red welts that were swollen.

Seeing Violet Zimmerman ignoring him, Daxton Lancaster sighed, squeezing out some more ointment, “Violet, I know you’re upset with me, last night…”

At this point, Daxton sighed again, “I didn’t mean to treat you that way, Violet, you know, I can’t control myself when I’m drunk… Violet, next time when I drink, just go along with me, don’t always contradict me.”

Violet tiredly closed her eyes, feeling numb to Daxton Lancaster’s apologetic words. It was always like this, feeling sorry after hitting her, yet every time was never the last.

At first, when Daxton would hold her, crying in guilt, she was still moved, but now… she was already numb.

“Alas…”

Another sigh, as Daxton patiently applied the ointment on Violet Zimmerman.

“Violet, I know you’re blaming me, but what couple doesn’t argue? You can’t be so petty, only seeing the faults in others without remembering the good they bring you. Violet, do you remember when we first met…”

As Daxton applied the anti-inflammatory ointment on Violet Zimmerman, he recalled their journey from their first meeting to getting along, each frame was warm and sweet, but every bit of warmth and sweetness was just a prelude to everything he would do later.

…

Bodhi Lancaster and Lorelei Howard didn’t know that Joseph Lancaster’s latest relationship was another planned deception. Upon hearing that Joy Spencer dumped their son to marry another man, Lorelei inevitably started a long session of scolding.

“…Joseph, what’s wrong with you? You’re not missing any limbs, your looks aren’t bad, so why can’t you keep a woman? It was like this with Vesper Carter, and now Joy Spencer the same, they both move on halfway through knowing you! Joseph, tell me, what’s the real reason? Is it that you’re too busy with work and neglecting the girl, or are you too stingy on dates, making them unhappy?”

Robert Lancaster had just dashed home, and Lorelei Howard started her tirade as soon as she entered, which lasted over half an hour.

Having drunk quite a bit last night and now hearing such news, Joseph Lancaster was already uneasy, and his mother Lorelei kept nagging incessantly.

Holding his throbbing forehead, Joseph Lancaster said helplessly, “Mom, could you stop nagging? I’m an adult, I know what I’m doing!”

Saying this, Lorelei Howard immediately got upset, abruptly standing up with a stern expression and raised voice.

“You know what you’re doing? You say that, yet you’ve dated two girlfriends, and both left you! This is before marriage, and if you were married, wouldn’t you end up being cuckolded!”

Joseph Lancaster wasn’t sure if he caught a cold last night or if his mother was causing the issue, but his forehead throbbed painfully, and he felt seriously dizzy.

Holding onto the sofa’s armrest, he closed his eyes and rubbed his throbbing temples, saying weakly, “Mom, go home first, I’m not feeling well, I’ll listen to your advice another day.”

“What did you say? You want me to leave? You ungrateful child, I raised you for over twenty years, painstakingly brought you up, and you actually despise me!” Lorelei Howard didn’t notice her son’s unwellness and continued to raise her voice angrily.

Joseph Lancaster felt extremely annoyed and struggled to get off the sofa as he prepared to stand up, “Mom, please sit down, I’m going to rest in my room for a while.”

“You ungrateful child!” seeing that her son didn’t want to respond to her, Lorelei Howard became even more agitated. Just before she was about to continue scolding, she saw her son, holding onto the sofa, staggering and collapsing.

“Joseph! What’s wrong with you? You have to wake up, don’t scare mom…” Lorelei Howard’s screams echoed endlessly in the living room.

Joseph Lancaster fell ill without any warning.

He was admitted to the hospital, and after a diagnosis, the doctor said it was a common cold, but Lorelei Howard wasn’t reassured and consulted a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who said it was caused by excessive anxiety.

With an IV drip in the back of his hand, Bodhi Lancaster stood silently by the hospital bed while Lorelei Howard stayed by his side, continuously blaming herself.

“…If I had known you’d get this upset, I wouldn’t have blamed you. It’s mom’s fault, Joseph, don’t be upset. It’s just one woman; once you get discharged, I’ll ask someone to introduce you to another, who’ll be a hundred times better than Joy Spencer!”

Lorelei Howard didn’t know the inside story and thought Joseph Lancaster was hospitalized due to extreme distress over Joy Spencer getting married.

Joseph Lancaster knew his mother was doing it for his good, but as he leaned against the hospital bed, already pale-skinned, his complexion grew even more ashen due to the illness.

“Mom, don’t blame yourself, I’m fine, you and dad can go home, I just want to be alone for a while.”

Saying this, Lorelei Howard became even more convinced that her son was distressed over Joy Spencer’s change of heart. A mother is always concerned about her children; worried that her son would become even more distraught, Lorelei decided to stay at the hospital and keep him company.

“Joseph, if you feel wronged, tell mom, don’t keep it all to yourself. I don’t have much to do at home anyway, I’ll stay with you at the hospital.”

Joseph Lancaster felt helpless and very annoyed, only wanting to be alone for a while.

Seeing that his mother was adamant, he had no choice but to look to his father for help.

“Dad, take mom home, I’m really tired and want to sleep for a while.”

Bodhi Lancaster looked at his son. The reticent man wasn’t very good with words, “We’ll go home once your brother finishes handling the paperwork.”

After a short while, Daxton Lancaster returned to the ward with a few receipts, “I’ve paid the hospitalization fee. The doctor said you need a few days on an IV at the hospital.”

Daxton placed the receipts into the drawer beside the hospital bed, “Joseph, if you’re unwell, don’t hesitate to come to the hospital immediately, don’t let it get to the point of collapsing suddenly like today, you scared mom and dad.”

Looking at his older brother, who was running around for his sake, Joseph Lancaster felt a complex mix of emotions.

Since childhood, his older brother had always treated him well, but towards the mother of his son…

Taking a deep breath, just the thought of what Robert said made Joseph feel tight in his chest, trying to appear as natural as possible, Joseph closed his tired eyes, “I know, brother, you all can go home now, don’t worry about me.”

After placing the receipts away, Daxton stood up, “Alright, I’ll take mom and dad home first, later I’ll have Aunt Guo bring you some food.”