Chapter 205: The Burden He Carried

Julian pulled a wheelchair beside the bed and helped Isobel ease herself into it.

"You shouldn’t strain yourself if you want to recover quickly."

Isobel nodded obediently.

She glanced toward the two children sitting quietly on the sofa nearby. They had been unusually silent, their small faces lowered as though they were afraid to interrupt the adults.

Then she looked back at Leon.

"Uncle, everything happened so quickly that I didn’t get the chance to ask. How did you end up in the capital?"

Leanne and Judy exchanged a glance.

They both understood that this was a private conversation. After all, they were still outsiders to Leon.

"We’ll go back to your room," Leanne said gently. "Let your father push you back when you’re finished."

She gave Isobel a reassuring smile before leaving with Judy.

The door closed behind them. For several seconds, the room was quiet.

Then Leon let out a low chuckle. But it wasn’t really a laugh. There was no amusement in it. It was the hollow, broken sound of a man who had run out of tears long ago.

Isobel’s expression immediately became troubled.

So did Julian’s.

He had lived with Leon for four months.

He remembered the man Leon had once been—loud, spirited, stubborn, and fearless. A man who could argue with anyone and would throw himself into danger without hesitation if it meant protecting his family.

And Leon had always been especially protective of his younger sister.

Now, that same man looked like a shadow of himself.

"Aunt Emilia told me that you left Greenvale and married someone from another province," Isobel said carefully.

Leon stared at his hands.

"Yes."

His voice was barely audible.

"I married your aunt, and we had four children together."

A faint smile appeared on his lips. It lasted only a moment.

Then it disappeared.

"But she...and two of my daughters...your cousins..."

His voice broke.

Leon turned his face away and coughed into his fist.

"Uncle..."

Isobel’s heart tightened.

"If you aren’t ready, we can talk about it another time."

Leon slowly shook his head.

"No."

He drew a shaky breath.

"If I keep avoiding the past, it doesn’t change anything."

His gaze drifted toward the window.

"I came to the capital because I wanted to take my grandchildren to their mother."

Julian’s brows drew together.

"I thought I could no longer take care of them," Leon continued. "They’re still so young. They need someone who can provide for them, and I..."

His voice faltered.

"I don’t have much left to give."

Julian stared at him.

What happened to him?

Rosella’s death alone couldn’t have broken Leon this badly.

There had to be more.

"Someone from our town told me that my daughter, Alena could find work here in the capital," Leon continued. "She could work as a saleslady, or so we were told."

"And her husband?" Isobel asked softly.

Leon’s expression darkened.

"He left."

His fingers tightened around each other.

"Yana was only two years old."

Isobel instinctively glanced toward the sofa.

The little girl was still sitting there with her head bowed.

"He simply disappeared," Leon continued. "At first, we thought something had happened to him. We waited. We searched."

He gave a bitter laugh.

"Later, I learned the truth."

Leon swallowed.

"He had been living with a wealthy widow in the neighboring town."

Julian’s jaw tightened.

Leon lowered his eyes.

"Alena had a difficult time raising the kids. Money was tight and I got sick."

Then his voice became quieter.

"I kept asking myself what I had done wrong."

"Why were the women in my life suffered?"

He paused.

"Perhaps..."

His lips trembled.

"Perhaps I’m a jinx."

Isobel’s eyes widened.

Leon looked at her with a helplessness that seemed almost childlike.

"Think about it. Every woman who became part of my family suffered because of the men around them."

His voice cracked.

"My sister..."

He stopped.

The memory of Rosella seemed to pass across his face like a shadow.

"My wife..."

His hands began to tremble.

"And my daughters..."

He couldn’t finish the sentence.

Julian shifted uncomfortably.

Why does he keep saying things like this?

"Uncle..."

Isobel didn’t know what to say.

She wanted to comfort him, but there were no words large enough to contain the grief in front of her.

Leon took several uneven breaths before continuing.

"I haven’t heard from my daughter for several months so we came here. We finally tracked Alena down in Red Fields."

Julian frowned.

Red Fields? Isn’t that the red-light district?

He exchanged a glance with Isobel.

They were both thinking the same thing.

Something wasn’t right.

"When we found her..." Leon’s voice trembled. "She drove us away."

His eyes became wet.

"She said..."

He swallowed hard.

"She said..."

His voice broke completely.

"We should go back to the province and forget about her."

The room fell silent.

Randy, who had remained quiet until then, suddenly spoke.

"She didn’t want us anymore."

His small voice was almost a whisper.

Isobel’s heart sank.

Leon covered his face with one trembling hand.

For a moment, he seemed to be trying desperately to hold himself together.

But whatever strength he had left finally gave way.

Tears slipped between his fingers.

"Heaven has turned against me."

His shoulders shook.

"First, it took my parents."

His voice cracked.

"Then my sister."

A tear rolled down his hollow cheek.

"Then my wife...and two of my daughters."

He struggled to breathe.

Leon looked toward the sofa.

His eyes landed on Randy and Yana.

"And now..."

His lips trembled violently.

"Even my youngest daughter, Alena doesn’t want me anymore."

The words seemed to break something inside him.

He bent forward, covering his face as sobs tore through his frail body.

Isobel’s eyes immediately filled with tears.

She had never imagined that behind Leon’s anger was a man carrying so much grief.

Julian’s expression hardened with concern.

"Uncle Leon, please..."

Leon tried to speak, but another violent coughing fit overtook him.

"Cough! Cough!"

Julian immediately pressed the emergency button.

Within moments, a nurse rushed into the room.

"His breathing is becoming labored," Julian said. "Please give him something to calm him down. The emotional strain is too much for his current condition."

The nurse nodded and quickly administered the medication.

Gradually, Leon’s coughing eased.

His eyelids grew heavy.

Even after the medicine began taking effect, tears continued to escape from the corners of his eyes.

Isobel’s heart ached.

I shouldn’t have asked.

She lowered her head.

She should have waited until Leon had recovered before asking about his past.

But how could she have known that the uncle who was once a strong and formidable hunter had endured so much loss?