Chapter 40
There was a long period of silence after Hudson unburdened what had been weighing his heart and mind since Luis‘ death
Keith looked at him, thinking he had heard it wrong, so he slowly and carefully repeated Hudson’s words: “Luis died… because of you?”
Hudson’s b*dy shuddered as he heard the words coming from someone else as if Keith was blarning him, but he knew Keith was just waiting for his explanation.
Keith stayed there, not saying anything, just waiting for his best friend to share his burden. He was just being the good listener he was, even though there were many questions he wanted to ask.
“When I last went to visit Luis… Hudson began softly, “There was an explosion at one of the factories, and we were there when it happened.”
Keith nodded. He knew about this story. He knew Luis was injured, and his injuries were fatal, which caused him to pass away.
“What people do not know..” Hudson swallowed thickly before continuing. “I was supposed to be the one who was crushed by the bear.”
Hudson then looked straight at Keith, and his eyes were even more bloodshot than before. “He pushed me away, Keith. I was supposed to be the one who died that day, but he pushed me AWAY”
Keith opened his mouth but then closed it again, for once not knowing how to comfort his best friend. Jesus, to see his beloved brother’s blood splattered was fucked up. No wonder his best friend felt guilty, Keith told himself.
Hudson placed his elbows on his knees and began tugging on his hair. His frustration and guilt were gnawing at him, eating him alive.
“I should have died that day, not him,” Hudson continued his story. “You don’t know the feeling of seeing him crushed by the beam. All his
blood…”
Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands wrapping around his, and he looked up to see Keith’s calm but worried face.
Keith untangled Hudson’s hands from his hair, which had lots of strands on them, and said softly. “It wasn’t your fault, Hudson.
“It wasn’t my fault?” Hudson’s rage bubbled in his ch*st and rose to his throat, so much so that he couldn’t help but grab Keith’s collar and yell straight into his face, “IT WASN’T MY FAULT? LUIS DIED BECAUSE OF MEI
Keith, ever the calm one, used to patients‘ families behaving the same way when he delivered bad news to them, stared strain at Hudson’s murderous eyes. “It wasn’t your fault, he repeated softly yet firmly.
“f**k you, Keith!” Hudson snarled and shoved him away, sending Keith tumbling back. He gasped as his back hit the corer of his work table.
Hearing his best friend gasping in pain, Hudson felt even more guilty. He went to Keith and held him up. Tm sorry… I shouldn’t have taken it
up on you.”
dash
Keith winced as he rubbed his back but shook his head. “Nothing I can’t handle. I’m a doctor with many nurses to help me tend to it.”
Hudson’s b*dy was shaking from rage, from guilt, from everything he was feeling.
“Sit down, Hudson,” Keith told him. “I’ll ask for more tea.
Hudson nodded, nearly unable to reach the couch from how his knees were shaking.
Keith called his secretary to make a fresh pot of tea. After it was delivered, he poured one cup for Hudson. “Drink,” he offered the cup to his best
friend.
As usual, the warmth of the tea calmed Hudson down a little bit. He placed the cup down and rubbed his face with his large palm. “I’m fucked up, Keith. I keep having nightmares about it.”
Chapter 40
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15:30
“Hudson,” Keth placed his own cup down on the table and laced his fingers together, looking like the professional doctor he was. “Lus saved you because he loved you. It is an instinct to save someone we love when we see them in danger
“But he shouldn’t have done it, for Christ’s sake.” Hudson ran his fingers through his hair in frustration again. “He has the company to think
“You know he always thinks you are more suitable to be the CEO of Amery Group than him” Keith pointed out.
“But what about Emely? Why couldn’t he think about her before sacrificing his life for mine? Hudson snapped, still feeling the rage of his brother’s sacrifice.
Keth raised an eyebrow at that. “Emely?”
“They were in a relationship.” Hudson admitted.
“They were? They didn’t break up?” Kerth asked in surprise.
Hudson shook his head. “They were until Luis saw Emely again and begged her to come back to him, to which she agreed but on the condition that no one else should know about it.”
“But you knew.”
“I accidentally found out when I visited Luis a couple of months ago.” Hudson replied. “You know how my grandma hated her. She didn’t want to put Luis in a difficult position.”
Keith raised his eyebrow once again, Cunning woman, he thought. How could she not put him in a difficult position when, sooner or later, they would get married if Luis was still alive? But he kept the question to himself.
“So your monthly visit to Luis these past few months.”
“Just so no one would get suspicious and for me to take care of her when he was working” Hudson answered.
“And the baby?
“Wasn’t mine. It was Luis: Hudson replied. “Emely loved Luis so much. Now you know why it was impossible for her to kill her own baby”
“And your promise to marry Emely?”
“Before Luis passed away, he grabbed my hand and made me promise to take care of her and the baby,” Hudson shuddered again as he thought Luis‘ bloody fingers were grasping him, and he whizzed out just to make him promise.
Jesus, that was fucked up. Keth thought to himself:
“Hudson” he called his best friend’s name carefully. “There are other ways to take care of Emely instead of marrying her.”
“What better way, Keith?” Hudson had calmed down by now, he felt lighter after talking to Keith, who was a great listener. “I could keep her safe. and Cherise killed her baby. It was the least I could do for her.”
Now, it was Keith’s turn to heave out a loud breath. He couldn’t say anything, and he couldn’t ask Hudson not to marry Emely when he had
heard what had happened
“As long as you are sure it is what you want, I’m all behind you, you know that, Hudson, Keith finally said. “But are you sure that is what you
want?”
“As I’ve said, it’s the least I could do for her,” Hudson sighed. “My mother and sister agree with it, too.”
“They are?” This surprised Kerth again. Last time, they were so against Emely and Luis‘ relationship, which was why he guessed they had been keeping their relationship a secret
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Chapter 40
“They are now,” Hudson replied. “Maybe because they thought I impregnated Emely too, just like everyb*dy else.”
“Why didn’t you tell them it was Luis’7” Keith asked curiously.
“Then I might not be able to take care of her,” Hudson replied softly as his head started to throb and he massaged his temple.
“You could have told Cherise the truth about it since you didn’t
really want
to divorce her,” Keith pointed out calmly.
Hudson narrowed his eyes at Keith, but Keith was not affected by it.
I’m not judging you, Hudson. But it might not come to this…” he waved his hand in the air, “situation if you
“I’m just saying. Keith shrugged. “And I’m no were honest with her.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Hudson shook his head. “She still killed Luis‘ baby and didn’t feel remorseful about it. She was the one who chose to divorce, Kelth. How many times must I tell you this?”
“Okay,” Keith just decided to let it go. “But what happens after you marry Emely? Will you sleep with her? You will have children with her?”
Hudson hadn’t thought that far ahead, but then it was what everyone expected from a married couple, wouldn’t it? But how could he touch his brother’s beloved? The thought nearly made him want to throw up. He couldn’t do that to Luis.
“Emely knows that I’m marrying her because of my promise to Luis,” Hudson replied.
“Does she, though?” Keith asked as he picked up his teacup again. “Everyone with eyes could see that she wants you, Hudson.”
“Don’t think of something as disgusting as that, Keith,” Hudson sneered at his best friend for once. “She loved Luis and still does. She just doesn’t want to be labeled a mistress, and I won’t allow her to be called one, either.”
“You know what this means, don’t you, Hudson?” Keith asked, glancing at him from behind his teacup
Hudson furrowed his brows, not knowing what Keith meant.
“Once your engagement with Emely is announced, you can’t act on Cherise anymore” Keith stated, making Hudson freeze in his a
“You can’t get angry when you see her with Logan, Julian, or any other man, Keith continued. “You can’t drag her away or even k*ss her anymore. If people see it, it would not be good for her reputation. She would be labeled as the mistress now instead of Emely. Or even worse, with that mouth of your mother, she would be called a who ”
“I told you not to associate that word with her.” Hudson growled.
“It’s a fact that you need to acknowledge, Hudson, Keith pinned his best friend’s gaze down. “Why do you think so many people in our social class called her so many names? Isn’t it because of your mother? And you, as her husband, didn’t do anything about it. I don’t want to say this, but you falled her as a husband. You were an arsehole to her.”
Hudson knew. Hudson knew everything Keith said was true. He let his mother and sister bully Cherise, and he knew how people talked badly about Cherise behind his back, yet he did nothing to protect her.
That uncomfortable feeling that he felt after their divorce stung his heart again, and he absentmindedly rubbed the spot while Keith watched
him silently.
He could see the quilt in Hudson’s eyes but kept silent. He needed Hudson to realize his feelings for Cherise alone now. If he pressed him, he would just deny IL
Hudson shifted in his seat and felt the ring box in his pocket. He took it out and placed it on t
the table.
Keith looked at it and raised an eyebrow, silently asking if he could see what was inside. Hudson gestured for him to open it.
Keith reached for it and was stunned to see a pair of wedding rings. “You’ve bought wedding rings for you and Emely?” he asked, unable to believe Hudson would actually do that.
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Chapter 40
“It was Cherise’s and mine, Hudson sald as his eyelid started to droop. He had a headache, and all those talks with Keith had left him exhausted and maybe relleved, too.
“Say what? Keith asked in disbelief.
“The designed them for us,” Hudson replied as he lay down on the couch and closed his eyes. “It was supposed to be our third wedding anniversary present, but she didn’t want them anymore because we are divorced now,”
“And you took them with you instead. Why?” Keith asked, wondering about it.
“Because I had never given her any, and I didn’t want them to go to waste,” Hudson mumbled.
Keith sighed, picked up a blanket, and dropped it over his best friend, who had started to fall asleep.
“Luis‘ death lon’t your fault, Hudson, Keith reminded him and squeezed Hudson’s shoulder before going back to his desk to finish signing the rest of the documents, but when he saw the ring box, he couldn’t help whispering. “You are going to regret letting her go, Hudson,”
Hudson heard Keith’s whisper before he fell into a deep sleep, and his last thought was…. maybe he would.
