SWNOVELS Chapter 1711
Chapter 1711
Zavier stumbled backwards, his eyes staring blankly at the entrance of the emergency room. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out.
Nora gave him another.shove. “What are you just standing there for? Go see your father already. What kind of a son are you? You’d be the reason he can’t rest in peace.”
Her words were like boulders crushing down on Zavier, leaving him gasping for breath. It took a while before Zavier could gather his wits. With unsteady steps, he shuffled toward the emergency room.
His father lay there, eyes shut, his complexion devoid of any color. Kalene was on her knees beside the bed, clutching Samuel’s hand, her cries tearing through the silence.
Approaching, Zavier saw not just his father’s pallid face but another face superimposed upon it.
A year ago, upon receiving the news, he immediately rushed to the hospital. His elder brother, Brodie, was lying on a cold hospital bed, his handsome face pale and distorted. That face, once so familiar, now seemed like the face of a stranger, almost unrecognizable.
Today felt like a cruel echo of that day.e2
Pain crept from Zavier’s heart, spreading through his body, stiffening his limbs. He didn’t want to believe it, yet he couldn’t deny the truth.
A few days ago, the person he could have had a good conversation with had died.
Maybe, as everyone said, Zavier couldn’t measure up to Brodie. Maybe his father’s disappointment was so great that he couldn’t wait to join his favored son.
The background noise of murmuring voices continued.
“If Zavier was half as sensible as Brodie, Samuel might not have been so heartbroken after Brodie’s death.”
“Zavier’s well into his twenties, about to graduate college, yet he’s still loafing around.”
“When Brodie was his age, he could already shoulder many responsibilities for Samuel and hold his own ground.”
“It’s Zavier’s fault his dad was so eager to leave this world and join Brodie.”
They all implied Samuel’s death was Zavier’s fault.
He spun around, his gaze sharp and cold as he scanned the faces of his kin. These were his relatives, but as their father passed, they seemed eager to blame him. They weren’t grieving. They wanted to crush him.
Zavier wouldn’t let their malicious intent prevail. “Get out! The last people my father would want to see are you soulless bastard. Do you even care about the bonds of family?”
The rest of the Rivera clan fell silent, except Nora. “Kalene, now that he’s gone, you need to rein in this wild child. You can’t let him. run amok.”
“Get out!” Zavier shot back.
Kalene, struggling to rise, tugged at Zavier’s sleeve. “Zavier…”
He turned and slowly crouched beside her. After a moment, he murmured, “Mom…”
Kalene collapsed, her strength leaving her with a single utterance of “Zavier.”
Zavier’s heart skipped a beat. “Mom.”
Someone chimed in, “Look at that. Your whole family’s falling apart because of you. Are you happy now?”
“Call the doctor!” Zavier demanded.
Skyler received the news of Samuel’s passing two days later. Samuel’s body had already been cremated at the funeral home, and his ashes brought back to Rivera Manor.