Chapter 12: Heartbreak and Remedy

Things had gone haywire since that fateful night. Brian did not see Anna or Maria for the entire next week. He had to take care of his health by himself as he recovered from the beating Victor had given him and the abuse he suffered at Anna’s hands. Limited mobility, constant pain, and his wild thoughts about everything left him drained. He could not make sense of what was happening around him. Anna had assured him of her love, but what followed had no trace of any sort of love or regard for him.

Was she using him to get back to Victor? Did she love him? Was she using him as a pawn in her plans for revenge? Why did she give up everything to Victor? Was she a mental case? What about Maria?

There were too many questions, infinite dark thoughts, and very little information. He had spent the week in depression, dealing with his fear in the absence of Anna. His physical health improved while his mental state continued to deteriorate.

He then learned about Victor’s health. Victor had suffered a stroke that night. He was in intensive care for a few days but recovered well. He was still under observation. This news brought joy to him, but he also felt pain as Anna and Maria were staying with Victor at the hospital.

Brian tried to visit them at the hospital but could not get entry to the VIP zone. Everyone at the hospital was treating him with contempt. He was not sure what had happened in the last few months, but everyone in the hospital staff wanted to keep their distance from him. He returned home and spent the next few days like a zombie.

If Victor was obsessed and Anna was crazy, then Brian was delirious. After his return, he struggled to do anything productive. Hell, he did not even take care of himself. He locked himself up in his room and simply stayed there.

When Maria returned home after a few days, she found Brian in a terrible state. He was dehydrated and unkempt. The first thing she did was help him move back to his earlier room. Their nights of sleeping together were over.

She helped him take a bath and had to feed him before tucking him in for sleep. He kept on blabbering nonsense and was incapable of having a coherent conversation.

Things went on like this for a few days, but he did not show any signs of improvement. Maria had to practically move into his room to take care of him like a baby. He only had a vague recollection of events as Maria helped him with his daily tasks. She helped wash him, feed him, give him some meds, and helped him sign a bunch of documents.

He was beyond the realms of rationality to care about some stupid papers he had to sign.

Victor was getting discharged from the hospital and was moving back to Miller Mansion with Anna. This news woke up Brian from his zombie state. With a newfound fire, he sobered up and prepared to face both Anna and Victor.

A bedroom beside Anna’s was converted to a hospital setting with necessary adjustments. Maria, along with the staff, helped Victor settle into that room. Monitoring equipment and a saline stand were set up beside an adjustable automated bed. While Victor had recovered well, he had not yet gained proper control of his muscles and struggled with movements. He was under heavy medication and was not capable of walking on his own for now.

Brian looked at Victor from the corner but did not appear in front of him. He had finally found the opportunity to hurt Victor and get away with it. He started planning his actions carefully.

While he was thinking about Victor, Anna’s absence from the home baffled him. When he asked Maria about it, he learned some shocking developments.

Anna had opposed and actively prevented Victor from taking control of her inheritance since their marriage. But in the last two months, she has proposed to Victor to merge their businesses and assets. She had even given up complete control to Victor and let him run the show, but things had changed now.

With the dedicated efforts of Victor, the merger had gone through without a hitch. Their businesses were regrouped under a single entity, and Victor was supposed to lead it. But given his current health, he had given up the control to Anna. In a shocking turn of events, she had gained total control over everything Victor owned.

Brian felt a shiver run down his spine. Was it a coincidence? Did she really give up everything, or was it all a ruse while she had some deep schemes? These thoughts terrified him. His temporarily recovered mental state collapsed again.

Over the coming week, Miller Mansion saw a new routine. Brian kept on struggling with his sanity while Maria cared for him. He fluctuated between a state of mental clarity for a few hours and a state of delirium.

Maria was mostly busy managing things at the mansion while watching Victor. She also worked with Anna from time to time while taking care of Brian at night.

Victor spent most of his time in bed, as he could not walk on his own yet. He had dedicated nurses who cared for him in shifts.

Anna spent most of her time outside the home, taking care of the recent merger and the surrounding chaos. What little time she spent at home, she spent with Victor. Victor was not capable of speaking much, but she still talked with him at great lengths.

Anna actively avoided meeting Brian during this time. Watching her with Victor did not help Brian’s mental state, and he regressed further.

The situation was very tense at Miller’s mansion, as Brian and Victor had not faced each other yet. This temporary balance broke when Victor started using a wheelchair. Anna started taking Victor out on a stroll in the garden and roaming around the house. She even brought Victor to the dinner table one evening.

Victor and Brian finally came face-to-face. Victor showed a little remorse since Anna’s last outburst and avoided looking at Brian. Brian was still seething in his anger since Victor’s beating and was not ready to talk.