Shattered Illusions: Love, Lies, and Redemption

Lizetta picked up the phone to find Jerome on the other end, just as she'd guessed, still at the restaurant.

After she filled him in, Jerome didn't hesitate. "I'll head to the hospital right now."

"No need," Lizetta hurried to say, "we're almost there. You keep on with what you're doing, and I'll call you if anything changes."

Jerome, understanding her preoccupation, simply reminded her to keep in touch before hanging up.

Despite Lizetta's insistence, Jerome wasn't about to stay away.

He knew well enough that the Gardenia family hadn't always been kind to Lizetta, except for her brother Thaddeus, who truly cared for her.

Previously, when Lizetta had been taken back to the Madden household, Jerome had attempted to negotiate with Remington to move Thaddeus to Tranquil Meadows. However, Thaddeus's medical team, hired

by Remington, had shown promising signs of improvement, and the Maddens didn't dare risk changing doctors, fearing it might disrupt his recovery.

In the end, Thaddeus remained at the Dashiell Hospital, with the Madden family covering a hefty monthly medical bill.

For the past four months, it had mostly been Remington looking after Thaddeus.

If Thaddeus woke up, Lizetta would be incredibly grateful to Remington.

With these thoughts, Jerome quickened his pace to the hospital and called Nelson to update him on the situation.

At the hospital...

Lizetta raced to Thaddeus's room, only to see Zora, rubbing her eyes, coming out.

A lump formed in Lizetta's throat, her legs turning to jelly.

Stumbling slightly, she was caught by Remington, who had followed her in.

"What's going on?" Remington steadied Lizetta, his voice filled with concern as he turned to Zora.

"Oh, don't you worry!" Zora exclaimed, realizing Lizetta's pale face. "It's good news! Mr. Gardenia woke up, really woke up! The doctors are checking on him now."

Zora had cared for Thaddeus over

ared for

the years, and though they hadn't communicated much, she had grown fond of him. Witnessing his awakening felt like being part of a medical miracle, moving her to tears.

Hearing this, Lizetta felt a mix of relief and disbelief, rushing into the room.

The medical team was indeed gathered around Thaddeus, conducting checks.

Lizetta looked towards the bed, her heart sinking as Thaddeus seemed no different, his eyes closed.

"Bro? Bro!" she called out, but there was no response, and tears began to well up.

Remington wrapped an arm around

her, soothing her worries with a

smile. "Don't panic. Trust the

doctors. Your brother truly has

woken up; he's just fallen asleep

again, that's all."

Lizetta's worry intensified at the mention of sleep. "But why would he fall asleep now? When will he wake up? Can he wake up again?"

She was visibly anxious. Remington exchanged a glance with the lead doctor.This is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

The doctor reassured her, "Ma'am, please be assured, the patient has indeed awakened. His current sleep is entirely different from before. Now that he's woken up once, he won't slip back into a coma."

Gradually, Lizetta calmed down, remembering that newly awakened patients often experience very brief periods of consciousness, sometimes just a minute or two at first.