Entangled in the Night: Unable to Escape Him-Chapter 30: Annie Calls Out “Mom”

This voice was unfamiliar to everyone present.

It was young and a little hesitant.

Chloe felt as if something had stabbed her heart, the piercing pain making her forget to breathe.

How many times had she heard her son call her like this in her dreams?

But every time she woke up, her son was gone.

Yet now, the child calling her "mommy" was right in front of her, tears glimmering in those pitch-black eyes.

Chloe gently cupped Julian’s little face, her own eyes growing moist.

She spoke softly, afraid she might scare Julian.

"Julian, what did you just call me?"

Julian looked at her through teary eyes, his little mouth trembling before he called out again.

"Mommy, don’t die."

Those simple words brought tears to the eyes of all three adults present.

They all knew how important it was for a child with autism, who’d never spoken, to finally open his mouth and say something.

Chloe didn’t care what Julian called out; instead, she hugged him tightly to her chest.

As if she were holding her own son.

She gently stroked Julian’s head, her voice choked, "Julian, this is wonderful, you finally spoke."

Silas Prescott saw the two of them embracing tightly, and a complicated feeling welled up inside him.

He ruffled Julian’s hair, "Say daddy."

Julian shot him a disdainful look and pressed his tiny lips together, refusing to say anything.

Lucy was crying with excitement too. She wiped her tears and said, "Julian, call me Auntie, I just played with you for a long while."

Julian met her with the same indifference.

But Lucy Rhodes wasn’t upset at all; she took Chloe’s arm and said, "Dr. Nash, Julian spoke because he was too worried about you and got stimulated. You really are our family’s little lucky star."

She actually had another sentence she didn’t dare say aloud.

She wanted Dr. Nash to marry her brother and become Julian’s mother—if that happened, Julian’s condition would definitely be cured.

Her brother would also walk out of the shadow of Sienna’s death.

But she was afraid Chloe would refuse; Julian had just gotten a little better, he couldn’t take any more shocks.

Just then, the butler came in with a doctor.

The doctor gave Chloe a quick check and then said, "Miss Nash was rescued in time, she’s fine. Just take a hot bath, change into clean clothes, take a soothing medicine, and get a good night’s sleep."

Only now did the tension drain from Silas Prescott’s face. He looked at Chloe and asked, "Can you bathe by yourself?"

The question startled Chloe into a shiver.

In the past, Silas often asked her this—and it always ended with her pressed into the bathtub, flipped again and again by him.

Chloe quickly grabbed Lucy Rhodes’s arm and said, "It’s fine, Miss Rhodes can stay with me."

Lucy Rhodes immediately reassured Silas, "Brother, don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Dr. Nash."

She helped Chloe get off the bed, "Dr. Nash, I have rose essential oil in my room—it can help calm your nerves."

Julian clung to Chloe’s hand and wouldn’t let go, wanting to follow her.

Chloe smiled and ruffled his hair, "Auntie’s gonna take a bath, I’ll come back and stay with you in a bit, okay?"

Julian nodded obediently.

The doctor handed the medicine to Silas, "Dissolve this in hot water, twice a day for two days, and that will do."

Silas asked, "Can this stress response ever be fully cured?"

Doctor: "It’s a psychological problem. To cure it, you need to find out the cause. For example, the young master here—his was caused by his mother spending her pregnancy in a war zone, always frightened. If he were willing to seek help, he would have been cured by now. President Prescott, you’d best try to talk him into therapy. If this keeps dragging on, it won’t be good."

Silas stroked Julian’s head, "He just spoke for the first time."

The doctor looked at him in disbelief, "What was the situation? What did he say?"

"He thought Dr. Nash was going to die, took her for his mother, called her, and said ’don’t die’—four words in total. But after that, no matter how we asked, he wouldn’t speak again."

The doctor quickly took Julian’s hand and asked patiently, "Julian, you like this doctor auntie, don’t you?"

Julian nodded without hesitation.

"If auntie stays with you during treatment, will you accept it?"

At this, Julian grew nervous and hid behind Silas.

He stopped communicating altogether.

The doctor stood up and said, "That’s a very good sign. With Miss Nash’s help, I believe Julian’s condition will improve."

Silas understood all too well—Chloe was the key to Julian’s recovery.

But Julian only got better because he saw Chloe as his mother.

If he ever learned Chloe had a husband and son, the shock might make his condition worse.

The more Silas thought about Chloe having a husband and son, the darker his gaze became.

In the depths of his mind, a devilish voice roared.

Kill them, and Chloe will belong to you.

But reason forced him to push that voice down.

After his bath and a change of clothes, he took Julian downstairs.

Mrs. Sterling and her family were waiting in the living room.

As soon as he came down, Jett Sterling hurried over, voice anxious, "How’s Chloe?"

Silas’s tone was cold, "She was startled, took her medicine and needs to rest."

"I want to go check on her."

Jett remembered what Chloe looked like after falling into the water—so pitiful, curled up, shivering the whole time.

He had been at a swim competition at school that day, and he’d won first place.

Chloe had run over, excited, to congratulate him.

Unable to resist, he’d pulled her into the pool and kissed her lips.

He hadn’t known at the time that Chloe had a fear of water. He’d just carried on kissing her—only to find her losing consciousness.

Panic-stricken, he’d carried her to the hospital. Only after that did he realize Chloe had this stress disorder.

Silas abruptly grabbed Jett’s arm. "She doesn’t need you to see her. Instead, let’s settle today’s score. A guest I invited was pushed into the water in my house. Do you think I’ll just let that go?"

Stella quickly hurried over, crying and pleading, "Brother Silas, I really didn’t push her. I hardly used any force and Chloe just fell in—she just wants to blame me!"

Henry Prescott spoke up, too, "Chloe’s fine, isn’t she? Why keep digging? Don’t spoil the peace."

At those words, Silas let out a cold laugh. "By your logic, if someone stabbed you twice, but you didn’t die, they can just be forgiven?"

"Is that how you talk? Are you really going to ruin things between our families just for a doctor?"

"That depends on Miss Sterling. If she gives me what I want, things between the Prescotts and Sterlings won’t change. If not, you all know what I’m like."

Stella’s face turned deathly pale at his words.

Of course she knew what Silas was like—on the surface, gentle and refined, but if he meant business, he was ruthless and cold, owing allegiance to none.

If the families broke apart, how could she ever marry into the Prescotts?

She bit her lip and said, "Brother Silas, just tell me—what would satisfy you?"

Silas stared at her coldly, "Jump in. Take a few gulps of water, then get out."