Chapter 389

Nina soaked in the tub for like, forever, before she started feeling human again.

A knock on the door broke the silence, and Isabella's voice floated in. "Nina, can I come in?"

Nina turned her head. "Yeah, come on in."

The bathroom was a steam room by now. Isabella brought in a plate of fruit and set it on the chair next to the tub, sneaking a peek at Nina. Then she asked, all careful-like, "Nina?"

"I'm good." Nina forced a smile.

To make Isabella chill, Nina grabbed a piece of watermelon.

The tub was a bubble fest. As soon as Nina pulled her arm out, Isabella spotted a massive bruise.

"What the heck happened?" Isabella grabbed Nina's hand, eyes welling up. "Nina, did the Black Family hurt you?"

"No." Nina shook her head. "I just bumped into something."

Isabella wasn't buying it. She brushed away the bubbles, revealing more bruises.

"Bella." Nina curled up. "I'm really okay."

Seeing these bruises, Isabella couldn't even imagine what Nina had been through.

Nina went quiet for a bit, realizing she couldn't hide it anymore. "Yeah, they hit me."

"How could they hit an unarmed woman? Are they even human?" Isabella's fists clenched, voice shaking with anger.

"Luckily, it's just some surface wounds, nothing major," Nina tried to comfort her.

Isabella knew Nina didn't want to make a big deal out of it. Everyone knew Richard was just a puppet for the Black Family. Plus, Nina felt guilty about what happened to Elodie, so she wanted to just let it go.

Isabella drew the curtains, shut all the windows, and brought some medicine to treat Nina's wounds.

While she was doing that, Nina asked, "Elodie's leg?"

Isabella's hands paused. "I heard she might not be able to stand again."

Nina sighed. "If I knew it would end like this, I would've tried harder to hold onto her."

Isabella said, "Nina, no one can see the future. Accidents happen in a flash. You do have some responsibility, but if Elodie hadn't been bugging you all the time, this wouldn't have happened. It's done now, so don't beat yourself up."

Nina looked at her, a bit surprised. "Bella, you've changed."

Isabella looked puzzled.

Nina said, "If this was before, I'd be the one comforting you. Didn't expect you to be the one comforting me today."

Isabella hugged her. "You've had my back for so many years; of course, I want to have yours now."

Nina was exhausted. She ate a bit and then crashed.

Isabella thought for a moment and called Richard. She wanted to let him know Nina was with her.

Isabella was partly worried Richard would freak out and partly wanted Nina to stay the night.

Richard was usually super clingy with Nina. Normally, he wouldn't let her stay over and would come get her no matter how late. But this time, he agreed right away and didn't ask much before hanging up.

The Landon Group.

Seb wrapped up his day's grind just as Laura brought Bradley over.

Laura said, "Mr. Landon, Dr. Vaughn is here."

Seb rubbed his temples, looking beat. "Perfect timing, let's get started."

He got up, ditched his jacket, and flopped onto the sofa.

Laura slipped out quietly.

Bradley drew the curtains, dimming the room. He sat next to Seb and started the hypnosis session.

After about ten minutes, Seb opened his eyes but saw nothing.

Bradley frowned, looking puzzled.

Seb sat up, glanced around, and looked bummed. "Another bust?"

Bradley nodded silently, looking pretty down.

Seb felt a splitting headache. This had happened too many times! Every hypnosis session was a flop. When he opened his eyes, he never saw the person he wanted to see.

The questions weighed on him like a ton of bricks, almost crushing his spirit.

Seb held his temples. "Why is this happening?"

Bradley handed him a glass of water and some painkillers.

Seb downed them without a second thought.

The meds needed time to kick in, so he had to tough it out for now.

Seb leaned back on the sofa, his head tilted, feeling the pain tearing through his nerves, his eyes bloodshot.

Bradley said, "Mr. Landon, if you have time, we should hit the lab."

Seb turned to look at him. "What are you getting at?"

Bradley glanced around. "Your office is quiet, but it's not a professional setup. The successful hypnoses were all in the lab. Here, they always fail. We should go back to the lab."

Seb nodded. "Let's roll."

Bradley drove, and Seb sat in the back. As they left the parking lot, Seb called Isabella.

Seb said, "Hey, Bella, I might be back late. Don't wait up; get some sleep. See you tonight."

Just that one call seemed to drain all of Seb's energy. He slumped against the seat, tormented.

Bradley drove fast, getting to the lab in under twenty minutes.

At this hour, the other lab staff had already bounced.

Bradley used his access card to open the door and smoothly brought Seb into the treatment room.

Maybe it was the drive or the painkillers kicking in, but as soon as Seb lay down, his eyelids felt heavy.

Bradley lit some special-scented incense, the kind he always used for Seb's treatments. Seb found the scent pretty soothing.

This time, the hypnosis was almost effortless.

Seb slowly drifted into the dream; Bradley got up and left.

Moments later, the door gently opened from the outside; Siena, in a pure white dress, walked in.

Because Seb had been swamped lately, Bradley had been going to the Landon Group for his treatments. Siena couldn't conveniently follow, so she hadn't seen Seb for days.

Siena sat on a chair, holding Seb's hand, pressing his palm against her face, gently rubbing it.

After a while, Seb's eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was calm. "Mom?"

Siena knew Seb had mistaken her, but it didn't matter; she was willing. As long as she could be with Seb, the method didn't matter! What mattered wasn't the result but the whole process!