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After the funeral, the mansion that once stood as a symbol of power and wealth was now a hollow shell of its former self. The staff who had survived the brutal invasion had been sent home to recover, and the mansion was left empty, with the exception of Nolan and Alexa.
Nolan had retreated to his room and refused to leave. He didn’t bother to hire new staff to keep the mansion’s state at bay. Every day, Alexa would spend her time making food for Nolan and prepping a nice hot bath for him to have. She would inform him of the food and the bath, but all she could ever get was the sound of his cries under his bed sheet.
Alexa felt helpless in the face of Nolan’s grief. She knew that he needed time to heal, but she also knew that he couldn’t spend the rest of his life in his room. She tried to talk to him, to comfort him, but he refused to open up to her.
Days turned into weeks, and Alexa’s concern for Nolan grew. She didn’t know what else to do. She spent her days trying to take care of Nolan, making sure he had everything he needed, but she couldn’t force him to leave his room.
One day, as she was cooking lunch, she heard a faint knock on the front door. She hesitated at first, wondering who it could be. She cautiously walked towards the door and peered through the peephole. It was an old woman, looking frail and weak.
Alexa opened the door and greeted the woman. The old woman asked if Nolan was there, and Alexa hesitated before telling her that he was in his room. The old woman nodded and thanked her before making her way to Nolan’s room.
Alexa watched as the old woman knocked on Nolan’s door. She listened as the old woman spoke softly to Nolan, telling him stories of her own grief and how she had come to terms with it over the years. Alexa could hear Nolan’s sobs turn into sniffles, and she knew that the old woman’s words were reaching him.
As the days passed, Alexa noticed a slight improvement in Nolan’s demeanor. He started to eat more and even ventured out of his room for a brief period to check on the mansion’s state. Alexa was glad to see Nolan taking small steps towards healing, but she knew that he still had a long way to go.
One day, while Nolan was taking a bath, Alexa noticed that he had left his phone on the counter. She hesitated at first, wondering if she should respect his privacy, but curiosity got the best of her, and she picked up the phone.
As she scrolled through Nolan’s text messages, she noticed a message from Anthony. It was a message that Nolan had never seen, and it read, “Son, I’m so proud of you. You’ve become a better man than I ever was.”
Alexa’s heart sank as she read the message. She knew that Nolan needed to see it. She quickly put the phone back on the counter and rushed to Nolan’s room.
“Nolan, you need to see this,” she said as she handed him his phone.
Nolan looked at her quizzically before taking the phone from her. As he read the message, tears streamed down his face.
“Why didn’t I see this before?” he whispered.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.
“I don’t know, but I think it’s time for you to start moving forward. Your father would want that for you,” Alexa replied softly.
Nolan nodded, and Alexa knew that he was finally ready to start the healing process. Over the next few weeks, Nolan slowly but surely began to venture out of his room more often.
***
Alexa had been feeling restless, constantly pacing back and forth in her room, trying to find a way to track down Cody. She knew she couldn’t do it alone, so she decided to visit the hospital where David and Jade had been admitted.
Upon reaching the hospital, she found Jade sitting alone in a room with her head buried in her hands. Alexa could see that Jade was grieving the loss of her lover, David.
“Jade, I’m so sorry for your loss. I can’t even begin to imagine what you’re going through,” Alexa said softly as she approached her.
Jade looked up at Alexa and shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “It’s not your fault, Alexa. Cody is the one who’s responsible for all of this. He’s the reason David is dead. I hope you find him and make him pay for what he’s done.”
Alexa nodded solemnly and took a seat next to Jade. “Do you know where Cody could be hiding? I need to find him.”
Jade looked hesitant at first but then took a deep breath and told Alexa all the possible hiding spots that Cody had taken David to when they had a mission.