Chapter 230
“As long as you believe you’re doing the right thing, there’s no need to care what anyone else thinks.”
Khloe’s voice was steady—calm but firm in a way that left no room for doubt. Her eyes softened as she looked at Nick, carrying quiet understanding rather than judgment.
The tension in Nick’s expression eased little by little.
A faint smile returned to his lips as he pulled her into his arms.
“Then none of it matters,” he said quietly. “As long as you’re here.”
Khloe rested against him, her voice softer now, almost like a promise.
“No matter what happens in the future, I’ll face it with you. You don’t have to pretend to be strong in front of me.”
Nick’s gaze steadied. After a moment, he nodded.
He reminded her again not to visit Michelle for the time being.
The situation was too sensitive—any appearance by Khloe would only complicate things further, both with the Keller family and in public opinion.
“I know,” Khloe said. “I won’t go. I’ll just have my assistant send a message.”
Nick didn’t object.
He knew she could handle herself. Still, for some reason, his unease didn’t fully settle.
At noon, Ethan appeared in Michelle’s hospital room with a fruit basket that looked unnecessarily expensive.
The room was quiet.
Michelle lay turned slightly toward the window, her face pale and empty, as if she had been drained of all energy.
That morning, while her family was briefly asleep, she had reopened her own wound with a fruit knife. She was found in time by a nurse on rounds and pulled back from the edge once again.
After that incident, the Keller family no longer dared to leave her alone. Guards and caregivers were stationed inside and outside the room around the clock.
Michelle’s mother hadn’t even been able to rest properly since.
Ethan placed the fruit basket among the other gifts already piled on the table and clicked his tongue lightly.
“Why go this far?” he said. “You’ve only just started, and you’re already falling apart.”
His eyes drifted across the room.
He noticed the gifts from Khloe and Nick as well—carefully selected supplements, expensive and thoughtful in a restrained way.
He gave a low, almost amused hum.
“And yet… he still hasn’t come.”
Michelle didn’t respond.
Her eyes remained fixed on the window, unmoving.
Ethan studied her for a moment, then spoke again, his tone shifting slightly.
“Michelle, do you know when a war is truly lost?”
Still no answer.
He didn’t seem to mind.
“A war isn’t lost when you fall,” he said. “It’s lost when you give up. As long as you’re still in it, it’s not over.”
That finally drew a faint reaction from her. Michelle turned her head slightly.
Ethan picked up a pastry from the table, took a bite, and then casually held another piece toward her.
“Eat something,” he said. “Your body is the only thing you can’t afford to lose.”
Michelle didn’t move at first.
Ethan swallowed and leaned back, brushing crumbs from his hands.
“You already know Nick better than anyone,” he added lightly. “What he likes about Khloe… and what he once liked about you.”
A faint, sharp smile crossed his lips.
“A thousand-mile dam can collapse from an ant. One decision doesn’t define everything. Him not coming today doesn’t mean you’ve lost.”
With that, he gave a casual wave and left.
Michelle remained still for a long moment.
Then, slowly, almost mechanically, she reached for the pastry and took a bite.
It was small.
But it was something.
By evening, she was eating again.
By the next day, she was stable enough to be discharged.