Chapter 736

His gaze was scorching, his eyes filled with a love so intense it was impossible to ignore.

Briony gently patted his shoulder with her free hand. "Let go for now. You need to get treated."

Stewart released her without protest, simply wanting her to understand his decision. He didn't dare hope she would accept him right away; after all, there was still too much left unsaid between them.

After a few words with the nurse, Briony left the emergency room and headed toward the inpatient ward.

Stella was running a fever and remained unconscious while Cedric Clarke stayed by her side, refusing to leave for even a moment.

Briony felt she had to do something.

She looked at Cedric. “Dr. Clarke, there's something Star never wanted you to know, but with things as they are, I have to tell you."

An uneasy feeling washed over Cedric as he met Briony's gaze.

"Star has depression."

Cedric froze. It took him a long moment to find his voice. "Since when?" he asked, his tone heavy.

"I'm not sure of the exact date of her diagnosis," Briony said with a sigh. "But I believe it started as

ver

postpartum depression. Then, whèn her memories returned, the combination of emotional trauma and hormonal changes made it worse. It hasn't reached the point of needing medication, and she's been actively trying to manage it herself. I know you were upset going abroad, but fave you ever stopped to think why? Why would she choose to leave and be all alone in another country when she was sick and needed support the most?"

out her

Cedric's breath caught in his throat as he looked down at Stella, lying unconscious in the bed.

"And that young man," Briony added, "he's just her downstairs neighbor. He helped her once when she was unwell. They're only friends."

Guilt washed over Cedric. "After I calmed down, I knew I had misunderstood."

"I'm not here to judge you, Dr. Clarke. But if you don't want a divorce, you need to communicate with Star properly instead of dragging your parents into it. Have you ever considered that maybe Star didn't leave to escape you and Aster?"

Cedric's head snapped up to look at her.

"Mrs. Joyner has always been controlling, but it became much worse after what happened to Star She came to me back then and asked me to cut off all contact. At the time, I agreed out of guilt and because needed to leave.

Briony sighed heavily. "Seeing how things have become between them now, I think my decision might have been a mistake."

Northborough my net

Cedric's brow furrowed, his mind a tangled mess.

"You're a smart man, Dr. Clarke. I refuse to believe that in over four years, you never once noticed there was a problem with Mrs. Joyner."

A flicker of guilt crossed Cedric's face, and Briony saw it, seizing the opportunity to press her point. “You've been using Mrs. Joyner to control Star, to keep her tied to you."

Cedric's pupils constricted. “I...” He opened his mouth to deny it, but the words wouldn't come.

"Mental illness is a serious matter, Dr. Clarke. Ştar has her issues, but after what you saw today, can you blame her for being rebellious with an upbringing like that? When first met her in high school, she wasn't like this at all. She was being bullied and was a deeply unhappy girl. It was only after we became close, studying together and confiding in each other, that she started to build her confidence. Then Mr Joyner bought her a camera, and from that day on, her world opened up. She was filled with hope for the future. But when we went to different universities, she chose medical school and rarely mentioned photography again. She loved it, but she gave it up because she didn't want to disappoint her mother."