Chapter 45. Who Are You?

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His heart felt as heavy as a stone, dropping lower into his rib cage; it made it hard to breathe, and Misha thought he'd run out of air soon. Anxiety was tormenting his body and rooted him in place, and he stood still in front of the door. Five minutes, ten minutes? Good question. All he knew was that it took him a moment to organize his thoughts, and only after slapping both of his cheeks did Misha muster the courage to enter the hospital room.

It was a spacious room with a single bed, on which Gabriel lay.

Misha peered at the sleeping teenager before routinely looking around, even though he knew it was useless. He wouldn't see what he wanted to see.

Again, there were no other visitors.

The chairs were empty, and only beeping sounds echoed inside the silent room. The soft rays of the morning sun shone through the large window, diffusing a warm light on the walls. The bedroom bathed in a peaceful atmosphere, yet it also appeared lonely—desperately lonely.

Anger and disappointment welled up inside Misha. He clenched his fists, then stormed off to call out to a nurse.

For the past two weeks, Misha went to see the teenager every day, and every time, he asked the staff if Gabriel's relatives had come to visit him in his absence. Each time, the answer was negative. The teenager's only visitors were always Misha and his family; no one else had come until now, not even Gabriel's parents.

The room was always empty and silent.

When Gabriel's father learned that his son had an accident, which resulted in a coma, all he did was ask for a transfer to a private hospital in Ontario. Although he did pay for better medical services and equipment, he still didn't come to the hospital to see his son—not even once.

This kind of attitude was enough to anger Misha to death. And that was only the tip of the iceberg. In this world, some people weren't meant to be parents. Misha had thought that Alexey was the worst father in history, but he recently discovered that he was wrong. Very, very wrong.

A few days ago, Misha overheard the conversation of a few nurses. He was buying snacks from the vending machines in a corner, and they didn't notice him. He wasn't the kind to pry, but since they were gossiping about the patient in room 201, his ears still perked up, and he ended up eavesdropping on their discussion.

The girls first spoke about how pitiful the teenage boy was, saying that such a heroic youth didn't deserve to lay in a bed, kept alive by machines. Then, they talked about the father and how heartless he was. Not only did the man not come to see his child even once, but he had also asked the doctor to stop the life-sustaining treatment if his son didn't wake up within a month. The medical team urged him to think it over, yet the man didn't change his mind.

"The neurologist said that his son was very likely to wake up, and he still insisted on disconnecting him so soon! He may as well kill him with his own two hands."

Misha's world shattered at these words, and time seemed to halt. Once the clock's hands started to move again, he exploded in anger, crushing the snack he had just bought.

Because Misha had nothing to vent his anger on, he simply decided to kick the hospital walls, only stopping when his toes started to hurt like hell. They were swollen and slightly bluish the next day, but he couldn't care less.

Back then, Misha had the urge to strangle someone, and even now, he still felt like there was something stuck in his throat whenever he thought about that conversation.

Over the past few days, and after much thinking, Misha concluded that it was Gabriel's father's fault if Gabriel's personality became so twisted in their past life. Having such a heartless father could not lead to anything good; it'd inevitably influence Gabriel as he grew up. His heart would naturally become cold, unfeeling, and uncaring.

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