"You've lost your mind."
Ethan's words cut through the air like a knife, and a chill ran down Stephen's spine. He thought of the doctors and nurses and how Nolan looked at him yesterday.
"Impossible!"
Stephen shook his head in denial, hoping to shake the doubts away. He was not crazy. He knew no one believed him, but if he started questioning himself too, then it would all be over.
"I'm fine. I'm sane. I'm awake! I'm not crazy. You're just messing with me!" Stephen shouted.
Ethan smiled. "You know better than anyone if Jeremy is dead or not. You're the one who killed him. You watched him die."
Stephen felt a punch in his soul. Images of Jeremy's lifeless face, his cold, empty eyes, flooded Stephen's mind once again. He panicked, his breathing hurried.
"He's not dead. You must've saved him!" Stephen said, his resolve beginning to crack.
"Tell me where he is!"
Ethan said, "You know the answer to that question better than me. You're the one who chose his burial spot. Why wouldn't you know where he is?"
Stephen looked down.
Was Jeremy really dead? Was he hallucinating back at the hospital?
He took a deep breath, dialed Nolan's number, and asked him to check the surveillance footage. Nolan then told him they did not spot Jeremy in any surveillance footage.
"No! I don't believe it!" Stephen's body swayed, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Andy," Nolan said through the phone.
Stephen immediately dialed Andy's number.
"Have you seen Jeremy?" he asked as soon as the call went through.
Andy looked at Jeremy, who was just beside him. Jeremy listened to the conversation and shook his head, signaling Andy to keep quiet.
"No. Didn't you kill him? Why are you asking me this?" Andy said indifferently.
"I'll give you another 10 million dollars! Tell me the truth! Have you seen Jeremy?" Stephen could not accept the reality that was being laid out in front of him. "Did Ethan tell you to lie to me?"
Andy sighed. For a moment, he felt bad for Stephen for messing with Ethan, but he knew Stephen had that upon himself.
"No. Even if you give me more money, you can't change the fact that Jeremy is dead. You killed him."
After that, Andy hung up the phone.
Stephen collapsed on the floor, his face pale and void of energy. Was he hallucinating? Had he lost his mind?
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that he, the heir to the Quinns and the most successful young man in the country, would be labeled a madman.
Just then, Austin ran into the mansion hurriedly.
"He's alive!" he shouted. "Jeremy is still alive! You didn't lose your mind! Jeremy Davis is still alive!"
When Austin found out Jeremy was heading to Hill City, he returned quickly but was still one step too late. The moment he disembarked the plane, he found out that Stephen had gone back to Riveria, so he took another flight back here. Finally, he managed to reveal the truth a second before Stephen lost his mind. He ran over and hugged Stephen tightly. "You were right.
Jeremy is still alive."
He never wanted to tell Stephen the truth because the lies had helped Stephen to regain some of his composure. If he told Stephen that Jeremy was alive, it would break Stephen again. However, seeing the state Jeremy was in now, Austin knew that if he did not speak up, it might be too late.
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