Chapter 623

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Chapter 623 Can We Talk Inside.

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At that time, Josiah was entirely committed to Lysander’s well–being, treating her with such careful attention as though she were something precious and fragile. He wouldn’t dream of causing her any upset.

Michelle’s features softened slightly as she responded, “All right, then I’ll go back and check on her.”

“No need, I’ll go. You should head back to sleep. If your sister sees you up this late, she’ll surely worry. I’ll go check on her.” Josiah’s offer came from a place of deep consideration for both sisters‘ well–being.

He was indeed aware of the unusual behavior exhibited by Lysander lately, yet found himself unable to tell Michelle the truth.

Michelle, placing a significant amount of trust in him, nodded and began to retreat. However, she couldn’t help but glance back every few steps, her movements betraying her lingering unease.

Lysander’s tent was directly across from Josiah’s. He approached quietly, crouching at first, hesitating as he listened intently by the side of her tent. Confirming that the soft sounds of crying were still audible, he tentatively tapped on the fabric of the tent

The noise inside stopped abruptly.

A moment later. Lysander queried tentatively, “Who’s there?”

Josiah replied with a gentle exhale, “It’s me.”

“Is there something you need?”

Josiah explained his presence, “Your sister heard you crying and got a bit worried about you, so she sent me to check on you.”

Lysander seemed surprised. “Michelle heard me?”

“Yeah.

“Then did she…”

“First, unzip the tent. It’s difficult to talk through the tent, and others might overhear us.”

The mountain wind at night was sharp, and even though they were separated by only the thin fabric of the tent, Lysander struggled to hear Josiah’s words clearly. His voice wasn’t particularly quiet either.

After a prolonged silence, she finally relented and unzipped the tent from the inside, poking her head out to ask, “You’ve been busy all day, aren’t you tired? I’m fine, you should go back and get some sleep.”

Josiah glanced inside, his eyes briefly catching sight of a crumpled piece of white paper on the ground next to a small plastic bag that was filled to the brim. Concerned about overstepping, he quickly averted his eyes, asking, “Are you really okay?”

Lysander, unable to summon even a forced smile, simply lowered her gaze and responded, “I’m perfectly fine, nothing’s wrong. You should go back.”

Josiah, however, was already suspecting that she was merely putting on a brave front. His voice was low as he responded, “We’re now people who share a secret. There’s no need to put on a front around me…

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Catching his incisive look, Lysander took a deep breath and resignedly accepted the situation

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Josiah could see she looked even more distressed than before. Glancing around, he noticed the light coming from the nearby cozy tent and suggested in a subdued tone, “Michelle hasn’t gone to sleep yet. I’m afraid she might overhear our conversation here. Can we talk inside?”

The confines of the single–person tent were admittedly tight. When two people entered, the proximity was unavoidable, yet the campsite offered no other cover, and even a moderately raised voice might carry to unintended cars.

Lysander silently moved her sleeping bag back to make room at the entrance of the tent. Josiah, showing respect for her space, stooped to enter but sat just inside the flap, careful not to invade further. Given his tall frame, the tent was undeniably cramped for him.

Noticing his discomfort, Lysander commented, “The tents nowadays are made too small, aren’t they? They’re certainly not built with taller people in mind.”

Josiah, however, seemed unperturbed by the inconvenience. “After all, this is probably the only time we’ll do this. We won’t have many more opportunities to sleep in a tent in the future.”

“You’ve worked hard today,” Lysander acknowledged.

“There’s no need for formalities at this hour,” Josiah replied.

Lysander then inquired about her sister, “Where is Michelle?”

She instinctively glanced outside the tent, concerned that her younger sister might have gone to seek their parents again.

Josiah quickly reassured her, “She probably hasn’t noticed anything unusual. She only heard you crying and is just worried that I might have been upsetting you.”

The burden of responsibility Josiah felt was becoming increasingly heavy.

“It doesn’t seem like she’s slept at all,” he observed.

Lysander looked toward the light still visible outside, suspecting Michelle was likely still awake and possibly distracted by her phone. Her voice grew even softer.

Josiah spoke softly. “That’s not a bad idea. With a light on, at least we’d know where your sister is. We wouldn’t have to worry about her coming over unexpectedly because she’s concerned about you.”

Lysander gave a slight nod, her attention still fixed on the flickering light outside.

Josiah noticed the lingering tear stains in the corners of her eyes and asked, “I remember when you saw the Milky Way, you seemed to have calmed down, but then you suddenly started crying so sorrowfully. What happened?”

He remembered Lysander as someone who rarely lost her composure without significant reason. The drastic change in her demeanor suggested she had experienced something profoundly upsetting, possibly something as distressing as….

The memory of their lost child momentarily crossed Josiah’s mind, causing him a sharp pang of empathy.

As anticipated, Lysander’s next words confirmed his suspicions. “I was worried that my parents wouldn’t be 2/4

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used to camping for the first time, so I thought I’d go over and remind them not to zip up their tent too tightly at night, to leave a bit of space for ventilation. Just as I arrived, my dad came out. The moment he saw me, he hurriedly said he needed to go back to the hotel to get my mom’s coat.”

She continued, “My mom insisted she wasn’t cold and didn’t need anything, but he was adamant about going back. He even asked me to stay and keep my mom company. I was really worried, so I secretly followed him…”

As Lysander recounted these events, a wave of emotion overwhelmed her, causing her nose to tingle. She quickly raised a hand to cover her eyes, managing to hold back the tears, though her eyes were already red from earlier crying.

Josiah handed her a tissue.

Lysander’s fingers trembled slightly as she accepted the tissue, holding it over her eyes for a few moments to compose herself before she found the strength to continue speaking. Her voice was laden with strain as she revealed, “I saw… I saw my dad struggle to reach the car. He could barely support himself, and before long, he couldn’t stand upright anymore. He was in so much pain that he just collapsed to his knees silently…”

Josiah vividly remembered the conversation he had with Maverick in the stairwell, where Maverick had clenched his teeth against the pain.

Understanding the severity of the situation, Josiah responded, “I understand, Mr. Maverick is a strong man. If he’s reached his limit, it must be incredibly serious,”

Lysander, deeply moved and struggling with her emotions, continued, “I’ve always thought I understood my dad well, but seeing him like that… I realized I couldn’t even begin to share his pain, much less manage his medication properly…”

Josiah’s voice grew tense as he recalled the earlier administration of painkillers. “I gave him a dose of painkillers earlier today while we were at the spa. But given the time that has passed, they might have worn off during their stargazing. Unfortunately, Mdm. Laura has been by his side constantly, so he likely didn’t have a chance to take any more of his medication.”

Patients in the latter stages of lung cancer often face relentless progression of the disease, where tumor metastasis could lead to the failure of vital organs–a relentlessly unforgiving progression that was irreversible.

Maverick had even pushed himself to eat well during the barbecue to prevent Laura from worrying, which undoubtedly taxed his already weakened condition.

Lysander, her voice barely above a whisper and fighting back tears, inquired, “Do you still have any of those painkillers left?”

Josiah nodded affirmatively. “I can get them from the hotel right now. However, I’m unsure how to discreetly deliver them to Mr. Maverick since there’s been no light in the tent he’s sharing with Mdm. Laura for a while now.”

The campsite was shrouded in an eerie silence, amplified by the drop in temperature, which even subdued the faint chirping of the mountain insects.

After a moment of contemplation amid the stillness, Lysander inhaled deeply, trying to stabilize her shaking emotions, and suggested, “Perhaps I should find an excuse to have Mom come and stay in my tent. tonight?”

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Josiah considered this for a brief moment before offering. “Actually, I might have another idea…”

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