Chapter 239: Family Values
"Dad."
Arthur nearly cried.
As Elias had guessed, Arthur understood exactly what his stay at Longhaven Hospital had meant. It had never been only treatment. Serena had taken the weak point in Elias's life, wrapped it in medical care, and turned it into leverage. Arthur's health had become the chain that kept Elias obedient.
For months, Arthur had lived in one of Longhaven's best private suites. The meals were good. The nurses were attentive. Specialists had treated the old injuries and chronic aches he had collected over years of work until most of them barely bothered him anymore. By any outside measure, he had been fortunate.
Arthur had felt sick about it every day.
He knew the comfort came at Elias's expense. He knew he was accepting a clean room, expert care, and a body that hurt less because Serena Blackwood wanted a way to make his son comply.
The guilt had never left him.
It had simply been made easier to live with.
