Chapter 385 The Root of Shawn’s Mental Struggles
9:00 a.m., the next morning.
Kelly accompanied Shawn to get a GI endoscopy.
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“They’re putting me under general anesthesia.” Shawn looked pale and anxious. It was clear he hadn’t slept well the night before.
Kelly struggled to hold back a smile. If this was just his way of trying to get closer to her, he was really going. to extreme lengths. A GI scope was no joke.
After all, he had to chug a ton of electrolyte solution the night before and completely clear out his system. Not exactly a romantic setup.
“Don’t worry,” Kelly said gently. “You’ll be asleep the whole time. You won’t feel a thing?
“When I was a kid, my mom was always busy–always at events, parties, and meetings. She didn’t have time for me. After a while, I just started having stomach problems,” Shawn said, his voice low and a little bitter. “One time, I was starving and ate something that had gone bad. Threw up so hard I started bleeding. Alone at home. Ever since then, my stomach’s never been right.” He gave a self–deprecating smile.
Shawn’s childhood was far from happy. His father had never been in the picture, and his mom–fiercely ambitious–was hardly maternal.
Kelly looked at him, her tone quiet but piercing. “Do you hate Patrick?”
Shawn froze for a moment, then smiled faintly. “No. I mean, he wasn’t a great dad, but he did send money. I just tell myself… they got divorced. That’s all.”
Patrick couldn’t be there for him like a normal father, and a kid doesn’t understand things like child
support.
His eyes, his hesitation–he did hate Patrick, deep down.
Everything he’d worked for all these years had been, in some way, to prove something to that man.
Thankfully, Oscar–the family’s legitimate heir–had no interest in the corporate world, which meant Shawn got a real shot at joining the Wagner Group.
“Shawn Wagner,” called a nurse from the surgical area.
Shawn gave Kelly a quick smile, then turned and walked in.
Kelly didn’t trust him–not really. She thought this was all just part of some elaborate act, and the test results would probably come back completely normal.
But when the doctor came out, he gave her a long rundown. Shawn’s stomach had undergone partial surgery years ago, and he hadn’t been eating properly recently. If he kept going like this, things could get serious–fast.
Kelly sat in stunned silence. He’d mentioned vomiting blood when he was young, like it was nothing. But he’d actually had surgery. Part of his stomach was gone.
She frowned and walked into the recovery room.
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Chapter 385 The Root of Shawn’s Mental Struggles.
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Shawn had been unconscious for a while before he finally opened his eyes. When he saw her sitting there, he gave a small smile. “You stayed… I thought I’d wake up alone.”
“You’ve had stomach surgery. Why the hell aren’t you taking care of yourself? Skipping meals like that—are you trying to get yourself killed?” Kelly snapped, more frustrated as a doctor than anything else.
“When I first moved back to Scaville, I wanted to prove myself. I didn’t want anyone to look down on me,” he murmured, mocking himself.
He’d thrown himself into work the moment he joined the company. Eating on time hadn’t exactly been a priority.
“I get jealous of Zev, you know?” He added softly. “Why does he get to have you by his side?” He was being honest–painfully honest.
He didn’t understand why someone like Zev could be born into everything–wealth, opportunity, support– and just walk away from it all.
Zev had turned his back on the family business to join the military. Just like Oscar had become a cop instead of taking over the company. To Shawn, it all felt like they were flaunting their privilege.
They were heirs. Everything was already theirs. And yet, they didn’t even want it.
But him? He’d spent his whole life trying to earn even a fraction of it. He thought joining the Wagner Group would finally get him what he deserved. But Patrick never let go of any real power. Never offered him a share. Never even truly welcomed him.
He put his guard up against him.
Patrick had never treated him like a son.
What a joke.
“You’ll find someone who really cares for you someday,” Kelly said quietly.
Shawn didn’t answer. He just looked at her.
He had always liked taking things–fighting for them. Winning them.
Because only then did he feel worthy. Only then did he feel safe.
That was how his mother had raised him.
In preschool, when another kid won a trophy in a school competition, he studied so hard trying to beat him in the next one that he ended up hospitalized with a fever. But he won that trophy. Took it from the other boy’s hands.
That was how he operated. Take what he wanted. Earn it. Prove it.
Kelly sighed softly. She was beginning to understand why his mind worked the way it did–twisted as it was.
“Stick to light food for a while,” she instructed later when she drove him home.
Shawn leaned back in the passenger seat groggily, looking a little pitiful. “No one’s ever really looked after
me.”
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Chapter 385 The Root of Shawn’s Mental Struggles
“Hire a housekeeper,” Kelly said helplessly, trying to be practical.
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“My mom hires them. They’re not there to help me,” Shawn said, with a bitter laugh. “They’re there to watch me.”
Kelly was stunned but didn’t push. It was his family matter, after all. She continued to drive.
As they pulled into the driveway, a middle–aged woman stormed out of the house.
The moment Shawn stepped out of the car, she slapped him across the face.
Kelly recognized her. It was Shawn’s mother, Serena.
“Ma’am,” Kelly snapped, stepping protectively in front of Shawn. “He just had an endoscopy–under anesthesia. Can’t this wait until he’s recovered?”
Shawn miserably leaned against the car door, red around the eyes and the corner of his mouth.
“He’s fine,” Serena barked. “What kind of grown man needs a hospital visit for a little stomach pain? And who gave you permission to leave the company? Your father finally lets you in, and you ask for time off? If you’re going to drop dead, do it in the Wagner Group building!”
Kelly stared at her in disbelief. Is this something that could come from a mother?
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