Betrayed By Husband, Stolen By Brother In Law-Chapter 241: A Word

Adam expected to see Sir Robert Collins lying weakly in bed when he stepped into the patient room. Instead, he stopped short, startled to find Patrick Collins there, slouched against the pillows, breathing heavily through a nasal oxygen mask.

For a moment, Adam just stood there uncertainly. They’d already guessed that Patrick was probably sick and hence had approached them, but he had not expected to see him like this.

Patrick lifted one trembling hand and gestured toward the chair beside him. Wordlessly, Adam crossed the room and sat down. He kept his eyes on the older man, who shut his own and drew in several laboured breaths before pulling the mask off as he asked Adam in a slow voice, "Adam, have you made a decision yet, regarding Adir?"

Despite the calm way he asked, it did not hide the urgency in his voice and in his eyes.

Adam didn’t answer right away. He looked at Patrick for a moment, wanting to question the man but instead he could only slowly shake his head. "What’s going on with you?"

Patrick let out a long and tired sigh," Everything. My body is shutting down. My organs are failing, and the doctors can’t stop it. I don’t have much time left."

His breath caught, and he paused, chest rising unevenly as he struggled for air. After a few seconds, he steadied himself, brought the mask back to his nose, took a few more deep breaths and continued.

"That’s why I need you to make a decision soon. But before you do, there are things you deserve to know."

He took another breath—shallow, rushed, and noisy—and winced slightly as if it hurt.

"As much as I tried to protect both you and Spencer... I know now that I failed. Miserably." frёewebηovel.cѳm

Adam stayed silent, his posture rigid, eyes fixed on Patrick.

"But when I ask you to take care of Adir," Patrick went on, his tone hardening just slightly, "I won’t ask it without doing my part. I’ve cleared the path for you. All the obstacles... they’re gone. Or they will be gone by the time I breathe my last."

He leaned back into the pillows, drained, his breathing louder now as he brought the mask back to his nose and inhaled deeply.

Adam felt his eyes widen. What did he mean by clearing the path?

Patrick noticed the look on his face and gave a faint, weary shake of his head.

"The confession you received from Saira..." he began, his voice muffled slightly by the mask, "it’s not entirely true. I had Elias make some changes—add a few things, adjust the wording. And Saira... she’s going to stand by it. She knows what’s at stake."

He paused again, breathing through the mask for a moment before pulling it aside so he could speak more clearly.

"With that version of the confession, combined with Sir Collins’ death, the earlier poisoning, the recent attack on him—and then on you—Spencer will be held responsible for all of it. There’s no way out for him now. He’ll likely spend the rest of his life in prison."

Adam stared at him, stunned, his mind racing.

Patrick exhaled slowly, his face blank, almost resigned. "As for Sir Collins..." he said, lowering his voice, "he doesn’t have much time left. I’ve made sure of that."

"I thought Sir Collins was recovering? And what poison?" Adam asked, frowning as his thoughts scrambled to make sense of the revelation. "Are you saying Spencer never poisoned him? But you made Saira confess to it? Why would you fake—"

He stopped mid-sentence, the words catching in his throat as he watched Patrick turn his face away. The older man closed his eyes, as if retreating into silence was easier than answering.

Adam felt his heart sink. A tight, cold sensation crept through his chest. "What did you do?" he asked quietly. "Did you...?"

Patrick didn’t open his eyes. His voice came low and without emotion. "Yes," he said. "I poisoned Sir Collins."

Adam could hardly believe what he was hearing. Patrick’s tone was calm—too calm. Had Patrick Collins lost his mind? This man used to worship the ground his father walked on and now he was confessing to orchestrating the entire poisoning of the man.

"I’ve been doing it slowly, over the past few weeks... ever since I returned. I increased the dosage just enough this time. He won’t leave the hospital alive."

Patrick finally turned his head to look at Adam. There was no regret in his eyes—only finality.

"That is the only way I could protect you. And protect Adir. My last attempt at protecting you both."

He paused to take a breath, his voice beginning to fray at the edges.

"I had Saira give the confession because if there’s even the slightest suspicion about his death... if someone calls for an autopsy... the poison will be found in his system. And if that happens, all the blame will fall on Spencer. No one will look beyond the confession. No one will think to question it."

"And that," Patrick continued, his voice thinner now, "leaves the last obstacle- Saira, herself."

He took a breath through the mask before speaking again, slower this time.

"Once Spencer is sentenced and Sir Collins is gone, Saira will be dealt with in Maniwa. The confession she gave—false or not—will be more than enough to condemn her there. She’ll face punishment under their laws."

He turned his gaze back to the ceiling, eyes unfocused now.

"She’ll be tried there, and with the charges against her, she won’t see freedom again. She’ll spend the rest of her life behind bars."

He took in a deep breath and then sighed," This is the last of it. I have arranged everything. If you decide to not take Adir in, I leave with only one request. Find a good family for him to grow in. Don’t let him become a ward of the state. That is all I ask. Protect my son. Please."

With that Patrick turned his head away, not looking at Adam anymore.

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