?Chapter 1096:


    Gerard led him upstairs to the study, where Kristian was waiting. On the way, Lawrence, with a note of curiosity, asked, “Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed today? Why else would he suddenly ask me to hypnotize him into a deep sleep?”


    In the past, nothing Lawrence had tried ever bore fruit.


    For Kristian to request it now was like a thunderstorm on a cloudless daypletely unexpected.


    “He probably made peace with it,” Gerard answered vaguely, choosing not to borate.


    He hadn’t overheard the conversation between Kristian and Felipe; he only heard about Freya’s move. The rest was a mystery sealed behind closed doors.


    “I really hope he did,” Lawrence replied, his voice tinged with genuine concern for Kristian’s state of mind.


    Gerard offered no furtherment. He guided him into the study, closed the door behind them, and quietly withdrew.


    Inside, Kristian sat as distant and unreadable as ever—an iceberg unmoved by warm currents.


    Lawrence didn’t dive in straight away. Instead, he took a seat across from him, his eyes steady. “For hypnosis to take hold, you need to lean into it. If your mind builds walls, I can’t knock them down.”


    “I’m aware,” Kristian’s tone was t—stone against steel.


    “What changed your mind, then?”


    “Just want a decent night’s sleep.”


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    Lawrence read between the lines. It wasn’t rity that brought Kristian here. It was weariness.


    He leaned back, his voice soft with reason. “The past is just that—a ghost with no substance. Neither of you owes the other anything now. There’s no need to let guilt chain you down.”


    “You’re wrong,” Kristian replied curtly.


    It wasn’t guilt. It was regret. Regret for the road taken. Regret for not recognizing love until it had slipped through his fingers. Lawrence sensed the shutters closing. “Alright. Let’s begin.”


    Kristian followed the routine—he took a shower, theny on the bed as instructed.


    The hypnosis went off without a hitch. Kristian offered no resistance, and in just over ten minutes, sleep imed him.


    Lawrence tucked him in like a brother watching over a wounded soul. Once satisfied with the steadiness of Kristian’s breathing, he stepped out.


    Gerard was waiting outside. When he heard the hypnosis had gone smoothly, he finally exhaled a breath he’d been holding far too long.


    “If there’s a way, try persuading him to start therapy,” Lawrence said, his tone kind but resolute. “If this keeps up, his body’s going to break down.”


    Gerard nodded. “I will.”


    In his heart, he knew—until Kristian reached for help himself, no one could push him toward healing.


    “How about histest medical report?” Lawrence asked, genuinely anxious about the toll all this was taking. “Is it out?”


    “Yes. I picked it up after work. Haven’t looked at it yet,” Gerard said as they moved downstairs.


    Lawrence followed to retrieve it.


    The moment he nced at the report, his brow knotted like a tangled thread.


    Gerard’s expression shifted too—caught between disbelief and dread.


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