Chooses Madness 102

Chapter 102 

28 

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Max gave a bitter smile and slowly shook his head. His voice came low and hoarse. “At the time, I couldn’t face reality. I gave up on myself and refused treatment. Now… I’m afraid the best window for recovery has already passed.” 

In other words, there was little chance of saving his legs. 

Max wished he could go back, slap his past self awake, and force himself to stop spiraling into despair. 

He thought, ‘If I hadn’t given up back then and accepted treatment, maybe I’d already be healed. Maybe I’d have uncovered the truth long ago, instead of being deceived for so many years. Eli wouldn’t have had to suffer so much with me either.’ 

The more Max thought about it, the more his chest filled with crushing remorse and self–reproach. 

Kayla was sharp enough to spot the hint of a turnaround in Ryan’s words. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, like hope was breaking through after a storm. She leaned in, voice trembling and excited, “Wait… are you saying it’s not hopeless after all?” 

Max let out another bitter laugh. “After all these years, the chances aren’t great. Besides…” He tugged awkwardly at the frayed, faded cuff of his sleeve. 

Back then, he had given up on himself, losing all interest and passion for life. His family suffered one misfortune after another, and with Elijah still too young to understand anything, their entire savings of many years were swindled away. 

Now, Max survived only with the support of Payton’s family and the money Elijah earned from odd jobs, barely scraping by. So, how could he possibly afford the treatment for his crippled legs? 

Kayla immediately understood what Max had left unsaid. She pulled out a bank card from her bag and placed 

it in front of him. 

She said, “As long as it can heal you, that’s all that matters. Don’t worry about the money. There’s 150,000 dollars here. Take it for now. If it’s not enough, I’ll get you more.” 

Max’s expression shifted slightly, and he quickly tried to refuse. “That won’t do. How could I take your money?” 

Kayla gave a helpless little smile, saying, “Mr. Carter, my mom has always treated you like a brother. With my grandpa gone, you’re her only family left. 

“By all rights, that makes you my uncle. So, if my own uncle is in trouble, how could I just stand by?” 

With that, Kayla pressed the card into Max’s hand. 

The word “uncle” struck deep. The hard walls Max had built around his heart suddenly collapsed, leaving him vulnerable, his eyes stinging with tears. 

His grip on the card tightened before loosening again. He felt that after being so weak back then, doubting Bailee all those years, and letting her suffer alone, he hardly had the face to accept this money. 

18:52 Wed, Oct 15 

Chapter 102 

65 vouchers 

Max still wanted to refuse, but Kayla gave him no chance. She spoke firmly. “Mr. Carter, no, Uncle. Don’t you want to recover and find out the truth about what really happened back then?” 

Kayla deliberately changed the way she called him, her eyes filled with encouragement and hope, as if urging him to stop living in the past and break free from his guilt. 

Max’s heart trembled at those words. If he had still been hesitant before, refusing now would only make him seem ungrateful. 

Just then, a heavy thud hit the floor, shattering the silence in the room. 

Kayla and Max looked over to see Elijah, who had been eavesdropping by the doorframe, stumble as the door swung open and crash to the ground in a tangled heap. 

Elijah scrambled up awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. “I… I wasn’t spying. I just… just came in to get 

some water.” 

Kayla let out a small laugh, thinking he couldn’t have made it more obvious if he tried. 

She asked, “Uncle, is he really your son? He doesn’t seem… very sharp. He’s nothing like you.” 

Elijah was still grinning goofily, but the moment he realized what Kayla had just said, his face changed at 

once. 

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