Over time Richard grew bitter. People eventually stop visiting someone who greets every conversation with coldness. His wife left after she could no longer recognize the man he had become. He convinced himself that affection was just another business transaction with hidden conditions.
The only relative who remained close was his niece, Victoria.
Victoria was elegant, charming, and always perfectly dressed. She moved into the mansion claiming she wanted to “help,” but her kindness felt calculated—like someone waiting patiently for an inheritance.
Richard’s daily care was handled by a nurse named Daniel, a strong man who appeared professional in public but treated Richard with quiet cruelty when no one was watching.
Richard understood humiliation. He knew what it felt like to depend on someone who moved slowly on purpose. He knew what loneliness looked like even in a house full of luxury.
He had spent fortunes on treatments, specialists, and experimental therapies. Every attempt ended with the same word: irreversible.