Chapter 535
William strode over and took the phone from her hand.
He watched the video of Richie crawling, pushing himself up, then taking a few wobbly steps toward Chris.
At the end, Richie threw himself against Chris’s leg and hugged it.
William couldn’t help smiling.
More than anything, though, he felt relieved.
He felt for Winter.
He felt for Richie too.
Winter needed Richie, and Richie needed her.
But in her current condition, Winter was not in a place where she could safely care for him.
Her emotions could spiral out of control. She could hurt herself.
No one could guarantee that she would always manage to hold it together in front of Richie or that she would never do something that might frighten him.
Richie was still so young.
Everything Winter said and did while she was sick could affect the way he grew up and the kind of person he became.
Neither Winter nor Richie was someone William or Chris could afford to take chances with.
William knew that a large part of the reason she was crying was guilt.
So he tried to comfort her.
“He’s only a year and a half old. You have so much time ahead of you. You’ll be there for countless other firsts p>
But the moment he said it, Winter’s eyes turned even redder.
William gave up trying to comfort her from a distance and crouched beside the window seat, looking up at her.
“Trust me. Trust yourself. And most importantly, trust the doctor I found for you. He has an excellent reputation, he’s one of the best at what he does, and he’s almost as handsome as I
am p>
“I don’t want a handsome doctor p>
1/5
+15 Bonus
Winter’s choked voice cracked slightly, as if William had almost managed to make her laugh.
But William knew she wasn’t really capable of laughing right now.
He looked at her with mock disgust.
“What, do you have a thing for ugly guys p>
Winter didn’t answer.
Because the moment William said “ugly,” Chris’s face appeared in her mind.
But there was absolutely nothing ugly about that face.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
William had been crouching so long that his legs were starting to go numb. He was just about to stand when Winter suddenly asked, “Did you quit acting p>
William froze halfway up.
Unfortunately for him, Winter caught it.
“I knew it p>
At the beginning of the year, she had spent a day working as his temporary assistant.
Back then, she knew he had three scripts waiting for him to choose from. Based on the schedule, he should have started filming a long time ago.
But while Richie was undergoing treatment, William had stayed at the hospital with her.
Now that she had gone overseas for treatment, he was still by her side.
Where was he finding all this time?
Even as a member of the powerful Zeller family, William couldn’t simply walk away from his contracts and do whatever he wanted.
And William had never been the type to let rules stop him.
There was only one explanation.
He had left the entertainment industry.
Winter had stayed off the internet, so she chose to ask him directly.
William shrugged.
“I’ve wanted out for a long time anyway. I already won Best Actor twice. I’ve gotten more than
2/5
enough out of this career.
+15 Bonus
“You know I’ve never had much patience for all the politics and games in this industry. Leaving was always going to happen sooner or later p>
Money had come far too easily to him in the entertainment industry.
So easily that he had almost looked down on it.
Over the years, William had donated every dollar he earned from acting.
Some of the money went to underserved rural communities.
Some went to disaster relief and regions devastated by war
Some went to food programs for children in impoverished parts of the world.
Winter knew all of that.
Among the people in their circle, William was one of the rare few who had stayed genuinely kind and uncorrupted.
William reached out and ruffled her hair.
“So your William is officially unemployed now. You’d better get well soon and start making enough money to support me p>
Of course, he was joking.
With the Zeller family’s wealth and the dividends he received from the family business every quarter, he had more money than he could ever spend.
He certainly didn’t need Winter to support him.
Winter’s eyes grew wet again.
She did not say anything.
She simply reached out and patted his wrist.
William suddenly hissed.
“Damn. My legs fell asleep p>
Sara Lili
Sara is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.