Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 1096

Chapter 1096: Getting better means... worse

Hugo had always said he had seen a lot. He had witnessed how the once-enthusiastic group of people carried the look of death and helplessness, how the once-brave individuals who would sing the song of war ended up filled with silence, and how those who would wake to fight another day found themselves unable to sleep, haunted by the results of the battlefield even in their dreams.

He had seen much more—more dreadful, more traumatic, and more tragic changes than one could imagine.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the bathroom door open. Zoren stepped out, stopping when he saw Hugo leaning near the door.

"I didn’t know you were waiting," Zoren said quietly. "It’s free now."

Having said that, Zoren moved to the side to give way to his second brother-in-law. But just as he turned his back on Hugo, about to walk back to where Atlas and Penny were, he stopped at Hugo’s remark.

"When people told me that I’m all brawn with a muscle head, that’s probably true," Hugo said, watching as Zoren slowly looked back at him. "I know it’s the truth because I preferred it to be like that... to protect myself from my own mind."

Deep lines appeared between Zoren’s brows. "Second Brother, what is it?"

"Sometimes, not thinking is just better than using it, is what I’m saying," Hugo continued, peeling his gaze from Zoren to look past him, where he could see the other side of the plane. "Back on the base, I had to watch some of my men either lose their lives or lose their spirits. A man losing his spirit is just as horrible as death. The ones who were once enthusiastic and commendable soldiers lost their will to fight or got haunted by the battlefield."

Slowly, Hugo shifted his attention back to Zoren, holding his gaze. "I’ve seen it many times, so I know one when I see one," he said under his breath, keeping the conversation discreet. "That dream you just had... something is haunting you, isn’t it?"

"..." Zoren kept his mouth drawn into a thin line, his eyes not leaving Hugo’s.

"I had a soldier," Hugo added, casting his eyes down as he thought about it. "Someone I was very close with. He was deployed on a very dangerous mission I led. Before we left, I still remember the arrogance he carried and the confidence in his words. But after that mission, I couldn’t recognize him anymore."

"Do you know what he told me when I checked on him in his barracks?" He slowly lifted his gaze back to Zoren. "He would’ve rather died in that mission than live like that for the rest of his life. He had PTSD. I had to watch him struggle, lose his ability to function, his fear of sleep because all he could see were... not just nightmares, but flashbacks of that mission."

His eyes glinted seriously as he added, "And you reminded me of him earlier. Zoren, there’s something you’re not telling anyone. I promised my father I’d help you regain your strength, and I made an oath to my sister that I’d do everything to protect her — to protect you. You know what that means."