A Journey from Bitterness to Truth (Matilda and Yvan) novel Chapter 754

After Yvan got back, he immediately sought out Keaton Johnson to discuss the recent events. It just so happened that Declan Yeager also called them up for a get-together at the hotel, prompting them to pick a spot to meet.

Yvan had intended to seek solace with them, but upon entering, he was greeted by a sight worse than he had anticipated. Declan was sitting in a presidential suite, surrounded by a sea of empty beer bottles, looking even more downcast than Yvan felt.

Carefully stepping over the littered bottles, Yvan entered, while Keaton, equally startled, hadn't expected Declan to summon them into such a mess. This surprise left them quite taken aback.

“What’s going on?”

Yvan, still smooth despite the situation, found a spot to sit beside him. Legs crossed and with a wry smile, he asked, “What happened? Why all the drinking?”

Declan, eyes bloodshot, glanced up at Yvan without a word, only to fill up a glass halfway with liquor and push it towards him.

With a sigh, Yvan raised his glass, “Alright then, if we're going down, we're going down together.”

Keaton, being a doctor, frowned, “Yvan, don’t encourage Declan’s recklessness. This isn’t good for you, Declan…”

“Cut it out.”

Declan interrupted Keaton sharply, “Are you drinking with me or not?”

Eventually, Keaton, despite his reservations, relented and poured himself a drink, “I'll indulge this madness just this once, but if you ever disregard your health like this again, I won’t be around to stop you.”

Declan chuckled, though it was unclear who the jest was aimed at, “Next time? There won’t be a next time.”

Chloe ran off with someone else.

Was it Chloe’s departure that wounded him more, or was it her decision to abandon him?

In reality, both were equally painful. In making her choice, Chloe had effectively done both - left him and chosen someone else.

Publicly, even under threat, she had chosen to break free and leave with someone else.

How much must she have resented him? Or rather... how desperate was she to escape from his side?

Clutching his chest, Declan felt every breath sting with pain. The alcohol failed to numb the heartache; the torment was unbearable.

He longed to drown in drunkenness, to lose all sense of reason, yet, he remained agonizingly aware of the sharp pain in the depths of his heart.