The Loyal Puppet: A Love Built on Lies novel Chapter 16

It felt like something had been ripped out of his body, leaving him with an overwhelming emptiness.

"That recorder…" Mason glanced at Ava briefly.

He paused.

"Bring it out. You know what I want…"

His tone was cold, without a hint of warmth.

"She's not worth it."

"Noah even told her you were sick, but she didn't come."

"She doesn't love you."

Ava was upset, her eyes full of hurt.

In the past, Mason might've reached out to wipe away her tears, maybe tease her to make her smile.

Now, all he did was repeat, "I want it by tomorrow."

He turned and walked away, leaving Ava standing there, full of frustration.

After Emma left, Ava discovered Mason and his photos in her cousin's old diary.

One glance was all it took, and she was captivated by him.

She deliberately got close to him, revealed who she was, and he indulged her.

For the first time, she felt like he didn't care as much about her anymore.

Ava walked into his hospital room with the recorder.

"I don't like fabricated stories. Be good."

Mason took the recorder from her hand, giving her one last warning.

Ava's lips twitched, holding back her words.

When Mason's mom found him, he was sitting in front of Chloe's apartment, clutching his head.

The landlord said Chloe had already moved out.

Mason looked like a broken man.

The sweet, obedient Chloe was gone.

Shortly after Chloe arrived in South Sudan, Austin erupted into armed conflict, and many refugees flooded into the UN base in Wau for shelter.

The peacekeeping forces set up a refugee camp, gathering women and children, offering free medical checkups.

The area had a high risk of infectious diseases, but Chloe was never afraid.

In fact, her fluency in English helped solve many communication problems.

Following the medical team, Chloe witnessed many lives slip away and many new ones arrive.

When the locals insisted on seeing a foreign doctor, Chloe finally understood the deeper meaning of her stay.

"Hurry… we have a pregnant woman with suspected AIDS in labor."

A sudden call froze everyone in place.

Before anyone could react, Chloe had already rushed forward. Lucas tried to stop her but couldn't.

The woman was an older mother carrying twins, with a high risk of AIDS.

When the babies were born, they were purple and not crying or breathing.

Just as everyone gave up, Chloe quickly covered the baby's face with an oxygen mask and began CPR, performing a last-ditch effort.

"Wah wah wah."

The baby's cry pierced the dawn, and Chloe sighed in relief.

She looked at the child, smiling through her tears.

"I'm sorry. I need to go find her and get some answers."

"Five years… how could she just leave like that?"

Mason sat in front of Emma's grave, mumbling with resentment.

In the past six months, he had visibly aged.

The director of Chloe's internship hospital, Collins, had his medical license revoked and was under investigation.

Mason had demanded his disappearance from the medical community.

Even though Ava begged for leniency.

"You recommended Collins."

"If you say another word in his defense, I never want to see you again."

Mason's words silenced Ava immediately.

She had recommended Collins with the intention of ruining Chloe, and knowing she was wrong, she lowered her head quietly.

"The Davis family has had only one heir for three generations."

"You can't go to such a dangerous place."

Mason's mother sat firmly on the couch, disagreeing.

Mason coldly sat nearby.

"So, do you want a living son or a dead one?"

His mother's face twitched, her expression darkening.

She had thought that finding Chloe would help him move on from the shadows of his past, but she hadn't realized he'd end up trapped in her depths.

Mason joined the aid team and delivered supplies to South Sudan.