Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 610

Following the GPS, I managed to get Neil back to his place.

"We're here." After arriving at Neil's residence, I turned to wake him but found him fast asleep.

Was it the wine? He fell into dreamland so quickly?

I tried nudging him, but there was no response, just the sound of his steady breathing in the car, indicating he was in a deep sleep.

"Neil, wake up. Go inside to sleep," I said, although it was only the afternoon. I wanted to head back to the hospital; I couldn't just sit here and watch him sleep.

Neil seemed to wake up for a moment, looked at me, then closed his eyes again and turned his head towards the window.

No matter how much I called after that, he remained deeply asleep.

Then Neil's phone buzzed. He had left the navigation on, and a message popped up directly on the screen from Karina.

Karina: Now that you know Hiram is your son, what do you plan to do? Fight me for him? Neil, Hiram is all I have. You must understand how important he is to me.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I checked the message.

It turns out that Karina had been pestering Neil for some time, though she restrained herself from showing up unannounced, opting instead to occasionally reach out to Neil via texts and calls.

She even probed about the truth behind my claim that Neil knew Hiram wasn't his biological son.

Neil never denied it, but his responses were always brief. I had a hunch why Neil was acting this way. Was it for me?

Because I cared for Hiram, I didn't want him to suffer with Karina again.

Neil didn't expose Hiram's true identity, allowing Karina to cling to him. It did him no favors, but it was beneficial for me.

I didn't reply to Karina, deciding not to snoop further into Neil's private messages. My feelings were a mix of confusion and unease.

Just as I set the phone down, it started vibrating again.

Thinking it was Karina calling, I was surprised to see Cooper Clarke's name on the screen.

I let it ring, hoping the call might wake Neil, but even after three calls, he remained asleep.

Worried Cooper might have urgent news, I answered the call.

"You finally picked up. Where are you?" Cooper sounded anxious.

"He's asleep," I replied, glancing at Neil, hesitating.

There was a moment of silence on Cooper's end, then he stuttered, "Asleep? As in?"

What does he mean by 'asleep'? Does he not understand?

I clarified, "Asleep, not 'slept with.' Okay?"