Read Novel Full Chapter 912: Carl Charles (What If)
Chapter 912: Carl Charles (What If)
Reina didn’t answer immediately. She looked into Nolan’s vacant eyes for a few seconds before speaking.
"At first, I wanted to believe it was all just something your mind made up. But after seeing your tears... I changed my mind."
"Tears?" Nolan murmured in surprise.
He reached up to his face, only to realize his cheeks were wet.
"S-Sorry. I didn’t realize I was crying."
Nolan smiled sheepishly and tried to wipe his eyes, but his hand was still too stiff to move properly.
Seeing that, Reina picked up a tissue from the table, walked over to him, and gently wiped away his tears.
"Thank you."
"You’re welcome."
Reina smiled before sitting back down in the chair beside his bed.
"To be honest, I don’t know how to respond to your story. Maybe it was an illusion. But you know, the universe is vast, and the human body is incredibly complex. There are still so many things we don’t understand—not even in medicine or physics. Take consciousness, for example."
She crossed her legs and leaned forward.
"In medicine, consciousness is generally considered a function of the brain. But is that really true? To be honest, I don’t dare accept that as an absolute fact. As I said earlier, the universe is vast. There are still countless things that neither medicine nor physics has been able to explain. Humans, by nature, have limits to what they can understand."
Her words surprised Nolan. He hadn’t expected a doctor like her to say something like that.
A moment later, Nolan understood. Reina’s response showed just how open-minded she was.
If a doctor only saw everything through the lens of logic, it would simply reveal the limits of their own thinking.
"Thank you, Dr. Reina. I feel a lot better after hearing that," Nolan said with a gentle smile.
"You’re welcome," Reina replied with a soft chuckle.
The two continued chatting, mostly about Nolan’s life in the other world.
The more Reina listened, the more amazed she became.
Comatose patients who claimed to have lived another life usually couldn’t remember their experiences in such vivid detail.
After all, the human brain had its limits. Those experiences were generally believed to be nothing more than illusions created by the mind to preserve consciousness.
But Nolan was different. Every detail of his story was so vivid that it sent chills down Reina’s spine.
"Could his story actually be real?"
The thought crossed her mind, but she quickly took a deep breath and pushed it aside.
Although she was open-minded, just as she’d said earlier, she was still a doctor. Deep down, she believed Nolan’s story was most likely just an illusion created by his mind.
Knock! Knock!
"Dr. Reina, sorry to interrupt, but there’s a visitor who’d like to see the patient. His name is Carl, and he says he’s the patient’s friend."
Hearing that, Reina paused her conversation with Nolan.
"Do you know him?"
Nolan fell silent for a moment as he searched his memory for the man named Carl.
Then the image of a tall, handsome blond man surfaced in his mind.
Before he realized it, a faint smile spread across his face.
"Yes, I know him. Let him in."
Reina nodded, stood up, and left the room.
A few minutes later, the door opened, and a handsome man walked in.
He had a distinctly Western European look, with a strong jawline, blue eyes, and neatly styled blond hair that reached just past his ears.
Standing around 1.9 meters tall, he wore a gray suit over a white dress shirt, along with a neatly tied black tie.
He carried a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a basket of fruit in the other.
The moment he saw Nolan, his cold expression melted into a warm smile.
"Nolan!" he called as he hurried over. "Thank goodness, buddy! You’re finally awake! I was so happy when I heard the news, I almost cried!"
His distinctive accent made Nolan chuckle softly.
The man standing before him was Carl Charles, Nolan’s old college friend.
The Charles family was a wealthy conglomerate from Western Europe with an extensive global network.
Their influence rivaled the Frey family’s. Even so, Carl had never been arrogant or looked down on others.
Instead, he was kind-hearted and rather shy. Nolan had met him during his sophomore year of college.
Their friendship had been a little awkward at first because Carl was so naive and easily trusted others.
Nolan guessed it was because the Charles family had always doted on him. Without realizing it, they had shaped Carl into someone who trusted people far too easily.
"Thanks for coming, Carl," Nolan replied weakly. "And I’m sorry for making you come all this way."
"Pfft! What are you talking about, buddy?" Carl chuckled softly.
He set the bouquet and fruit basket he had brought on the table before taking a seat in the chair Reina had just vacated.
"You’re my dearest friend. I’ve been waiting for this moment for two whole years. Now that it’s finally here, I couldn’t be happier."
Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
The image of the innocent Carl from years ago overlapped with the grown man sitting before him.
Nolan’s heart warmed, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt. He felt as though he’d let his friend down.
"Again... thank you, Carl."
Carl wiped his eyes and smiled.
"You’re very welcome."
The two talked for a while longer. At first, they chatted about Carl’s day-to-day life.
Then, without warning, Carl said something unexpected.
"Nolan, I’m getting married in two months."
Nolan blinked in surprise.
"Getting married? To Leyna?"
"Mhmm..." Carl nodded shyly.
Nolan fell silent for a few seconds before a wide smile spread across his face.
"Congratulations, dude! Your dream has finally come true."
Leyna was Carl’s childhood friend, and he had been in love with her for a long time.
Unfortunately, their personalities were complete opposites. Carl was shy, while Leyna was strong-willed and a little tomboyish.
Nolan had once told him to confess his feelings, but Carl always refused because he was afraid of being rejected.
Seeing his friend finally achieve his dream filled Nolan with happiness.
"I’ll be fully recovered in about a month to a month and a half. I’ll do my best to make it to your wedding."
"Thanks! I’ll be waiting for you, Nolan."
Carl smiled warmly.
They kept chatting, and before they knew it, two hours had passed.
Carl had to leave because his flight was in just an hour.
After talking a little longer, he got up and left, leaving Nolan alone in the room.
"Ugh..."
Nolan let out a long sigh and closed his eyes.
He was used to being alone, so he didn’t feel lonely.
"Even my friend took the time to come see me... but my parents didn’t," he muttered with a bitter chuckle.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
Before Nolan could react, the door slammed open with a loud bang!
Startled, he instinctively turned toward the entrance.
The moment he saw who had rushed in, his heart skipped a beat, and his eyes went wide.
"S-Seira?"