Chapter 1956
Vermont continued, "But with Willow, Marshall was genuinely happy.
"Yet, the Moore family would never have approved. We all sensed this but remained silent, hoping
Marshall would become strong enough to defy his family.
"We kept his relationship a secret among close friends. However, no secret remains hidden forever.
The Moores found out and demanded Marshall end things with Willow.
"When he refused, they targeted her directly. She faced constant harassment from them. During her
preparations for postgraduate interviews, she abruptly sent Marshall a breakup message and then
disappeared."
Felicity, shocked, interjected, "Disappeared? But wasn't she preparing for postgraduate studies at
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtTrinity University? Did she abandon her plans?"
Vermont murmured, "That's what's baffling. She left no trace behind.
"Her exam results were excellent and she only needed to complete her interview to secure her spot.
"But she never appeared for it. Marshall searched everywhere to no avail. She had cut off all her
contacts as if she had vanished into thin air."
Stella, concerned, suggested, "Could the Moore family have forced her to leave or sent her abroad?"
Vermont shook his head. "After months of fruitless searching, Marshall stopped looking.
"He returned to his former detached self, showing no interest in anything. About a year later, he
unexpectedly bumped into her again.
"He thought about rekindling their relationship, but she was already married.
"You do know Marshall has dissociative identity disorder, right? The condition only manifested once
during his childhood and hadn't resurfaced for a long time.
"When his condition flared up, he was like having multiple personalities. He and Willow had an
argument and whatever she said during that argument triggered him.
"When that happened, he tried to hide Willow, leading to a car accident where she died."
"Marshall was gravely injured, and his condition worsened. His aunt, Irene, arranged for treatment
abroad, where specialists managed his symptoms effectively.
"He hasn't had an episode for many years. However, they used hypnosis to make him forget Willow.
"It's a selective amnesia of sorts. Maybe it's for the best. Remembering he hurt his loved one might
have been unbearable for him."
After Vermont's revelation, Stella stayed silent. The mention of hypnosis struck her as a peculiar
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmparallel to Keegan being
hypnotized by Jaylene to forget her, and Marshall had been hypnotized due to his illness to forget
Willow.
However, there were aspects of Vermont's revelation that did not add up. Stella asked, "You mentioned
Willow was married. When Marshall took control of her during his episode, didn't her husband search
for her?"
Vermont cleared his throat and said, "I don't have all the details. I was overseas with my friends for a
month when Marshall encountered Willow again.
"The entire incident and its aftermath were handled by Keegan. My account is based on what Keegan
shared with me."