At first, it was just emotional numbness. Then slowly, it was as if I forgot the pain I once carried. The memories were still there, but when I thought about them, the heartbreak no longer came.
They felt distant, like they were just strangers.
However, Jo was not satisfied. He said this was not the result he was aiming for.
Because of this, he kept me with him. In his words, someone like me who was this obedient and with such severe psychological
trauma was hard to come by.
I thought I would never cross paths with Grant or Jeremy again in this lifetime.
But the world is much smaller than one thinks.
At the time, I was working as Jo’s assistant and had accompanied him to a conference. Just as we were leaving, we ran into Jeremy
and Grant.
It had been several years since I last saw them. They looked worn and weary, nothing like the proud, confident men they used to
be
The moment they saw me, their eyes filled with tears and disbelief, but even more than that, there was joy and overwhelming
regret.
“Ashlyn, you… You’re alive! That’s… That’s wonderful.” Jeremy’s voice trembled as he stepped forward to hug me, but I moved
away.
Seeing them again, all I felt was disgust.
They did not take offense to my coldness. Instead, they looked at me with hopeful, eager expressions. “All these years, we’ve been looking for you. I’m sorry. I was wrong. How could I have hurt you like that?”
“Ashlyn, we’re not asking for forgiveness. We just want a chance to atone for our mistakes. Will you please give us a chance? Even if it’s just hearing from you once in a while, just knowing you’re okay, that’s all we ask for.” Grant’s gaze was full of desperate
sincerity.
His gaze fixed intently on me, like if he blinked I might vanish all over again.
I took a step back and said with a sneer, “Atone for your mistakes? If you really wanted to do that, you should’ve jumped into the sea after me back then, instead of standing here right now, saying all these ridiculous things.
“What could you possibly do to make it up to me? Go back in time and take my pain for me? Feel what I felt? Wasn’t it you who ordered those men to humiliate me? Who stole my bone marrow, killed my child, and used my blood to save Jessie? Now you feel sorry? If you’re really that sorry, you should just die.”
With every word I spoke, I watched the color drain from their faces.
1/2
+15 Bonus
They should have been too ashamed to even look me in the eye. After everything they did to me, saying sorry could never begin to cover it up.
What they inflicted on me was real, irreversible pain.
I turned and walked away without hesitation. No matter how long they knelt behind me and begged for forgiveness, I did not look. back.
The next day, the news reported that there had been a massive fire at a remote villa on the outskirts of the city, with two men and one woman found dead.
The men were quickly identified as Jeremy and Grant. The woman was confirmed to be Jessie, who had been missing for years. It was said that when her body was discovered, every bone in her body was dislocated, as if she had suffered prolonged abuse before death.
Though with both men already dead, there was no way to uncover the full story.
Given their status in the business world, the report caused a huge stir.
After further investigation, the police concluded it was a joint suicide. The men had left behind suicide notes at the scene. In their will, they left half of t
their fortunes to me, the other half to the state.
JEL
In their notes, they confessed to everything they had done to me over the years. Every hidden truth was brought to light. Everyone was filled with sympathy for me. They cursed them and said they did not deserve a peaceful death.
Mrs. Sanders sent gifts to me but did n
but did not come. She said she was too ashamed to see me.
I did not accept anything, including the letters from Grant and Jeremy. I threw them straight into the trash without even opening them.
There was no point in reading them.
My future would only get better with them gone.
The End.
