Ever since being thrown out of that banquet, Justin had been choking on his own rage. When Alvin finally uncovered my current identity, Justin fell silent.
“Honestly, Maxine is unbelievable. If she managed to escape back then, why didn’t she come back sooner?” Clara said at just the right moment, her tone laced with blame.
“Enough.”
Justin didn’t echo her this time. His voice came out cold and cutting, shutting her up immediately.
He regretted everything. Back then, he never should’ve listened to Clara.
Having people pose as enemies was to make me trade away my fortune for my safety. It had been the perfect way to get every last cent of the Preston family.
However, he hadn’t expected me to jump into the ocean.
He’d searched for me for three years, and now that he’d finally found me, I was married to someone else.
Justin locked himself inside the villa’s storage room, clutching the wedding photo we’d taken three years ago.
In the picture, I was smiling softly, leaning against him, like he was my whole world.
“Did I make a mistake?” he whispered.
Clara stood at the doorway, her teeth grinding so hard she thought they might break.
She’d hidden those wedding photos long ago. She never imagined Justin would find them.
“Justin, did you forget? The Prestons were our enemies!” Clara cried, tears streaking her face, her voice full of wounded
resentment.
Justin froze. His hand, which had been tenderly stroking the photo, went still.
Finally, he spoke again.
“I’ve made up my mind. The Preston family’s debt is settled. We’re even. I’m going to find Maxine. We’ve been in love for years, she’ll forgive me.”
We’d been together since we were 18. Ten years of love–how many people could walk away from that?
“What about our child, Justin? Are you just abandoning me?” Clara demanded. Her face was pale, her eyes red and swollen.
Justin cut her off harshly. “Clara, didn’t you say you’d leave the country after the baby’s born? I’ve always seen you as my little sister. The only woman I love is Maxine.”
He couldn’t understand how his once sweet and gentle foster sister had turned into this bitter, clingy woman.
Or maybe, she’d been like this all along.
“Sister? We have a child together, and you still see me as your sister?” Clara staggered back a few steps, shaking her head over and over.
She stared at Justin in disbelief, like she was seeing him for the first time.
After everything she had done, all she got in return was, “I’ve always seen you as my little sister.”
Justin ignored her completely and rose to his feet. “Maxine, I regret everything.”
Then, he saw me standing at the gates of his villa.
Chapter &
+15 Bonus
“Maxine! You’re here!”
The suffocating weight he’d carried for days seemed to lift in an instant. He ran toward me, elated. However, as soon as he stopped, he froze.
Behind me stood several towering police officers.
“Justin Garner, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder. You’ll need to come with us,” the lead officer said coldly.
Justin understood immediately.
So, the truth about that day had finally come to light.
He didn’t resist. Instead, he looked at me with a face full of wounded grievance. “Maxine, how could you be so heartless?”
I stared back at him, numb, my voice devoid of emotion. “Justin, you killed my parents. That makes you my enemy.”
Then, as if remembering something, I let out a bitter laugh and raised my phone so he could see the screen.
Whatever he saw there shattered him completely.
At that moment, Clara came running out. “What are you doing? Let Justin go!”
No one had time to react before Justin kicked Clara hard, sending her flying a few feet away. “You bitch!”
Clara lay on the ground. She stared at him in utter disbelief, sobbing in pain, as he moved toward her again.
There, on the pristine white marble floor, blood began to pool.
Just like that, Clara’s baby was gone.
Support
