Chapter 19
In just a week, Jayden’s decline was painfully obvious. He
looked hollow and exhausted. He couldn’t even focus behind
the wheel, so much so that he nearly crashed into a guardrail.
The jarring impact jolted him out of his daze. Ignoring the
pain from his injuries, he hurriedly looked over at Natalie.
“Natalie, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” After hearing
that she was fine, he let out a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry, it’s my
fault.”
Natalie looked at his bloodshot eyes and the exhaustion on his
face and felt a strange, exhilarating wave of satisfaction rise within her. “Looks like the medicine’s working,” she mused.
However, she didn’t let it show. Instead, she smiled softly and said, “It’s alright, Jayden. I’m fine.”
Her kindness struck him hard. He was about to respond when Natalie asked, “Is everything okay, Jayden? You don’t look so
well.”
He froze before letting out a bitter chuckle. He’d thought
about this moment countless times. If Natalie ever came back,
he would drop to his knees and beg for her forgiveness. But
now that she was here, he couldn’t bring himself to say
anything.
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What could he say? That he was wrong? That he shouldn’t have doubted her? That he shouldn’t have hurt her for the sake of an adopted sister or believed the rumors that led him to abandon her on that cruise ship, causing her death in the explosion?
Guilt and regret had already consumed him. When he looked into Natalie’s clear, innocent eyes, those words felt like a sharp thorn lodged in his throat – he couldn’t swallow them, nor could he spit them out.
After what felt like an eternity, Jayden plastered a smile on his face and said, “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
Natalie didn’t push any further, but deep down, she thought, I’ve given you a chance to come clean, Jayden. Why won’t you own up to your mistakes? Why don’t you want to make things right? Are you afraid, reluctant, or do you just not care?”
The accident cut their day short, and the two of them headed
home.
However, that very night, the nightmares returned with a vengeance. This time, Jayden didn’t just thrash in bed; his body acted on its own and brought him before Natalie. He dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead against the floor over and over again, but he couldn’t utter a single word.
Jayden’s frantic movements not only startled Natalie but also woke the housekeepers downstairs, who rushed upstairs to see
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what was going on.
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When they saw him like that—wild–eyed, drenched in sweat, muttering under his breath–they too were stunned.
In the end, Charles was the one who snapped out of it first. He pulled Jayden up and rushed him.to the hospital.
After everything was sorted out, Charles turned to Natalie with an apologetic smile. He tried to offer an explanation, but his words, however gently phrased, clearly sided with Jayden.
Charles explained that Jayden was innocent. He said Jayden
hadn’t known what Clara was truly like; that the sweet, innocent act had fooled them all. He said Jayden had only wanted to protect her because of her lowly origins.
Charles said that was what led Jayden to make mistake after mistake, ultimately pushing Natalie straight into hell.
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Charles sincerely hoped that Natalie could find it in her heart to forgive Jayden since they’d been siblings for over two
decades.
However, Natalie didn’t say a word. She just stared at Charles, as if she was silently asking, “Are you seriously asking me
that?”
Charles opened his mouth to continue, but the words caught in his throat. In the end, all he could do was sigh heavily and
leave.
Natalie thought back to what he said, and honestly, she found
it laughable.
Jayden? Innocent? If anyone had the right to call themselves innocent, it was her.
Natalie had grown up in a world of warmth and privilege, loved
unconditionally by her parents and Jayden. Yet, without
warning, he’d turned around and given his love to someone
else.
Worse, he’d used that love as a weapon–wounding her, again and again, believing every single lie whispered into his ear,
and believing she was the villain. Then, he’d pushed her
toward death for that woman.
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After she was gone, he’d cried and cried and expressed his regret and innocence but never once acknowledged his own mistakes.
Not once did anyone blame him. They all said Clara was the one at fault, that Jayden had been deceived.
How was that fair? The executioner should still face
consequences for their actions.
Natalie had learned the hard way that no one was going to
hold Jayden accountable. So, she decided to take matters into
her own hands.
The rain that night wasn’t heavy, but it felt particularly cold and gloomy. The street was silent, empty except for one slender figure walking slowly toward the hospital under a
k umbrella.
‘Didn’t you say you’d take your time with his punishment? Why the sudden rush now?” the system questioned in
Natalie’s mind.
She smiled faintly, her eyes as cold as ice. “We’ve been
siblings for over 20 years. I thought I knew him well. I honestly thought he would cry, apologize, admit he was wrong, and beg for my forgiveness when he saw me again.
“But he didn’t. He just tried to make it up to me without ever
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acknowledging what he did. I gave him so many chances, and he threw them all away.
“I don’t want to waste any more time on him. I’ll let the law deal with him instead.”
“I have the evidence of Jayden’s crimes. You could’ve just submitted it to the authorities. Why do you still need to go find him?” The system pressed for answers.
Natalie shook the rain off her umbrella and stepped into the
corridor.
Her tone was apathetic as she responded, “Because Clara might have orchestrated everything, but Jayden was the one who carried it all out. So, before he’s handed over to the authorities, he needs to truly experience the pain I went through.”
Her heels echoed ominously in the silent corridor—sharp, deliberate, unnerving.
Natalie stood outside his hospital room for a moment before
pushing the door open and walking in.
Jayden lay in bed, pale and drenched in sweat. His eyes were squeezed shut, his whole body tense. It was clear that he was
trapped in yet another nightmare.
All of a sudden, he jolted awake. His heart missed a beat when he noticed Natalie watching him silently, backlit by the
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corridor light.
“Natalie?” Still shaken from the nightmare, Jayden couldn’t tell if the person in front of him was his real sister or the woman who looked exactly like her.
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Natalie let out a cold chuckle. “Who do you really think I am, Jayden? Or more importantly, who do you want me to be?”
Jayden was caught off guard by her strange question, his fists clenching at his sides. “I-”
“You already know the answer, don’t you? So why won’t you say it? Why can’t you face me? What is it you’re so afraid of, Jayden?” she pressed.
“Are you afraid that I’ll come back from the dead to exact my revenge, or do you not want me to come back to life because
you’re too scared to face me?”
words hit like bullets, one after another. The blood ned from Jayden’s face as he reached for her in desperation. “No–Natalie, please, I can explain!”
“That’s enough!” Natalie cut him off sharply. “Why do you think I’ll listen to your explanation, Jayden? Where was this explanation when I begged you to believe me? When I cried, pleaded, and screamed for you to listen? You never heard me then. Why should I hear you out now?”
She wasn’t here for apologies, and she wasn’t here to trade
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tears or talk about the past. She was here to see him off.
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“You were right from the start, Jayden. I am your younger sister. The same sister you tied up and left on that cruise ship to die. The same one who should’ve died but didn’t. Are you disappointed, Jayden?”
Natalie gauged his reaction before continuing, “Jayden, you always said that everyone should pay for their mistakes. Since you won’t accept that punishment willingly, I’ll help you.”
After saying that, she placed her hand firmly over his face. A burst of white light erupted around them, and Jayden let out a sharp, blood–curdling scream. “No! Please don’t do this to me!
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