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Chapter 21
Estelle lived in that town for three years.
Over the course of these three years, she had managed to come up with all sorts of impressive inventions of her own. She’d even started up her own company. However, since she didn’t want to show herself to the public, she used Cassie’s name for the company instead.
Asher would send her gifts from time to time. Sometimes, it would be precious jewels, or a fallen leaf, or an array of multi–colored feathers. During celebrations and festivities, Asher would also come back to celebrate it with Estelle, even though he knew that she hated it.
He liked her. Anyone could tell it, especially Estelle herself. However, she just wasn’t interested in risking everything she had to get into another relationship. She thought that it was just as fine moving forward as a single person too.
She didn’t need to have another man beside her to move forward.
In the third year, while celebrating the new year, Estelle firmly rejected Asher again.
And just before the fourth year there, Estelle suddenly heard about Ruben’s news–news of his death.
He had been searching the world, high and low, for any traces of her ever since she disappeared, like a frantic lunatic. However, with Asher constantly getting in the way and stopping him, Ruben wasn’t able to get hold of any useful information at all.
Eventually, Ruben slowly began to lose his mind. He’d even rushed into Asher’s office a few years ago, armed with a knife, nearly killing Asher in the process.
Ruben couldn’t sleep at night either. As soon as he closed his eyes, he would immediately dream of Louisa and his twins. They would appear in his dreams, completely covered in blood, and stare him down without ever saying a word.
Ruben didn’t know if this was karma or if his conscience had finally woken up and drowned him in guilt.
As time went by, Ruben was diagnosed with severe depression. And a few days ago, he hugged the wedding photo he’d taken with Estelle and leaped off the rooftop of his office building.
Estelle went back to attend his funeral.
The priest read aloud Ruben’s last will and testimony. It was a very short excerpt.
“When I cheated on her for the first time, I thought that I was only making a tiny mistake that could be easily forgiven and forgotten. But I never knew that the rest of my life would end up in turmoil precisely because of that one mistake I made. I’m sorry.”
Since Ruben was dead, Estelle realized that her hatred for him had also disappeared. The only thing she remembered about him now was the scene from when they were 18 years old.
Young Ruben had stood right in front of her then, asking her, “Hey there, can I please get your number?”
The sun happened to shine on his face just then, just like how it was now shining on his casket.
