Chapter 29%
I let out a cold laugh. “Didn’t you always like Lilian? Now you’re regretting it? I thought you’d be thrilled.”
“No, that’s not it. Chessie, I was wrong. I thought Lilian was the girl who loved cats, but she’s not. She’s the one who got the cat killed.” His words were vague, but I understood exactly what he meant.”
He was talking about how Lilian starved my cat to death.
My heart sank. The memory, long buried, came rushing back like a tide of bitterness.
Justin suddenly pressed a hand to his chest, his knuckles white. “It hurts here, every day. When I thought you were dead, I swear it almost stopped beating.”
“That’s when I realized I’d fallen for you long ago. I was too stubborn and blinded by my prejudice to admit it. Chessie, will you give me a chance to make things right?“}
I stared at him in silence. Moonlight filtered through the glass, casting broken shadows across his face.
Once upon a time, a single tear from this man could shake me. But now? It just felt ridiculous.
“Justin.” I slowly curled my lips into a faint smile. “You’re disgusting.“}
He flinched, a flush of red instantly flooding his eyes. “I know I deserve this. But can you just… ”
“No.” I cut him off without hesitation. “You think this little act can compensate for what you did?“}
I took a step forward. “Did you forget how you humiliated me in front of everyone at your birthday party? Or how you stood me up, again and again, for Lilian?“}
He suddenly grabbed my wrist. His palm was burning hot. “I got back at them! The Jamesons went bankrupt. Lilian, she’s lost everything!”
“That has nothing to do with me.” I pried his fingers off mine one by one. “Listen carefully. I married Jackson not to watch you play the tragic hero. I’m pregnant with his child. You and I, we’re over.”
Just as i turned to leave, a loud thud echoed behind me.}
A second later, the sharp sound of impact vibrated through the floor.
I turned around and saw Justin had dropped to his knees on the cold marble floor. The sound his knees made against the hard surface rang painfully loud in the empty hallway.”
“Chessie.” His voice was so hoarse it was barely audible, thick with hopelessness. “I’ll be the father. We can go back to how things were.“> My steps faltered. My hand tightened around my bag strap, nails digging into my palm.
Deep down, some part of me felt absurdly lost. I didn’t even know how to respond.
How did Justin end up like this?
He seemed to sense my hesitation, so he raised his hand and slapped himself. The sound echoed in the stillness of the corridor.
His left cheek instantly swelled, a trickle of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth. Then, with even more force, he struck himself again.
Slap!?
The sound was heavier this time. His face was severely swollen now, streaked with blood, distorted in pain.
I watched his self–inflicted punishment with cold indifference, my gaze devoid of pity, filled only with a chilling detachment and impatience.
It wasn’t until he raised his hand for the fifth time that I finally spoke, my voice flat. “Enough.”
Justin’s hand froze mid–air, the turbulent emotions in his eyes instantly shifting to a feverish intensity, a stubborn obsession that suggested he had no intention of giving up.
He fumbled inside his suit jacket and pulled out a velvet box, his movements trembling slightly. He opened it with painstaking care. Inside was my grandmother’s necklace.”
“Returning it to its rightful owner.” He knelt on one knee, like a pitiful dog begging for scraps and slowly inched toward me. “Chessie, I’m giving it back to you.“>
“You’re too late,” I said coldly, slipping the necklace into my bag. I turned, ready to leave.
“Wait!” Justin suddenly pulled something else from his coat, a Swiss army knife. The blade snapped open with a click, gleaming under the light.
He didn’t hesitate. The tip of the knife pressed against his chest.
“What the hell are you doing?” My expression changed, finally shaken.”
Justin smiled at me. That smile was somewhat naive yet contained a bit of helplessness and sadness.
Then, he thrust the blade into his skin with a muffled thud.
10:01 AM
