Chapter 10%
When Chester heard the news, he rushed to the hospital. I was exhausted, offering him an apology
I’m so sorry… Gian was scared by today’s events.”
“Mara, you should’ve called me earlier,” he said, his voice tinged with concern. “I’m really scared now. If that knife had even grazed you, I don’t know if I could ever forgive myself.”
The guilt and pain in his eyes made my heart skip a beat.
It had been so long since anyone, aside from my mother and the former Franco, had shown me such care.
Four hours later, Franco was out of danger and was wheeled out of surgery. I took the same approach he once took with me and hired a high–end caregiver to attend to him while he recovered.
When he woke up, I stood in the doorway of his room to say my final goodbye.
“I’m leaving now. Don’t come looking for me.”
He mumbled a trembling “Goodbye.”
Without listening to his soft plea, I turned and walked away, resolute in my decision.
Leanna was confirmed to have a mental illness, and before her trial, she was sent to a treatment center for care.
–
After Franco’s injuries healed, he secretly visited Mara. She was holding Gian’s hand, laughing brightly, and next to her stood a tall man, shielding her from the sun.
The father and son were both gazing at her with adoration.”
What a warm, perfect little family.
A dull pain spread through his chest, and it hit him–he finally understood what he had missed all along.
Once upon a time, he had been happy too. Mara had brought him dinner at the hospital during a late–night shift, and little Alec would run into his arms, calling out “Daddy” in a high–pitched, innocent voice.
Why had he only realized now, so late, that he had taken those small, fleeting moments of happiness for granted??
He tried one last time to ask for forgiveness from Mara, but she refused to see him.
“Mara, please, can you give me another chance? I really know I was wrong…”
He begged from outside her door, desperate for another chance. But all he received was a cold “Go away.”2
With no other choice, he quietly stood before the three tiny graves, silently offering his apologies.Z
Filled with sincere regret, Franco tried once more to win Mara back, and this time, the door opened.
But it wasn’t Mara who stood in the doorway. It was that refined man, wearing a pink apron, with a faint smell of food lingering on him.
Chester declared his territory. “Mara doesn’t want to see you. Don’t come here again.“}
Franco was taken aback, his heart racing. “Who do you think you are, deciding things for her?“&
The man casually turned his left hand, the silver ring on his ring finger catching the light.
“Her fiancé. If you keep harassing Mara, I won’t be so polite anymore.”}
At that moment, Franco felt as though he had been stabbed in the heart. It hurts more than death itself.
Ir. time, Mara married that man.
Two years later, she had another child of her own.
As the sun set, the four of them walked hand–in–hand in the park, while Franco could only hide in the shadows, secretly watching the happiness he had once dismissed.”
“Mara, I hope you find happiness.“}
