Chapter 9
Getting in the car, I could still see Rhett standing there watching me in the rearview mirror. Summer couldn’t help but rant:[]
“What’s with the act! Did someone hold a gun to his head and make him fool around with someone else?“]
“What a piece of shit. Ugh!“]]
Summer rolled up the window and warned me: “Stop looking at him or I’ll rip your eyeballs out!“[]
I turned to face her fake–stern expression and nodded with a smile.
“Yes, ma’am!“]
Summer burst out laughing.[]
…I
When I visited Mrs. Blackwood at the hospital again, she’d already lost consciousness, surviving mostly on sleeping pills and painkillers.]
The night Mrs. Blackwood passed away, the whole Blackwood household was in chaos. After I helped the family with the funeral arrangements, I still hadn’t seen Rhett anywhere.]]
As I was getting ready to leave, someone from the family found me:[]
“Wren! For Mrs. Blackwood’s sake, please go talk to Rhett!”
“He’s in bad shape!”
Turns out, Rhett had collapsed after his mother’s death and couldn’t get back up.
Now he’d completely lost the will to live, surviving only on IV drips.[]
Seeing him like this, I felt like I was looking at my sixteen–year–old self.]
Broken.
Withered.
Lifeless.
Just hoping life would end faster, sooner.]]
I walked up to Rhett, watching him keep his eyes tightly shut, not caring who was there, until I spoke: “Rhett.“[]
He finally opened his eyes. Those eyes that had once made my heart race countless times, that I’d wanted to possess–now they were hollow, like broken bellows with holes, no light left in them.[]
“If your mom knew you were like this, she’d be heartbroken.“[]
Rhett remained unmoved.]]
I sat by his bed and pulled out a video from when Mrs. Blackwood was still lucid.]
In the footage, she asked me:
“Wren, could you forgive Rhett for my sake?“]
“He’s my only son. I can’t help but think about him more. I can see how much he cares about you. He…“]
Mrs. Blackwood couldn’t continue.
00:03
Chapter 9
And I just calmly repeated everything I’d felt when I discovered the betrayal.
“I thought I would die.“]
“No exaggeration–all these years, Rhett has been my entire faith and support system. Rhett knew exactly what I was afraid of, knew where my weak spots were, but he let those weaknesses hurt me and watched me suffer without caring.“]
“There were signs.”
“I once saw a flirty text on Rhett’s phone. He told me it was from a business partner’s daughter and not to worry about it. So I didn’t worry at all. All because I trusted him, I love him.“[]
“But my love and my trust for Rhett weren’t supposed to be weapons he could use against me.‘ “0
After a long silence, Mrs. Blackwood had sobbed: “My son… what will happen to him now…”
..“0
A dying person’s final concern was still for her own flesh and blood.[]
I watched Rhett’s finally moved expression and told him:[]
“Even if I forgave you to honor your mother’s dying wish, do you really think we could go back to how things were?“[]
“Rhett, stop lying to yourself.“[]
“Every time we hugged, kissed, or did anything more intimate, I’d keep thinking about how you used to be just as passionate with someone else. I’d
think about how she hugged and kissed you and did all those intimate things with you. I’d think about how my dad betrayed my mom. I’d think about my mom dying in a pool of blood.“[]
“Rhett.”
“Let’s just let each other go.“]
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