Chapter 243
Chapter 243
The sun in Bryxton felt warm against one''s skin, and the way sunlightnded on the man''s face
enhanced his sharp features. He was someone who used to bring joy to my heart, but the words that
he uttered seemed only to hurt me more than ever. "That''s none of your business," I uttered after
heaving a long sigh.
Nichs'' deepugh came from the phone. "We haven''t met for six months, Renee. I''ve been receiving
treatment in America this whole time, and I''m only back in the country now that I''ve gotten my disorder
under control. Have you missed me?" Alice was the one who was responsible for Nichs'' mental
instability. I knew that he had been battling his other personality for a while, and deep down, I knew that
I couldn''t me his healthy self for the things that his other personality had done.
I couldprehend this rationally, but I simply couldn''t bring myself to forgive him. I knew that I could
never lower my guard when I was with him. "Ah. Congrattions," I muttered half-heartedly. From the
spot I was standing, I could see the warm smile on Nichs'' face. He had a boy-next-door look that
made him seem especially approachable. "Can Ie in to see you?" He was pushing his boundaries.
There was a hint of caution in his voice, and I felt an ache in my chest when I noticed it. This was a
man I used to love, after all. I once thought that we''d be together forever. I even sacrificed my life for
him. The love I had for him was one that others would be envious of. How did wee to this point? I
guess we didn''t have much of a choice—he lost me because he was forced to go the other way. He
wanted to save me, yet I ended up leaving him without giving him another chance.
I sighed as I tried my best to contain the exasperation I felt toward the world.
"I''m leaving for Eldhamter, Nichs," I said as I called him by his name to tell him that I had forgiven
him for all that he had done in the past. In some ways, I was letting go of my past self as well. I treated
this as closure for my love for him.
When he heard me speaking and calling his name in a calm and peaceful tone, he let out his deep
laugh once more. He sounded rather happy. "Thank you, Renee." He understood what I meant.
"Alright. I''m hanging up," I said.
"Wait. Renee," he called out in a hurry.
"Yeah?" I tightened my grip on the phone.
"Have you ever loved me?" he asked in a soft voice. Until now, he still couldn''t believe that I was in love
with Shawn. No—I had already parted ways with Shawn! "I did love you once. That''s it," I replied. I
used to love him, but not anymore.
After ending the call, I ordered Joseph to prepare the car for my trip back to town. I didn''t have ns to
return to Eldham—I simply wanted to get Nichs to leave. Once I got to town, Anthony brought me
the two rings that belonged to the Xenos Family. I was about to put them on when I noticed the
engagement ring on my middle finger. This was the ring that Shawn had put on for me. He hadn''t
proposed to me, but simply put the ring on my finger. Yet, I was ted when he first did that for me.
"Throw it away," I told Anthony as I removed the ring. Anthony was stunned for a moment. "But… Miss,
this is…"
"Throw it away," I said again. I didn''t see a point in keeping items from the past. After Anthony took the
ring, he handed me a book. "This is a book that Mr. Xenos left in the vi in Brimstone Mountain. Mr.
Charles told me to pass it to you as he thought that you should take a look at it," Anthony exined.
I nced at the title of the book that Anthony had passed to me. ''The Watcher in the Paddy Field'' was
the name of the book. It looked rather worn and torn. I flipped the first page open to find Shawn''s
smooth and elegant signature with the date written below it. It was dated at the start of the century,
which meant that Shawn already owned this book when he was still a teen. There was a bookmark in
the middle of the book, but I didn''t continue going through the book. "Keep it," I uttered as I threw it
back to Joseph.
I didn''t know why Charles gave me the book, but I figured that I would skim through it someday since
he thought that I should read it.
Joseph apanied me to Felix''s Vi. Mom, Dad, and Leon were all there—Mom told me that Leon
was back for the new year celebrations. Leon had finallye to terms with the idea that he belonged
here.
My dad was shocked to see me home. "What brought you to Bryxton? Your 25th birthday is in three
days, and it''s going to be on Christmas Eve. What are your ns? Will Shawn be celebrating your
birthday with you?"
Shawn was the future son-inw in my parents'' eyes—they had already deemed Shawn as my
husband-to-be. So, they expected Shawn to put effort into everything that had to do with me. My heart
ached when I recalled how cruel Shawn had been that day, and my stomach started hurting at the
thought of what had happened. "Yeah. We''re nning to spend Christmas in Find, so we won''t be
able to celebrate with you guys," I lied.
I didn''t want my parents to find out about what happened between Shawn and me during Christmas—I
wanted them to be able to have a peaceful celebration. "Will you being after the New Year?" my
mom asked. I knew that my mother would be worried if I didn''te home after the new year
celebrations, but Shawn… I had no way of bringing my mother''s future son-inw over. I knew that my
mom would be more worried if she saw me alone.
"I''ve been really busy recently. There''s a lot to do at Xenos Family, so I''ll onlye back after I''m done
with all my work," I lied again. Leon, who had been sitting on the couch, interrupted our conversation.
"When are you getting married? I need to n out my finances so that I can chip in for your wedding
gift!"
My parents shifted their gazes to me right after Leon posed this question. "Next year, maybe. We''ll
have to see if we have any free time. Shawn''s busy too." I tried my best to contain the situation. After I
answered all the hard questions, my parents finally let me go. I heaved a sigh of relief as I slumped
down beside Leon. "How have you been?" I asked him.
"The usual," he replied tly. His ''usual'' also meant that he wasn''t doing great. I didn''t ask him about
Francesca, but I handed him a check. "This is meant for Mom and Dad, but I want you to pass it to
them only after I''ve left," I exined. Leon nodded. The pain in my stomach was increasingly
unbearable, and I knew I couldn''t stay for long, so I hurried to my feet and bid goodbye to my parents in
the kitchen. "I have to go now—I have some urgent matters to attend to," I told them with a forced
smile.
"What''s the rush? You''re not even staying for a meal. At least have some food before you leave," my
mom said in a caring tone. "It''s work-rted stuff. I have to go now. I''lle to visit after the new year,
Mom." I tried my best not to reveal the pain I felt as I spoke. After that, I hurried out of the house. My
body gave up on me just before I got in the car, and Joseph had to hold me so that I wouldn''t fall.
"Help me in," I gasped. I didn''t want my parents to see me like this. I had always been one to deal with
my matters. Joseph helped me into the car, and I urged him to give me painkillers. It took a while for
the medication to have an effect. "The pain was so bad. I felt like I was about to die," I joked as I wiped
the sweat off my forehead.
Anthony mentioned that my uterus had been slightly damaged after Shawn kicked me in the stomach. I
knew that he hadn''t done it intentionally—he didn''t know that it was me when we were in the fighting
arena. However, he was the one who stabbed me.
I nced at the book that Anthony had handed me earlier. When I took the bookmark out, I froze for a
second. There were words written on the bookmark. ''I have never loved anyone in the past. You''re the
first person I''ve ever loved. I''m afraid that I might not do a good job, and I''m afraid that the love I have
might disappoint you'', it wrote.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.