C
Chapter 88
With every word Hardy spoke, Shena’s face turned paler, her body trembling.”
By the end, she was paralyzed by guilt, murmuring to herself in a broken voice.”
“So… the one who helped me wake up… was Theo, not Billie?”
“What have I done…“}
The memories of everything she’d done to Theo came flooding back–each moment another blow to her conscience. In a fit of despair, she began pounding her stomach with her fists.
Billie rushed forward to stop her, panic in his voice.
“Shena, I did all of this because I love you! Bastian is gone–if you keep going like this, you’ll lose the child you’re carrying too. He’s innocent…”
At his words, Shena stilled.§
A beat passed.”
Then she pushed Billie away, her face set with steely determination. She turned to Hardy.
“Grandpa, a life for a life. Call the police. I want him to pay for Bastian’s death.“}
“And also–arrange for an abortion.“}
Without another word, she walked out, ignoring Billie as he collapsed to his knees behind her, begging.
Returning to the Collins residence, Shena went straight to Bastian’s room.
The moment she opened the door, her heart dropped.
The room no longer belonged to a child. The toys were gone, the walls stripped bare and pet supplies had taken over the space. She grabbed a maid by the arm.
“What happened to Bastian’s room?!“}
The maid looked confused. “Miss, wasn’t it you who said to give the room to Mr. Morgan’s dog? Did you forget?“}
Shena stood frozen for a moment. Her voice came sharp and low.
“Then where did Bastian’s things go?”
“They were all taken away to be burned. Mr. Morgan said his dog didn’t like the smell of children–especially naughty ones. He was worried the dog might pick up bad habits.“}
“Besides, children from messy families like that aren’t very pleasant to look at…“)
The maid trailed off, smiling, thinking she was being clever.
She didn’t notice how Shena’s expression had turned glacial.
In that moment, Shena realized it–behind her back, everyone in this household had treated Bastian and Theo as less than human. Worse than a dog.”
Without a word, she began smashing everything in the room–pet bowls, beds, shelves–until she was panting from exhaustion.
Then she turned coldly to the staff.
“You’re all fired. The Collins Family doesn’t need servants who don’t respect their master.“}
Once the house emptied, Shena tore through every room, searching for any trace of Theo or Bastian. But all she found was the divorce agreement she had forced him to sign.
Everything else had been erased.}
Staring at the silence, she opened the liquor cabinet and took out every bottle, drinking one after another.
“Theo… I was wrong. Will you come back?”
She remembered it all too clearly–how Bastian would run to greet her after a night out, calling “Mommy” with his small arms stretched wide.}
Theo would stand at the doorway, holding sobering tea, smiling softly.
She would grab Bastian’s little hand and lean toward Theo, waiting to be fed the tea like it was a ritual between them.
Once, her life had been full of warmth.
And it had all been shattered the moment Billie returned.}
Hardy could no longer bear to watch her fall apart. After three days and nights of nonstop drinking, he had her sent to the hospital.}
Sitting beside her hospital bed, he sighed heavily and said.”
“Are you really going to make me bury another loved one with black hair before
my
time?”
***
Meanwhile, I had regained my freedom.
And I knelt in front of my parents‘ graves for three days and nights.
If only I had listened to them in their final moments–if I had stayed away from the Marvin family’s medical legacy–maybe I never would have crossed paths with Shena.
Maybe Bastian could have lived longer than five short years.
3:30 PM
If only I had listened to them in their final moments–if I had stayed away from the Marvin family’s medical legacy–maybe I never would have crossed paths with Shena.
Maybe Bastian could have lived longer than five short years.>
As I bowed my head in silent grief, a voice rang out behind me.
“You… are you that child from the Marvin family?”
Startled, I quickly turned around,
An elderly woman stood there, her eyes wide with disbelief as she examined my face–like she was seeing someone from a past life.”
After a long pause, she limped forward and wrapped me in an embrace.
The shock in her eyes slowly melted into overwhelming joy.
