Chapter 24
1/2
Snow fell suddenly in Southcrest. Jason stood at the entrance of Maya’s bed–and–breakfast, a thin layer of snow coating his black coat.
His fingertips were red from the cold, yet he still clutched the envelope tightly. He stared at the closed door, his Adam’s apple bobbing, before he finally raised his hand to knock.
The door opened.
Maya stood in the doorway. Seeing him, her expression showed no emotion. “What do you want?”
Jason’s breathing hitched slightly. He’d thought that when he saw her again, he’d have so much to say. But now that the moment had come, he felt as if something was blocking his throat. He couldn’t get a single word
out.
“I…” His voice was hoarse as he held out the envelope. “I hope you’ll take a
Maya’s gaze fell on the envelope, but she didn’t take it. “What is it?”
look
at this.”
“Everything Sophia did to you.” Jason’s fingers trembled slightly. “I just found out she was framing you all along. This is all the evidence.”
Maya’s face didn’t show even a trace of surprise at his words. She simply looked away calmly. “Oh. I don’t care about that anymore.”
Jason’s heart plummeted. He’d thought she would be angry, hurt, or even demand to know why he was only coming to her now. But she just casually said she didn’t care anymore.
“I’ve already punished her.” He quickly added, as if desperate to prove something. “And your parents, I also
“Jason.” Maya cut him off, her gaze indifferent. “Why do you still blame everything on other people even now?”
He froze.
“Don’t you bear any responsibility?” She looked at him, her voice soft but cutting like a blade. “When Sophia was doing those things to me, weren’t you enabling her?”
Jason couldn’t breathe, his heart feeling like it was being crushed in a vise. He wanted to argue, but when the words reached his lips, he found he couldn’t say a single thing.
It was true. What right did he have to shift all the blame to Sophia?
He was the one who chose to believe Sophia time and again. He ignored Maya’s grievances repeatedly, and he even pushed her into the abyss with his own hands when she needed him most.
་་
“…” His voice was hoarse and rough, carrying a hint of desperate awkwardness. “I’m sorry.”
Maya shook her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “No need to apologize. It doesn’t matter anymore anyway.”
She paused, then suddenly raised her left hand. The diamond ring on her ring finger caught the light, casting a blinding glare.
“I’m married now.”
Jason’s pupils contracted sharply, his entire body reeling. He felt as if he’d been struck by lightning.
He stared fixedly at that ring, his mind buzzing as if something had collapsed inside his head.
“You…” His voice was barely recognizable, “Who?”
Maya didn’t answer, simply turning her head to look outside, Jason followed her gaze and saw Daniel standing not far away, carrying a bag of groceries, His expression was cold as he watched them.
In that instant, Jason’s blood seemed to freeze,
Maya’s tone was calm to the point of cruelty. “Jason, we’re finished. Don’t bother me anymore.”
With that, she turned and walked toward Daniel. Her figure was resolute, without even a trace of nostalgia.
Jason stood there, watching her silhouette gradually disappear into the snow. His chest felt like someone had carved out a piece of it, the pain nearly suffocating him.
He knew that this time, he had truly lost her forever.
The snow bell heavily, Jason didn’t know how he made it back to his car,
He sat gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles went white, veins bulging on the back of his hands. The snow outside the windows blurred his vision, like his chaotic thoughts at this moment.
He remembered the first time he saw Maya She was standing quietly in the Coleman residence’s living room, eyes downcast and obedient, like an exquisite puppet.
He remembered the soup she cooked for him, the lights she left on, all the grievances she endured for him. Then he remembered her final look–calm, indifferent, as if he were just an insignificant stranger.
His heart felt like it was being slowly tortured with a dull knife, the pain making it hard to breathe. He suddenly punched the steering wheel. The horn blared harshly in the silent, snowy night.
Chapter 24
“Maya…” He whispered her name, his voice completely broken.
But this time, no one would ever answer him again. Some mistakes simply required a lifetime of repentance.
A
2017
2/2
