“That’s right. When my wife was heavily ill back then, her biggest wish was to see her son one last time. And where was he? It was Justin who stayed by her side.”
My sister let out a cold snort. “After everything we’ve done for him, he still turned out to be an ungrateful brat.”
No...
That’s not true...
I shook my head, tears welling in my eyes.
Mother, on the day your life was in danger, I didn’t even know.
Justin sent me a message from Isabel’s phone saying you were fine. That’s why I went to celebrate my friend’s birthday that day.
A sigh escaped my lips.
Justin spoke softly, almost sounding hurt. “Nathan always hated me, I know that. I’ll move out, so he can come back. Don’t worry, I’ll never bother him again.”
“Wait!” My mother stopped him and then she turned to look at Walter.
“Winona is right. In this family, the son-in-law matters more than the real son. If he won’t come back today, then he’s no longer a part of this family.”
Pain pierced through my chest.
I pressed my hand over my empty chest and clenched my teeth.
Don’t worry. I already stopped wanting to be part of this family.
I wrote it before I died, didn’t I?
In my next life, I will never be part of the Miller Family again.
That night, Justin didn’t show up for dinner.
My sister went to the office and Winona was about to leave, too. But after hesitating for a moment, she turned back, carrying a tray of food. She knocked on Justin’s door.
“Winona?”
I couldn’t believe it. “No, Winona. Don’t go in there!”
My hand went straight through her as I reached out to stop her. She walked into his room anyway.
“Sorry.”
Justin sat on the edge of his bed, quickly wiping his red eyes. Winona hesitated, then sat beside him, her face full of concern.
“If I had known earlier what kind of person Nathan really was, I never would’ve stood by him or let him make me believe you were the bad guy all this time.”
I froze in disbelief.
Winona… Winona, what are you saying?
Justin smiled faintly at her with red eyes. “It’s fine. Nathan always looked down on me for being from the countryside. That’s normal.”
“I was a poor guy who somehow got into the same university as him and even fell in love with the same—”
He stopped himself mid-sentence, glancing quickly at Winona before changing the subject.
“He was a spoiled rich kid. It wouldn’t surprise me if he hired ten guys to beat me half to death. To him, that was probably nothing more than just teaching someone a lesson. Don’t hold it against him.”
My hands began to shake uncontrollably.
I... hired ten men... to beat him?
When Winona heard that, a deep ache flashed in her eyes. The way she didn’t look surprised told me this wasn’t the first time she had heard that story.
Now I finally knew why, one day, her eyes had turned so cold when she looked at me. I had tried everything to find out what happened, but her hatred only grew deeper.
So this was it...
I closed my eyes and let the tears fall.
“Sorry...” Winona whispered, lowering her head. “If I had said yes the first time you confessed to me… If I hadn’t stood by Nathan and insulted you, maybe your life wouldn’t have been so bitter.”
My whole body trembled, my teeth biting hard into my lip.
When she looked up again, her eyes were red. “Thankfully, you met his sister and his parents treated you like their true son. I can’t imagine how much I would regret it if my misunderstanding had pushed you to the worst.”
