When There Is Nothing Left But Love

I just stared at him, unmoving.

He was quiet for a brief moment. “When I first met her, she was only seventeen years old. Then, she passed away at the age when her vanity was at its peak. I don’t want to force your hand, so please do it yourself.”

“At least let me know who she is, and why you picked me,” I inquired.

When he lifted his head to gaze at me, his eyes looked calm. If anything, they looked too calm, nearly to the point that they were devoid of emotion. “’She’ was Ashton’s cousin, Naomi Fuller. I never intended on hurting you specifically, Scarlett, but there is a hole where my heart used to be. The devil lives in there now, and I can’t get him out.”

“So, I’ve now become your sacrificial lamb?” I couldn’t understand a word he was saying, gazing at him in disbelief.

“Not really. It’s just that Ashton happens to be in love with you.” He shrugged. “He and I are best friends. If I lose something, it’s only fair for him to lose something as well. We need to share that sense of empathy; otherwise, he’ll never know what it feels like to lose the love of his life.”

Stacey had mentioned that Charlie used to have a daughter when he was younger. Unfortunately, she passed away due to an accident, and he never wanted any more children after that.

I was also aware that Ashton had a cousin that Jared used to date.

But I wasn’t present during any of that, and I had no idea as to what had happened in the past.

humanity a long

When you handed me those clothes at the villa at Oceanid Bay, I nearly mistook you for her. You’re both just so, so kind. And afterward, I wanted to help you leave Ashton so that you would be free of him. Why didn’t

lower lip, unsure how to

different from what it is now. I would never have hurt you, I wouldn’t have met Macy, and you wouldn’t be feuding with

cruel smile on his lips as his stare turned sharp. “Do you see now? Do you see why Ashton deserves to die? He hurts everyone he loves, everyone who’s close to him. He bounds people to him and loudly proclaims that he’s doing it out of ‘love’. No matter how broken you feel, he will always comfort you with sweet nothings about how he’ll always protect you, how he’ll always treat you right. And then, it reaches

upset and frustration in order to stay with him. I do that too; he indirectly caused me to lose the woman I loved most and caused me pain like nothing I’d ever felt before. But then, he proceeded to save

emotions are never separate, but always intertwined and tangled and connected

I had no clue if it was out of sympathy or pity. “You want to kill me so that he would be able to

smiling. “That’s

I die, you and he will become

then neither of us needs to hold back the pain we feel anymore. We will no longer need to hide away

out loud, but surely it was much more complicated

to grow up safely

expression softened somewhat. “Of course. She’s my daughter. I will take