Chapter 15
Jenniter shook her head and exhaled shakily. “Destin didn’t even come to the hospital. He said he was out of town dealing with something important begged him to come. But he never did. I think that’s when I stopped believing we hada future.”
Bryn, on the other hand, wouldn’t even try to break the silence. He just listened
Jennifer brushed her fingers over the enpavediens. “No one has own. Not my parents, not friends; fed these like I buried the baby, deep and sently. I did not wish in seem wak 1 did not want explain why Devlin was not there. I didn’t want people feeling sorry for me.”
“But you don’t deserve to go through all of that alone,” Pyron said pently.
“know that now,” she said, whispering the last och “hut, back then, I thought it was my fault. Like my body gave up because it couldn’t handle the pressure. Maybe I was not meant to be
Byron shook his head. “Don’t say that. You would have been an amazing mas
sometimes, I still dream about him. I never even saw his face, but in my dreams, he always has this the dimple just like Devlin. I wonder what he would have been like. Would he have lied music? Would he have laughed a lot? Would he have looked at me with thou same eyes!” She blinked away the tears.
Her voice cracked, and this time she gave vent to her tears.
Byron placed his hand or hark Hed‘ speak. He didn’t need to
They stayed like that together for a long time, side by side in silence, which spoke louder than words.
Jelly took a deep breath and stood, brushing off the dirt from her jeans. “Thank you for staying,” she said softly.
Byron stood well “You never have to face things alone anymore. Not if you don’t want to ”
Jennifer looked at him, her eyes red but steady,” want to trust you, Byron. I do. But I’m scared. Everything with Devlin the flash drive, the threats, this house it’s like I’m bring swallowed by the past again.”
“We will fight it,” he said. “Together.”
jennifer nodded. “There’s more on that flash drive Videos, names,‘ gone through them all yet. But I think something big is hidden in there. Something dangerous.” “Then we will find it out. Carefully.” Byron replied.
Silently, they walked back
„side by side. Once there, Jennifer turned to look back at the grave
“I’ll come back bere more often,” she whispered. “You deserve that.”
Byron waited quietly until she had said her last good–bye.
The wind kept rising and the clouds slowly began to break, becoming clearer as they drove away. A sliver of sunlight pierced through the grey, shining softly over the cemetery. The were ghosts from the past, still haming, but jenniter was no longer alone against them.
Her pain, her secrets, and her truth she finally begin to face one step at a time.
Jennifer sat in the car, gripping the steering wheel as afternoon sun tiketed through the windshield, constantly beating a drum not for trust, or missing in, but to get closure Awes. And maybe, a part of her wanted to understand how everything between them had turned so cruel
bund in her heart. She was meeting Devlin for one last time:
They had decided to meet in a small park along the river by which they used to visit before all the lies. Before all of the pain. She arrived early and sat alone at the bench, watching the calm flow of the waters. The wind gently tugged at her hair, but the activity of her thoughts was anything but calm.
Ten minutes later, Devlin appeared, striding slowly toward her in dark jeans and a jacket.
His complexion appeared pallid and more steeper than the remembered. His eyes, once stored with charm and mischief, now displayed something tooted something broken. Jennifer attod, watching him approach to delcarefully that portion of distance,
Thank you for coming,” he said
“Say what you need way,” she replied, her voice steady.
A weak smile from Devlin “You ruin strong Always stronger tha
Jerunder didn’t answer. She foldeġ her aims and waited.
He sighed, “I know I’m probably the last person you ever wanted to seagal but I have to tell you the uth All of it as the version let you believe. Not the version told myself.” She remained silent and gave lijn space to talk.
Devlin sat on the edge of the bench, hands clasped between his “You always believed 1 betrayed you because I was cruel the because I didn’t care. But tha much
of you Sound of what you were becoming
the Winked. “kudd me
He nodded. “You were growing, Jen Charging. You were getting stronger, matter. You were going to medical school, chasing di ny Sue Howard “Soyou injured me because you were insecure?”
pushing yourself. And ma? I was standing still.”
Devlin looked ashamed. “That was part of it. But it was more than that. My family they saw you as a threat. My mother especially she said men like you don’t stay. Then get your degree, get your sumel, and tralize i drag you down the pat it in my mind that you’d leave in.
Jennifer took a little step back. “To instead of supporting me, you tried to bawak me liesi “Yes,” he said quietly. “And Fluid
I was becoming me I didn’t recognize. Every time you smiled, i felt like a t
“I panickedy time you made plans for the future I told to protect sell bet you left me.”
Her hands clenched at her sides. “You didn’i plotert you sell You destroyedan. You made the question niy worth You made me lose a part of myself i can never get back.“*
Deti nodded slowly, Deyes wet. “I know. And I don’t expect togheseus. I just wanted you to know… It wasn’t about not loving you. I loved you so much in scared use. But I let fear win.” the uat berside him, leaving spare between them. The ullence stretched
“What about the Journal?” she asked. “The message The end I never wote? Were those you 100?”
