“What about the Journal?” she asked. “The message The end I never wote? Were those you 100?”
Chapter 16
Den shook his head “No. That wasn’t me. I swear. I never touched your journal. I never sent anything like that. Someone else inding that. Maybe some from my family. Maybe someone is trying to scare you or silence vou. But in wasn’t me.”
Fennifer studied his face. He looked sincere. Tired. But sincere.
Bash drh
He looked surprised. “What flash drive?”
“The one you left in your office. The one with the recordings. The evidence.”
Devlin stared at her. “Jennifer Didn’t have anything behind. If you found somet
ething, someone planted it for you to find. Or they wanted you to see it. But it wasn’t me.”
Her chest tightened. That meant someone else was involved. Someone who had access to Devlin’s tiles and knew how to push her.
“Then who she asked almost herself.
Devin looked down. “There’s moce happening than you know. When I left you, it wasn’t just guilt. I was being watched. Followed I owed people money. My family was making decisions behind my back. I tried to walk away from it all, but they made sure I couldn’t”
Jennifer squinted “So you think this is about your family, then?”
“at course. They never wanted me to marry you. You were seen as a threat. Too intelligent. Too liberated. Not someone they could manipulate. And once they figured that I couldn’t control you either..that’s when their plans started 1 think they kept things away from me. I suspect I’m not aware of many things.”
Her indexisted upon what he was saying. All this time, she thought that Devlin had been the instigator. But perhaps he was just another pawn in the game himself–willingy de otherwise.
“I should hate you.” she said softly. “And maybe I do. But I feel pity for you. You let the destroy you.”
Devlin smiled cynically. “I was the one who destroyed myself. They simply provided the tools.
She stood up. “We’re done along. I came here for answers. You gave me some, and that’s it.”
Deyin nodded. “I won’t disturb you any further. But you have to know this. I never stopped loving you. Even during the worst things. Even when I walked away.”
11 pierced [emier’s heart, but she was strong. “Love didn’t look like that, Devlin. Never did.”
She walked away from him toward her car, dragging her feet but loping her shoulders straighter than they had been in a long time
Devlin saloon the beach, staring out at the river. Alone with the realization of what he had dow.
She drove away with the echo of his words in her mind. Her past was pocked with scars, but he present was still has to care. And no one would take that The sun had only begun to dip sluggishly behind the mountains when Jennifer walked into the park where Devlin had asked to meet. The sky lay soft with orange and pink hues, a picture of
away this time. calm that felt entirely at odds with the storm raging in her gut. She was not sure what brought her to meet him again: closure, curiosity, or the part of her heart that had not quite healed.
He found her near the old wooden gebo where they used to sit in the early days of their marriage. Back when things were simple. When sailes came easy and secrets had not poisoned the
beravinthem
Devlin stood with his hands in his coat pockets, hair blowing a bit by the breeze. He looked alder, much more tired than the remembered. But those eyes–of theirs still bore that intensity, the same look that we made her heart race, and now made it adie
He only turned at the sound of her footsteps.
“You came,” he said quietly.
Jennifer added. You wanted me p
“You asked to,” Devin said, smicking sadly “I didn’t think you’d come alter everything”
Jenifer remained silent. She walked past him to take a seat on the bench inside the haze Devlin book one in the gazebo and sat on the other side of the beach. There existed a commendable space between them that not only peached the physical boundary hot included the collection of years of pain and betrayal and unanswered questions.
„At fingr, bosh of them were silent. The wind cracked the trees. The bird chirped somewhere in the distan
Devlin in the one totally break the silence
*I have been doing a lot of thinking About us About erything that I ruined ”
, moving the world as though nothing had happened
Jennifer gazed down at the wooden planks beneath her feet. “Not just us, Devlin. You ruined me. You bruke sothing that I will, think, never get back.”
His voice strained as listened now, and I’ll never be able to forgive myself for it. But I also know that there’s no point in trying to change the past. All that I can tell you is how sorry Tam and ask you something I never thought I would have the contage to ask again.”
Jennifer leh a lump in her theİ.
Devlin rose to his feet, and from his coat pocket, on bended knees, he came before her. For further shock, conduslan joined a thicket of pain in her heart as the pounding began.
“Jennifer Dawson,” he said softly, holding out a small velvet box containing axing “I know I’ve made mistakes. I’ve done se temble ones. I’ve hurt you, but 1 think I’ve changed. I’m not that same man anymcer Al I want is a chance to do things right. Will you marry me again?”
stared back, dumbfounded. Not try the ring. Not even by the question. It was the that he still did not understand
Her eyes came close to swelling with tears, but not because she wished to say yes, instead, because she could once upon a time have done so without hesitation
Suongly, she shook her head, her voice barely more than a whisper. “No, Devlin.”
He blinked, as if the words had not reached his ears “Jennifer.
Chapter 12:1 still Love You
“No,” she repeated, more loudly this time. “You can’t erase the past with a ring and a few soft word. You left me alone in the darkest parts of my life. You chose po, pride, and contest
Devlin’s are fell His handswered dichtl.
“I don’t hate you,” she added. “I just… I don’t love you anymore. And maybe the saddest part is that I’m not even at when I stopped
Devlin stayed in that kneeling position for another moment, clearly hoping that her answer woulddunge
But the crood, gently closing the box containing the ring and handing it back
“You taught me what broe isn’t,” the ventured “And for thir
ess I’m grateful
She walked past him as her heart raced leaving the gazebo. The park te cold now, the soft light of sunset was devoid of condort. With every step, she felt unfurdened but also strangely
mpty. The act of rejecting Devlin felt unsatisfactory. It felt like the finality of a very paintal chapter.
She did not book hark.
ther goa
Devlin did, though. He watched her go away with a resigned quietness.
That night, sitting all alone at home, Jenniler looked around for something to calm her racing thoughts. She had done the right thing, had she
Byron
Byron with eyes softening at the sight of her. Byron listening, Byron supporting, and Byron caring
