Chapter 98
Just as Emily had expected, Xavier blurted out without hesitation, “I regret it. I truly do.”
Xavier collapsed into sobs, his voice breaking with remorse. “It’s all my fault. I failed him. I failed Jackson…” His words dissolved into uncontrollable weeping.
Like a child who had just lost his most treasured possession, he broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably and laying bare his raw, vulnerable emotions.
But Emily watched his breakdown with eyes as still as stagnant water. Emily thought coldly, “The damage was done, the person was dead. No amount of heartfelt remorse could change that. It was all meaningless.
However, someone as clear-headed as Jackson couldn’t see this truth. It was simply because that person was his only brother, the one he’d depended on all his life.
Whether from crying his heart out or a recent episode of his heart condition, Xavier’s face looked deathly pale.
Xavier looked at Emily with pleading eyes, his voice trembling. “Did Jackson leave any last words for me?”
Emily’s eyes flickered slightly, and she offered no reply.
After a long, heavy silence, Emily finally relented. “Besides asking if you regretted it, he wanted me to tell you that though he was angry and heartbroken, he never held it against you.”
Xavier’s tears streamed down even faster. He choked out, “So did Jackson forgive me?”
Emily pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, then said, “He left you something. It’s tucked inside the cover of your favorite childhood storybook.”
Xavier froze momentarily, then asked in a hushed, hesitant voice, “What is it?”
Emily didn’t know what it was either. “He said it’s the trump card that will free you from Sofia’s control of life.”
To his dying breath, he was still making arrangements for his younger brother. Perhaps, in the end, he had chosen to forgive him after all.
A stabbing pain, like needles, shot through Xavier’s heart again, so intense that he broke down into uncontrollable sobs. But to Emily, Xavier’s tears were nothing but crocodile tears.
His grief and remorse were genuine, but so were his selfishness and wickedness. So, he truly didn’t deserve Jackson’s forgiveness or any of his sacrifices.
Emily thought, ‘But that was Jackson’s dying wish, so I had to deliver his final words. Because among them all, she was the only one who survived. She had to fulfill their last wishes.
Her words delivered, Emily opened the car door and stepped out.
Emily had barely taken a few steps when Xavier scrambled out of the car. “Emily…”
He seemed to struggle for words, hesitating for a long moment before finally whispering, “Emily, could you keep this between us?”
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Chapter 98
Xavier thought, ‘What’s done is done. No amount of regret can change the past. What truly matters now is securing the present.
After struggling so hard to achieve his current position, he was certain Jackson wouldn’t want to see him lose everything he’d built.
Emily instantly saw through what he was thinking, her eyes burning with unconcealed contempt. She sneered, “Xavier, care to guess what I was thinking right before I got out of the car?”
Xavier stared blankly, at a complete loss.
Emily let out a cold, mocking chuckle. “I was wondering if, since you know what St. Gabriel Reform Academy did to Jackson, would you ever stand up for him and seek justice on his behalf?”
Even with his limited abilities, Xavier might not even make it past the gates of St. Gabriel Reform Academy, but at the very least, he could have tried.
Yet all he cared about was keeping his own secrets safe, not even sparing a single thought about standing up for Jackson or seeking justice for him.
Xavier, overwhelmed with guilt, couldn’t bring himself to meet Emily’s mocking gaze.
Emily had had enough of his nonsense. She turned to leave, only for her eyes to suddenly land on Austin, who was standing a short distance away, watching her with a curious expression.
Emily froze momentarily, then asked with concern, “What are you doing here?”
Emily thought, ‘His injuries haven’t healed yet. Shouldn’t he be recuperating at the rental?’
Austin walked over with a bright smile. “Been cooped up inside too long,” he said. “Thought I’d get some fresh air, and maybe pick you up after work.”
Austin glanced at the person and car behind Emily, then asked with a gentle, probing smile, “I didn’t interrupt anything important, did I, Emily?”
Emily shook her head, making it clear she had no intention of introducing Xavier behind her. Without another word, she took Austin’s arm and walked away.
