Chapter 9
“How can you expect me to accept spending the rest of my life in prison? You might as well just kill me!” D
“If you’re okay, then I’m leaving. I’ve heard enough of this. It’s pointless.”
Hearing my words, Alex stopped crying, his small hand clutching the watch tightly.
My words seemed to trigger him, and he suddenly screamed:
“Of course. If it’s meant to be, we’ll see each other again.”
Both of them looked haggard and worn, as if they had aged a decade.
The company had been neglected for so many years, and getting it back on track was a daunting task.
“Enough!”
The trial was a foregone conclusion. After I answered a few simple questions, the verdict
was announced:
The traffic ground to a halt.
“Alex has been sent to Victoria’s parents for them to look after. You have no more
attachments, so just let it go.”
“Your story is riddled with contradictions. How could anyone possibly pity you?”
To keep from blocking traffic, I had no choice but to get out.
“I’m only going to ask you this once. Will you plead my case for me?”
“I’ve spent my entire life paving the way for other people! Marrying you, cheating with
Victoria-it was all for the sake of your families’ feud, and I burned myself out for it! I’ve
never once lived for myself!”
The agreements Victoria had signed with the company’s employees were voided, and the shares returned to me.
I saw Ethan and Victoria again in the courtroom.
“Ethan, whatever you desire most is what you will be manipulated by. If you hadn’t been so madly in love with Victoria back then, why would you have done any of this?”
“No more attachments?!”
At my parents’ graves, I told them the news, told them that our family could finally be rid of a man like Ethan.
They didn’t say a word, just looked at me with proud, contented smiles.
Ethan was sentenced to life in prison, and Victoria to thirty years.
I finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Mommy, will you come see me again?”
I forced a smile to comfort him, and then I left the hospital.
Ethan grabbed my hand and tried to kiss me, but I pulled away.
Some of the shareholders apologized to me, others were gratified by my transformation, and still others reassured me that brighter days were ahead.
Just a month ago, they had been smugly planning to leave the country, and now they were facing the full force of the law.
A few days later, I received the divorce papers.
I met their words with a faint smile, saying little in return.
I couldn’t be bothered to entangle myself with Ethan any further, so I turned and left.
“You were dead set on ruining my family back then, so what good is your remorse now?”
Through my efforts, the company was finally restored to the glory it held in my parents’ era. At last, I could breathe a sigh of relief.
Ethan pounded on the car window, demanding I get out.
I went home to rest for a day and clear my head. The next day, I was back at the office, drafting a new development strategy.
When I woke up, I finally understood-I had found my peace.
“You claimed you were an orphan, raised by Victoria’s family, willing to do anything for them. Now that your scheme has been exposed, you want to turn traitor?”
“This watch is a gift from me. From now on, whenever you do anything, I want you to look at it. Every minute, every second, must be lived by your own principles.”
The moment I heard the sentences, I finally felt I had done right by my parents.
The trial officially began a month later.
I remained silent. Remembering the despicable way he’d acted before, I simply couldn’t
bring myself to say any words of forgiveness.
But I was willing to endure the hardship, pulling all-nighters to get to the bottom of every
problem, resolving them one by one to lay a solid foundation for the future.
Seeing my silence, Ethan’s tone softened again. “How about we have a child of our own?”
On the night of my birthday, I dreamed of my parents.
The car pulled away, leaving Ethan wailing on the side of the road.
As I drove away from the courthouse, Ethan chased after me, barefoot, and threw himself
in front of my car, right in the middle of the road. The driver slammed on his brakes,
cursing loudly at Ethan.
