Chapter 25: Deserving of Death

Bella walked down a narrow path, noticing a shadowy figure in the pavilion ahead. She composed herself and quickened her pace.

Hearing her approach, Simon stepped forward. "Belle"

Bella felt a strong aversion to his familiarity and replied curtly, "It's Bella Jones."

Simon, though bearing some resemblance to his younger self in photos, was recognizable. Faced with her cold demeanor, he seemed embarrassed. "Right… You took your mother's last name. It's a nice name."

"We actually discussed your name before," he continued. "We thought of calling you Cherry, because your mother loved cherry blossoms. But then, everything changed so drastically."

Each time Simon mentioned the past, Bella felt nauseated. How dare he think a few words of regret could earn forgiveness? He was responsible for everything. If he had any remorse, he wouldn't have waited so long to appear.

She shoved a stack of letters into his hands. "These are the letters my mother wrote to you but never sent. Read them carefully and think hard about what a bastard you are. You ruined her life!"

Under the dim pavilion light, Simon opened the letters, reading intently, without skipping a word. It took over an hour to finish. When he looked up, his face was streaked with tears.

"It's not that I didn't want to find you two," he began. "When I left, your mother was pregnant with you. Then I was swindled in business and sentenced to three years in prison. When I got out, I was too ashamed to face you. I wanted to make something of myself before returning with honor, but by the time I had a bit of success… your mother was gone…"

His explanation, while almost excusable, left Bella's heart cold. "And you're innocent, right? So my mother deserved to be abandoned until the day she died? What about me? After her death, I was still here, yet you never sought me out or fulfilled your obligations."

Simon took a deep breath. "At the time, I could barely make ends meet, constantly on the move. How could I have taken care of you? I knew you were doing well with the Miller family, so I didn't dare disturb you… But I've been keeping an eye on you. A few days ago, I saw things about you online and found out you'd left Miller Manor. That's why I came to find you." He saw things online? Bella frowned. Were they those rumors?

She didn't ask him about the gossip. Without a word, she turned and walked away. She'd done what she came to do and never wanted to see him again. He had never been part of her life, and he wasn't needed now.

Simon quickly caught up and grabbed her wrist. "Bella! Please don't go. Give me a chance to make it up to you. I know I was wrong. I deserve to die…"

Bella struggled angrily to free herself, but couldn't.

Leonard watched from the shadows, his expression sharpening. He flicked his cigarette to the ground, crushing it underfoot. The ground was littered with butts.

Just as he was about to approach, Simon released Bella's hand. "You must be struggling financially after leaving Miller Manor, right? Here's a card; use it as you please. Or come with me to Holha. I'll get you an apartment and a good job."

Bella threw the card to the ground. "I don't need it! Get out of my way! And don't contact me again. We have nothing to do with each other!"

The promotional text ("Search the FindNovel.net website on Google") has been removed as it's not part of the narrative.