Chapter 84: What More Do You Want From Me?

Having likely never encountered much darkness in her life, Bella couldn't believe Simon would go to such lengths. After all, he was her biological father. Even if he had abandoned her, they still shared the same blood. How could he be so cruel?

When Simon first found her in the small town and saw the letters her mother had left behind, his regret and tears seemed genuine. If he could so easily fake heartbreak then, Simon was even more terrifying than she had imagined. With a glimmer of hope, she knocked on Dominic's door.

When he opened it and saw her, his eyes darkened slightly. Her hands trembled as she held the documents; her eyes were red and brimming with tears. She asked him softly, her whole body trembling as if she might collapse.

Leaning against the doorframe, Dominic hesitated, then said, "Maybe I shouldn't have told you."

Bella's tears finally fell, but she quickly wiped them away. "I understand," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Thank you. I'm fine." With that, she turned and left, her steps faltering. Dominic raised his hand, then lowered it.

The adult world was cruel. There were certain things they couldn't avoid facing. Simon's mistake was showing up in Bella's life with ulterior motives from the start. For some people, it was better never to have appeared at all. They should have remained strangers forever.

Bella returned to her room and repeatedly studied the document. She was so familiar with it that she could almost recite it word for word. In a fit of rage, she tore the photos her mother had left behind into shreds, ripping out any parts featuring Simon. She wasn't the most pathetic or laughable; her mother was. Dorothy had met a real scumbag in her prime, and her life had never known sweetness until the end.

Even after all that, she couldn't calm down. As soon as she lay down, her mind was flooded with the terrible things Simon had done. At one point, she even viciously wished for Simon's sick daughter to die, as if that would bring her peace. But the real culprit was Simon himself.

Late at night, she took a bottle of wine and went to the rooftop terrace. The view was pleasant, and the peace was soothing. No matter how depressed she felt, no one could see her there.

Her vision blurred from the alcohol when her phone rang. She picked up the call and saw it was from an unknown number. Assuming it was Simon using a new number, she answered but remained silent.

Sure enough, after offering a sincere apology, Simon suddenly asked, "Are you really in a relationship with Dominic?"

Bella didn't answer. She just laughed coldly and asked, "What else do you want from me?"

Simon was silent for a few seconds. "Nothing. I'm just concerned about you. It's late. Get some rest. I'm hanging up."

After the call ended, Bella casually blocked the number, though she couldn't remember how many times she'd done it with Simon's numbers. She tossed her phone aside and leaned over the railing, gazing at the garden below, which lay silently asleep in the night. The many flowers in the garden still displayed vibrant colors under the moonlight, while she felt increasingly faded. At twenty-five, she had achieved little, with her love life and personal life still in disarray. She laughed bitterly to herself, "What's the point of living? It's just a waste of oxygen."

Dominic's sudden shout startled her, causing her to slip and lose her balance, her body going over the railing.