Chapter 512 Begging for Forgiveness
Not to mention it was a soaked, drizzly night. The rain was not heavy, but in such cold weather, getting soaked could easily bring on a fever. This was not something to joke about.
Until… A figure appeared not far from the entrance to Tilda’s apartment building. It was Wade. He stood there without an umbrella, head tilted up, letting the rain wash over him as he stared at the thirty-second floor where Tilda lived. A faint light glowed somewhere up there. Tilda would now be inside, probably celebrating the holiday with the people she cared about. In her life, those people were her friends. There would be no more Jensons—no more of those brothers. Six brothers stood behind him. Following Wade’s gaze, they all saw the same room where Tilda was. A heavy sigh escaped them.
Dominic, holding an umbrella, came up beside Wade, forcing down a pain that seemed to tear his heart. “Wade, come back. Don’t stand here in the rain or you’ll get sick.” Wade said nothing; he continued to look up. “Don’t worry about me, Dominic. My heart is a mess right now. For the moment, I don’t want to go home and look at Kyla. At least I can feel a sliver of peace standing here.” “Get a hold of yourself, Wade,” Dominic said. “We all feel guilty toward Tilda, but what good does torturing yourself like this do? “What’s done is done. Tilda will never forgive us! “If you think showing this weak face to Tilda will make her waver even a little, you’re dead wrong!”
Dominic ground his teeth and gripped Wade’s shoulder, trying to snap him out of it. As Tilda’s former disciple, Dominic knew her well–she would never forgive a traitor. To Tilda, betrayal was equivalent to a death sentence. Not killing Dominic could only be called unexpected mercy. If they thought they could win her forgiveness through this display of contrition, they were deluding themselves. “Dominic, you can say that because you weren’t there when it happened.” Wade’s voice cut in. “I was there. For Kyla’s sake, I said things to Tilda I can’t ever take back. “In the end, I’m the utterly wrong one. I swore I would beg for Tilda’s forgiveness if she were innocent. “I’ve made mistake after mistake and never kept my promise. I’m no man. This time, please let me keep it.” With that, Wade fell to his knees on the wet ground. Right there, in front of Dominic and the others. “Wade!” The other brothers were anguished; their hearts ached to see him like that. “You don’t need to do this…” someone began. “I must. Otherwise, how can I sleep, how can I face tomorrow?” Wade’s voice was steady with a desperate resolve. “If I have to live with this guilt forever, then I might as well try to do something that eases it, even if it’s only a little!” Wade could not die—there were things in the world that still tied him here: family, dreams… He comforted himself with the only remedy he knew, however cowardly. He knew what he was doing right now was pathetic, not the behavior of a true man, but he had no other way. Rain pit-pattered on him, drenching him through and through. Dominic’s eyes showed a trace of pain. He looked up at the floor where Tilda lived, then tossed his umbrella aside and–without thinking of status or pride–got down on his knees beside his younger brother. “Dominic?” “Wade, you say you owe Tilda, but who here doesn’t feel the same? As the eldest, I must be strong. I can’t set a bad example. “But my debt to Tilda isn’t less than yours. It felt like a blade once–piercing my soul. I want just a sliver of redemption!” Since Wade was on his knees, Dominic allowed himself one selfish, impulsive act: forsaking his position as eldest son and CEO, he dropped down too–an older brother kneeling beside the younger one, begging forgiveness in the deluge. Wade heard in Dominic’s words the same despair that weighed on his own heart. He closed his eyes and did not stop him. Even Wade wanted redemption; who was he to stop the others from asking for it? “Darell, what do we do now? The rain may be light, but it’s cold—this could ruin their health!” “Go try to stop them!” Santiago, worried, turned to Darell–the eldest after Dominic–who stood holding an umbrella. “I… I don’t know what to say.” Darell watched the two men on the ground in the rain, his lips moving with a helpless, weary sound.