Chapter 617 I Wronged Her

“Dad and our other brothers wronged Tilda so badly that she lost all hope in family. She gave up on us completely. But even then, she didn’t get back at us by letting Mr. Lowell adopt her. If… I mean, if we tried harder, maybe we could win her back–”

“Justin,” Darell cut him off sharply, his voice cold, “I know people need goals and hope to keep going. But false hope only makes things worse. You have to understand that.”

He didn’t want to give Justin even a shred of comfort.

Because in this, Darell saw no hope at all.

Not even a shred.

The truth was, they had already tried everything. That day, all seven brothers stood outside Tilda’s house in the pouring rain, begging for forgiveness. Even Russell had swallowed his pride and pleaded with her.

But nothing worked.

Tilda never once looked back. Instead, she only gave them humiliation and cutting words.

If they kept clinging to hope, they would end up with greater despair.

After such a harsh reality, Darell couldn’t even bring himself to comfort Justin or give him any courage.

“Yeah,” Justin whispered, his voice trembling. “You’re right. Tilda will never forgive us for what we did. The only reason she didn’t let Mr. Lowell adopt her is because she doesn’t need family anymore.”

“I saw it on the livestream,” Justin continued. “Her senior treats her like a princess. He gave her honors and recognition we could never give as her brothers. And during the holidays, she wasn’t alone–she had people by her side.”

Tilda had been so happy in that moment.

Justin could still see it–the confidence in her eyes, the warmth in her smile, and the brightness that made it seem like she owned everything good the world had to offer.

But that happiness had nothing to do with them.

The Jensons were nothing but clowns, standing on the sidelines, wearing masks of pain while she lived in joy.

Justin spoke with a voice full of heartache. He let out a shaky breath, tilted his head back, and fought hard to keep the tears from falling.

His heart felt like it was being torn apart by a thousand blades.

Dark emotions swept over him like a nightmare, sinking deep into his mind.

He couldn’t break free from the chains.

Darell patted his brother’s shoulder and tried to comfort him. “Justin, don’t drown in sorrow. You never truly wronged Tilda. The ones who should bear the heaviest guilt are our parents.”

“No, Darell, you have no idea. I did something awful to Tilda when I was little. You know, my autism used to be pretty bad.”

Justin told Darell the one thing only Kayden had ever known. Darell sat there, stunned, for a long time.

He never expected that the girl who changed Justin’s life had been Tilda.

Justin’s autism had suddenly improved after he went for treatment in Montclair. Darell had been thrilled. He thought his mom had finally found a good doctor, and Justin was healed. He had no idea there was another reason behind it.

“In this family, I owe Tilda more than anyone,” Justin said. “I didn’t even recognize the person who saved me. I was fooled by another woman. Only when Tilda exposed the truth did I wake up. I’m so stupid.”

“I kept looking for her all these years–she was right in front of me the whole time. When I saw Tilda’s photo back then, why didn’t I recognize her? Why? She was my light. My salvation. My life changed because of that piano piece she played!”

The more he spoke, the more his emotions spiraled. Dark waves washed over his mind, and reason drained away.

He clutched his hair until he felt hollow, then went limp and curled into a ball in the corner of the balcony.

“Justin?!”

Darell’s instincts screamed that something was wrong. It was the same as when Justin used to suddenly lose interest in playing toys and retreat into himself as a child–like an abandoned kid. They called his name and got no response. Darell crouched and patted Justin’s face to pull him back.

“Justin, snap out of it! Don’t sink into the past!”

After Darell kept calling, Justin slowly came back to himself. “Oh Darell, what’s wrong with me?”

“Justin?!”

A cold, terrible feeling washed over Darell.

He knew this look too well.

It was the same as Justin’s childhood autism episodes.

Justin usually acted normal, but when he had an episode, it was like his mind and soul were locked in a prison.