Chapter 633 Till Death Do Us Part

Devin went on, “My parents never micromanaged us brothers. Their rule was simple – whoever proved strongest would inherit the Bell legacy. I told my mother I wanted no part of it, that I’d step aside and refuse to compete. Naturally, my brothers thought I was bluffing. So I signed a contract with my parents, handing Jude over to them.

“I knew only they had the power to bring out Jude’s full potential. He wasn’t like me – he couldn’t grow up under a weak and broken father like I was. Part of the deal was that I gave up every parental right to him. No matter what my parents did, I had to stay silent and never interfere.

“If I broke that promise… they would have killed Jude in the name of ‘fairness.’”

“So that’s the truth.”

“And Jude survived all of that?”

In its own way, the Bell family was far darker and more ruthless than the Jensons. At least the Jensons‘ cruelty was only aimed at me. They still showered my seven brothers and Kyla with love, raised them with the best of everything, instilling values, and gave them every chance to thrive.

In the Jenson household, the kind of vicious sibling rivalries that ruled the Bells were unthinkable – strictly forbidden.

Tilda had no doubt Abram and the others would have harmed Jude if it suited them. She had already seen how merciless powerful families could be. To them, the future of the family outweighed everything. Anything could be sacrificed – sometimes even lives. People were just pawns, stepping stones on the path forward.

But when the person at risk was someone she loved…

A raw ache spread through Tilda’s chest for Jude.

“Devin, if you can tell me all this, then why not Jude? Before, you were afraid of your father and the rest, but now Jude is the head of the Bells. What’s left to be afraid of? If he knew how much you cared, it would mean the world to him!”

Devin shook his head. “Back then, Jude lived with my parents for years. He was just a child. Can you be sure they didn’t leave something hidden behind as insurance? I know them too well. Even the smallest slip could have cost Jude his life.”

He let out a weary sigh.

For years, every time Jude looked at him with those eyes filled with hope… Devin’s heart broke. More than anything, he wanted to tell Jude the truth. Jude was his most precious child – the one he would’ve given his life for without hesitation. He was the son that Heidi Bell and he had brought into the world. Even if Devin had failed as a father, how could he watch Jude’s hopes rise and collapse over and over until he went numb, unable to speak of it anymore? He had kept silent not because he didn’t care, but because he lacked the courage – and the right – to risk Jude’s future just to earn forgiveness.

“So, Ms. Tilda, I ask this of you as a father who failed. I’m telling you only because you’re the woman Jude loves. He looks at the world and clings to love the same way I do. That’s the one thing that still gives me pride. Please, if you and Jude do marry, promise me you’ll never leave him. Be good to him. Right now, you are the only light in his empty world. If he ever lost you… I don’t dare imagine what would become of him.”

Tilda couldn’t even name the emotions swirling inside her as she left Serenity Abbey. She only remembered nodding silently to Devin in his cabin. It had felt like making a vow.

Her feelings had never been clearer. In this world, Jude was the only man who could stir her heart. They shared the same rare Omega bloodline. They had endured the same kind of merciless lives. And yet, they were each other’s one person – the one who made their pulse race, who brought comfort, who gave them a sense of safety.

Still, life stretched long ahead of her. She had been reborn at 19, and now, a year later, she was still just a college junior. She refused to let the Jensons’ betrayal punish her twice, to rob her of joy or destroy her trust in others. Because in this life, she had already found what she’d lost before – true friends, family, and love. She was living a life happier than most could dream.

And yet, the word “marriage” carried a weight all its own. She would have to summon all her strength to face Jude’s gaze and, in front of witnesses and a minister, finally vow the words: Till death do us part.