Out of the Shadows: Tilda’s Brilliant Second Life

Chapter 696: I Promised I’d Tell You the Ending

Tilda spoke calmly, “You’re back. So you’ve figured it out?”

“Yes, I know the answer now. That’s why I came here alone, waiting for you.”

Darell’s sixth sense was scarily accurate. He managed to catch Tilda the moment she stepped out of her apartment.

Tilda shoved her car keys back in her pocket and turned away. “Let’s go.”

Darell trailed silently behind her.

The two of them walked together in silence for a while. It was nearly summer. The weather was getting warmer, but none of that seemed to affect Tilda or Darell at all.

Eventually, Darell came to a stop. Tilda turned slightly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. Her eyes were calm and still, with a chilling, tranquil glint in them.

“In that dream, only Dominic, Kayden, and Santiago were still alive at the end. Dad died in prison from depression after being convicted of bribery. Mom followed soon after—she died from a heart attack after Dad died. Justin’s autism got the better of him one day in public. He lost control and got hit by a car. To pay off the family’s debts, Howard secretly joined an illegal boxing match and ended up beaten to death. Wade… he jumped off a building. Only Dominic, Kayden, and Santiago kept on struggling. As for me, I went mad. I remembered nothing, except… this overwhelming regret I had for you.”

Darell’s voice trembled as he spoke. He knew that dream wasn’t just fantasy. It was something that had really happened—in another timeline or a parallel world. It was the true ending for the Jensons in that timeline.

“What set everything in motion wasn’t just Kyla or her accomplices. It was the Jensons’ own fault. We trusted Kyla and let you die in that fire. We even spat on your grave. Everything we’re going through now—it’s karma.

“I always thought it was just a dream, a warning from another reality. But after I left Yvoria and learned about the Jensons’ situation, after going to Motrar and seeing Mom, and after what you did to Kyla in that burning warehouse… I understood.

“We all understood now—you came back with those memories. You always knew how things would end and didn’t want history to repeat itself. You always knew the Jensons were doomed to face this disaster.”

It finally made sense why the old Tilda—who once yearned so much for family, always shy and afraid to rebel—suddenly cut all ties with the Jensons and bloomed into her true self. She was still Tilda—but her soul had changed. This Tilda had lived through the worst ending in her past life and been reborn. From the beginning, the Jensons never had any right to ask for her forgiveness. They owed Tilda for years of torment, emotional abuse, and the insult to her grave after her death. No amount of suffering could ever make things right—not after everything Tilda endured across two lifetimes.

Tilda still didn’t say a word. She just looked quietly at Darell.

“At this point, we finally understand—none of the Jensons deserve your forgiveness. Now that we know the truth, how could we ever face you again? Compared to what happened in that world, I guess we’re better off now. Even though Dad’s in prison, Mom’s crippled and sick, and we lost everything, at least nobody’s died.

“I shouldn’t have come to see you. Actually, I have no right to see you. But I promised you that I’d tell you the ending. It’s the only way I can try to make things right, even just a little. From now on, the Jensons will never appear in your life again. You have my word.”

After saying all this, Darell turned and walked away without hesitation. Tilda watched his back as he faded from sight.

Finally, she let out a long, deep breath. Then she left too.

That was the end for Tilda and the Jensons. They would never cross paths again. Her final tie to the Jensons dissolved the moment she learned their ending in her previous life. It was gone forever.

On the other side, Darell walked back to his family. He told Tilda a small lie. He told her he came alone. When he revealed the truth to her, the entire Jenson family had been hiding nearby, watching. Originally, Darell had planned to go alone, but the Jensons insisted on coming along.

Maybe… Tilda had sensed it all along. But it didn’t matter anymore. Except for Russell, who was still in prison, the whole family was there.