Chapter 229
“You two have a good chat, Sienna,” Josef said to Sienna, then turned and walked out.
As soon as Josef was gone, Sienna sat down across from Jacob.
“Take a seat, Sienna,” Jacob said softly. “You know, you look so much like your mother and yet, somehow, you don’t. I’m just rambling nonsense. Don’t take it to heart.”
Sienna gave him a gentle smile. “It’s alright, Jacob. I brought you something. This is a letter my mother left for you before she left.”
At the mention of the letter, Jacob nearly lunged toward her in a fluster, his expression overwhelmed with emotion. Sienna quietly stood up and slipped away, giving him some space.
Selina had a childhood sweetheart named Owen Maxwell. The Maxwell family, just like the Bayer family, was one of the four great families in Vallaris.
The two of them had been engaged since they were kids, and their bond only grew stronger as they got older.
One month before their wedding, the two went on a trip together and got into a terrible car accident. Owen was the only one who survived, but he ended up giving his heart–literally–to save Selina.
When Selina woke up, no one dared to tell her the truth. The Bayer family knew her too well–if she ever found out that Owen died because of her, she’d never be able to go on living.
So, the Bayer and Maxwell families made up a lie together.
They told her that Owen had lost both his legs in the accident and had been sent overseas for treatment.
The Bayer family called off the engagement, saying that someone with a disability wasn’t good enough for Selina.
Selina couldn’t accept it. She wanted to go overseas to find out the truth, but the Bayer family did everything they could to keep her from seeing Owen.
When Selina finally got there, all she found was Owen’s cold, lifeless body. His legs were gone.
The doctors said he had taken his own life by poisoning himself.
Selina blamed her family for everything, convinced that they had driven her lover to his death.
During that time, Selina’s behavior became erratic. She refused to let them cremate Owen’s body, so her father, Calvin, and grandparents burned it right in front of her.
They even tried to force Selina into a political marriage, but she cut all ties with the Bayer family and never spoke to them again.
Eleven years ago, Jacob accidentally let the truth slip that Owen had died to save Selina, and his body had been kept preserved overseas.
With the Maxwell family’s permission, they amputated his legs, just so Selina would go on living, filled with hatred.
When Selina learned the truth, she didn’t hesitate for a second and took her own life, wanting nothing more than to be with Owen again.
Before Selina died, she didn’t know how she could ever face her family again. They had done it all for her, but in the end, they’d hurt her just as deeply.
Jacob, after accidentally letting the truth slip, could never forgive himself. He blamed himself for Selina’s death.
He used to be a decorated officer, but after that, he totally lost it and wound up in a mental hospital.
After Selina died, Sienna had to take over the company almost overnight. All the responsibilities landed on her shoulders, and she was so busy she simply couldn’t find the time to deliver her mother’s letter to the Bayer family.
Then, while traveling abroad for work, she got into an accident.
Jacob sobbed for hours, clutching the envelope to his chest like it was the only thing he had left in the world.
He kept reading the last line of the letter over and over. (Jacob, I will always love you. You’ll always be the second star beside me.)
Finally, Jacob sat down, howling at the sky.
“Selina,” he choked out.
“My sister,” he thought, grief swallowing him whole.
Sienna, who knew the whole story, lit a cigarette and leaned quietly against the wall. In her memory, her mother had always been gentle, strict, but above all, the most loving person.
Selina would always talk about Owen. Their love was nothing short of passionate and dramatic. In all her stories, Owen was an exceptionally good man.
His death made sure that all the good in him was forever etched into Selina’s memory.
Selina was the most loving person, yet she always taught her daughters to be cold and unfeeling, which was kind of ironic.
Sienna’s tall, graceful figure leaned lazily against the wall, looking like a work of art. Josef couldn’t help but snap a photo of her.
‘Sienna is really beautiful,’ Josef thought to himself. ‘I wonder what kind of man her husband will be. Ordinary guys just aren’t worthy of her.’
Sienna and Vivian left together, and Sienna made sure to confirm the surgery date with Calvin one last time.
Calvin lowered his gaze and nodded. “I’ll do whatever you say.”
Sienna knew the weight on his heart. “Calvin, it’s all in the past now. Mom and Owen are together again, watching over us from another world. She wants you to be happy.”
Calvin’s eyes reddened. Of course, he knew just how kind Selina had been. “Sure,” he said.
Calvin was the one who gave the order to have Owen’s legs cut off, and now, he always felt it was punishment coming back to him. But Selina had never once held it against them.
As they drove away, Sienna asked softly, “Vivian, did you get to see them?”
Sienna reached over and gently ruffled Vivian’s hair.
Vivian was still sobbing, her eyes red and swollen, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Sienna, Grandpa and Grandma really love Mom, and they love us, too. They have our photos in all their picture frames.”