Chapter 23
Avery followed Calvin back home.
Inside the house, the maids hurried to greet her.
As soon as Noah and Simon heard the commotion, they raced down the stairs.
“Mom!”
“Mom, are you back for good this time? We were wrong before. Mom, I love you the most!”
Even though Simon could barely talk, seeing Avery again made him want to say everything he’d been
holding in.
Avery couldn’t help but notice the bruises and injuries on the boys, but honestly, it didn’t matter anymore.
She hadn’t just left Calvin. She’d left Noah and Simon behind, too.
Faced with their eager, heartfelt words, she answered quietly, her responses short and distant.
After a while, the boys seemed to realize something, and their eyes started to well up with tears.
“Mom, do you really not want us anymore?”
Avery glanced at them, about to respond, when Calvin suddenly cut in.
“Don’t say that. I need to show your mom something, so you two stay here and be good, alright?” Calvin said gently.
Avery glanced at him and remained silent.
She followed Calvin to the basement. She’d lived in this house for years but had never known there was a
hidden door.
It led down a long, dark stairway, as if it was designed to swallow up every last bit of light.
Calvin led her down, all the way to a locked room. Unlike the rest of the beautifully decorated house, this
room was cold and pitch-black.
He flicked on a switch, and the room lit up. Avery looked around, but at first, nothing seemed out of the
ordinary.
Then, Calvin turned on the projector. Instantly, the wall lit up with video footage.
Avery’s brow furrowed when she saw Britney appear on the screen.
She saw that Britney had been tortured, had lost her baby, and had been thrown into a vat of boiling oil.
Even though Britney had targeted her, Avery felt no joy in seeing her suffer.
When the hours-long video finally ended, Calvin’s voice rang out, excited and almost triumphant.
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“See, Avery? I got revenge for you. I know she killed your brother, so I paid her back the same way. I’ve already settled the score for you. Will you come back? From now on, it’ll just be the four of us together.”
However, Avery’s expression didn’t change at all.
Did she hate Britney? Of course she did.
Britney was the one who’d taken her only brother from her. But at the end of the day, who had really caused all this to happen?
If it hadn’t been for Calvin, none of it would have happened. He’d been the one to give Britney every
chance she’d needed.
And more than that, Avery never wanted revenge for revenge’s sake. She’d never wanted to destroy Britney or watch her die.
She glanced at Calvin, saw the hope and desperation in his eyes, and shook her head. “If this is what you wanted to show me, then I’m leaving.”
The words hit Calvin like a punch. He looked stunned, as if he couldn’t process why Avery wasn’t happy.
Didn’t she want revenge? Why didn’t she care about Britney’s suffering?
He’d spent so much time arranging all of this, convinced that this was what would bring Avery back to
him.
But none of it worked. She was unmoved, as if none of it mattered to her.
His heart skipped a beat. He didn’t know what to do-or what else he could possibly do-to win Avery
back.
Panic flooded his voice as he grabbed her hand. “Why? Don’t you want to see her pay for what she did?
I’ve punished her for you. I’ve let go of Britney completely. Avery, can you just look at me? Please?”
He was nearly in tears. He’d finally found her. She was right in front of him, but he felt like she was
slipping farther away than ever.
He couldn’t understand it, and he couldn’t figure her out either.
Avery gave a faint smile, looking at him with pity in her eyes. “Do you really think Britney was the only one
who ever hurt me?”
Calvin’s face went pale. He opened his mouth to explain, but Avery didn’t let him.
“The person who hurt me the most was you, Calvin. You were the one who chose Britney. You were the one who believed her. Everything that happened was because of you.”
With that, she walked away without looking back.
Calvin was at a loss for words, his eyes turning red.
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Avery left him again, but he had no reason to make her stay.
Only now did he realize that the moment he chose Britney over Avery, their relationship had already
ended.
When they got back upstairs, Noah and Simon were still waiting. Their faces lit up when they saw Avery come out, but as she passed by without even glancing at them, their hope faded away.
Noah found the courage to call out, “Mom! Don’t you want us anymore? We’ve been miserable since you left. Simon can’t even talk now. Britney was so cruel. She hit us and poured hot oil on us. She was nothing like you. Can’t you please come home?”
Avery didn’t stop walking. Her voice was soft but firm as she said, “You were the ones who didn’t want me
first. When you chose Britney over me, that was the end for us.”
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