Chapter 18
Reed sat on a chair outside Avery’s room. No matter how much money he offered, the nursing home director refused to sell.
Finally, he exchanged ten billion dollars for the right to accompany her during her last six days.
“Sir, you may go in now.”
The nurse opened the door, and Reed took a deep breath before slowly entering.
Avery still sat in that wheelchair, silently gazing out the window.
Sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting dappled patterns on her pale cheeks.
“Avery.”
He softly called her name.
Avery turned, struggling to look at him.
She opened her mouth, producing unclear syllables: “You…
you are…”
“I’m Reed Bennett. I visited yesterday, don’t you remember? I’ve come to keep you company.”
Reed knelt before her, looking up at her.
Avery frowned, shaking her head with confusion and rejection, laboriously forming a few words:
“Don’t… know… don’t… need…”
+
Each word felt like a dull knife slicing into flesh. Reed’s heart was being torn open.
“Avery, look at me more carefully.” He reached out to touch her face. “We’ve known each other for so long. We were once…”
“GO AWAY!”
Avery suddenly became agitated, using all her strength to push his hand away, showing obvious disgust: “Hate… hate you…”
Reed’s hand froze in midair.
“Hate you.”
These two words pierced his chest like bullets.
Even having lost her memory, even no longer remembering what he had done, ingrained in her bones was still a hatred for him.
Reed immediately gave a bitter smile.
Yes, to her, he was just a villain through and through.
“Then let’s get to know each other again, shall we?”
He suppressed the twisting pain in his heart, trying to make his voice sound gentle.
“My name is Reed Bennett. I’m thirty-one years old. I love you, love you so much. Won’t you let me stay with you?”
Avery tilted her head to look at him, her eyes full of wariness: “No…”
“Avery, why not?”
“No…” Avery shook her head. “Disgusting… don’t… remember you. Go away!”
wifchall
10.4%
Chapter 18
Reed was stunned.
These words struck him like lightning.
He suddenly recalled what he had said to her five months ago when pretending to have amnesia:
“Avery Walsh, I’ll say it again: I don’t remember you. Stop trying to show me these things, and stop trying to cling to me.”
Now he finally understood how desperate and agonized Avery must have felt then.
Except he had been pretending, while his Avery truly didn’t remember him anymore.
Reed closed his eyes, tears sliding down his cheeks.
“I’m sorry, Avery. It’s all my fault…”
Avery didn’t respond, just staring blankly out the window.
Just then, a nurse entered, indicating the visiting time was over.
Reed didn’t rise, kneeling before Avery, clutching the wheelchair’s armrests.
“Please, give me more time,” he begged the nurse. “I can pay more.”
The nurse shook her head: “Sir, the patient needs rest. And… she clearly doesn’t want to see you.”
Reed turned to look at Avery, who was regarding him with a strange, disgusted expression.
His heart contracted painfully.
Karma indeed!
“I’ll come back tomorrow,” he stood up, his voice trembling. “And the day after, and the day after that… until the very last day.”
He backed toward the door, “I’ll keep coming until you forgive me.”
“Never… forgive…”
Avery’s voice was faint, but clearly reached his ears.
Reed froze in his tracks, then rushed out of the room, collapsing against the wall and sobbing uncontrollably.
Never forgive.
Reed could never have imagined that these would be the last words Avery would ever say to him.
Later, he often wondered if Avery had remembered everything in that moment, which was why she said those words.
♡ (0)
(0)
