Chapter 1062
[ 751 words ]
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Derek stared quietly at Susanna, waiting.
Susanna cleared her throat, breaking the tension. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but… I’m not really the comforting type. Really, you’d be better off talking to someone who specializes in this stuff-comforting people isn’t my area of expertise. Honestly, I’d probably just make things worse, rile you up even more, and if you drop dead right here, well, I definitely don’t want that on my conscience.”
As she spoke, a cold sweat broke out down her spine. Susanna had one goal: get Derek to leave as soon as possible—she certainly didn’t want him sticking around, making a scene. Besides, whether or not she was “good at comforting” was beside the point. The truth was, she had no intention of even trying.
Given how Hull’s recent crackdown had already crippled much of Black Gate’s influence, the last thing anyone needed was Derek to keel over from anger right here. If that happened and Black Gate turned on them in a rage, things would get ugly fast.
Derek broke the silence. “Did your mother tell you to say that?”
“Yeah,” Susanna replied, not missing a beat.
“So that’s it. She really hates me,” Derek muttered. “Using you as part of her revenge.”
Susanna blinked, momentarily stunned. Where did this guy get that from? Sure, her mom wasn’t Derek’s biggest fan, but this—this just wasn’t her style. Knowing Lacey,
if she actually wanted revenge, she’d never have dragged Susanna into it. If anything, she’d make sure to keep her out of the mess entirely.
“My mom isn’t trying to get back at you,” she said firmly.
“Susie,” Derek said softly, his eyes clouding with sorrow. He seemed lost in his memories. “Whatever happened between your mother and me… I want you to know, I mean to make it right. I’ll win her back. This time, I won’t fail.”
For a moment, regret filled him—the kind that decades couldn’t erase. He’d managed to push away the one woman who had loved him with all her heart, yet held onto someone who’d betrayed him again and again. God, how blind had he been?
Susanna just stared at him. Was he even hearing a word she said? The man was on his own frequency entirely.
Derek let out a long, heavy sigh. “I guess this is my payback-what I deserve.”
None of Adelle’s three children were actually his—divine retribution, he thought, for how he’d treated Lacey. He’d sown this misery himself; now he had to lie in the bed he’d made.
Susanna ran a hand down her face in exasperation. “Whatever karma you have coming to you, it’s got nothing to do with me or my mom.”
Derek gave a rueful nod. “You’re right. It’s all on me-my punishment and mine alone. Still, it won’t stop me. However long it takes, I promise you: before I die, I’ll give you and your mother the family you both deserve.”
Susanna nearly choked. Oh, fantastic. She was a grown woman, and now both her parents were obsessed with “playing happy family” again.—as if she were still a little girl, waiting for her life to be put back together.
She forced a weak laugh, then
coughed, gathering her resolve.
“Look, I know you’re hurting, and I
hate to be the bearer of
tet of bad news but I don’t think it’s fair to let you keep hoping. If this is too much and you feel faint or something, just say the word-I’ll call an ambulance.”
Derek stared at her in stunned silence.
Susanna went on, matter-of-fact. “You really need to let it go. My mom’s moved on.
She found someone else.”
The room went cold again, an uneasy stillness settling over them. Dropping news about her mom’s new relationship at a time like
this-tfelt almost cruel. After net
these years, were they really about to kick off some kind of high drama love triangle in their golden years? Susanna’s own nerves couldn’t take that kind of excitement-better to let Derek’s heart bear the burden.
Derek’s expression darkened instantly. “What did you say?”
“She just got married yesterday,” Susanna said bluntly. “It’s official—the ink on the license is barely dry.”
Derek looked as if he’d been physically struck.
Susanna shook her head, genuinely at a loss. “You messed up your life when you were young—isn’t that enough? Do you really have to stir up trouble now, too?”
His eyes flashed, voice rising with every word. “She’s… married? Married to another man? Like, an actual legal marriage?”
“Yes—a real, legal wedding,” Susanna said emphatically. “So do yourself a favor and let this go. There’s nothing left to fight for.”
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