He Thought I Came For Money, But Got My Last Words Chapter 08

He Thought I Came For Money, But Got My Last Words Chapter 08

Sophia was arrested. She tried to flee, but the police brought her back within days.

As a result, two more years were added to her sentence.

It wasn’t until the handcuffs clicked shut that she finally understood.

Her good life was over, what awaited her was hell.

Five years later, Jason was thirty-five years old. He was colder than ever in business. He had cut off all contact with his parents.

He still lived in the apartment he had shared with Emily during their brief time together.

Nothing had changed, the book she had been reading still lay open on the couch.

He never remarried, and no woman ever stood by his side.

Everyone in their social circle knew that Jason had a lost love, a ghost no one could replace.

Only a very few knew that she was his nightmare, the one he could never escape.

He had become a man of few words.

Every year, on the anniversary of her death and on her birthday, he would disappear for a few days.

He would take her urn to the places they used to go when they were dating. The lake by the college, the boardwalk where they had their first date, the cliff top where he had proposed.

He would talk to the urn, telling her about the past year, how much he missed her.

He would tell her about the girl he had seen on the street who looked like her from behind, and how he had followed her for three blocks before realizing it wasn’t her.

His body was falling apart.

Years of heavy drinking and bad eating habits had damaged his stomach and liver.

The doctors warned him, but he ignored them.

It was like he was trying to kill himself slowly.

Once, he was hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer. After they saved him, Chris, his eyes red, tried to talk to him.

“Mr. Mitchell, you can’t keep doing this. Miss Watson wouldn’t want to see you like this.”

Jason stared out the window, his eyes empty. “She’s not watching me. She hates me too much.”

“Maybe Miss Watson forgave you a long time ago.”

“I don’t need her forgiveness.” Jason smiled—a smile worse than crying.

“I just need to remember what a monster I was, how much I owe her, and know that I don’t deserve a single moment of peace.”

In her third year in prison, Sophia couldn’t take it anymore, the humiliation, the fall from grace. She tried to kill herself with a sharpened toothbrush.

They found her and saved her, but her mind was never really right again.

Her family had already disowned her, and no one ever visited.

Her future was an endless sentence in a dark cell, with nothing but her own thoughts.

When Jason heard about it, he felt nothing.

She was just dust in his world now.

But every late night when he thought of Emily, the hatred still tore at his heart.

Not hatred for Sophia, hatred for himself.

For the stupid, stubborn fool who had been so blind.

He put most of his company’s profits into the charity, which helped thousands of poor bone cancer patients.

Every time he saw the grateful tears of a patient’s family, a sharp pain went through his chest.

If only someone had been able to help his Emily and her father like this back then.

If only he had spent just thirty minutes learning about her past.

Would they be happy now? Would they have kids? Would they come home to each other every night?

Would he be able to hold her, bury his face in her neck, and kiss her hair?

Their kids would be so cute, from little babies to beautiful young adults.

He hoped for a daughter.

Sometimes Jason dreamed about that life, but waking up was so much worse.

If only. If only. If only.

He was always fantasizing about “if only.”

But there were no if onlys.