"He only ended up this way because he was looking for me and Finn." "Besides, it''s all in the past. I don''t care about what happened before."
Theresa seemed to have expected her to say that. It was no surprise, and she just smiled faintly. “Evangeline, I know you don''t care. That''s why I have to."
"When I was little, I also thought that the only way to be happy was to ignore my own feelings, to be selfless and carefree. I thought being sensible would make people like me more."
"But that''s not how it works. Not caring about yourself means giving up on yourself. And once you give up on yourself, others won''t have any qualms about how they treat you. To them, you be nothing more than a collection of potential benefits.”
"That''s why someone could be given away as a gift for personal gain, without a second thought."
Theresa''s gaze darkened slightly.
Evangeline saw the look in her eyes and knew she was thinking about her past.
She had been a gift from Kearney, delivered to Victor''s bed.
That was the day Theresa''s nightmare began.
Thinking of the past, Evangeline couldn''t bear to touch on her friend''s pain and tried to change the subject.
But Theresa, perhaps sensing her intention, smiled gently and took the lead. "Actually, these are all things Jan taught me."
At the mention of the name "Jan," Theresa''s eyes involuntarily softened.
Even her voice grew tender.
Jan, the adopted son of the Lockridges, was the man Theresa had loved most deeply.
Hearing his name, Evangeline''s heart tightened, and she looked at Theresa with worry.
Theresa smiled, knowing what she was afraid of.
She dried her hands and gently took Evangeline''s.
Theresa''s palm, still cool from the water, felt chilly, but her tone and smile were
warm.
"Evangeline, I''m not sad. I''m actually quite happy."
"Over the years, I took him to the
ends of the earth. I showed him the northern lights. We saw the ocean the desert, we went to balls
loved the sea and the sky, sol
scattered his ashes in the heart of
the ocean."
“Before, we were always apart, and being together was so hard. But now, whenever
I look up, I can see him."
“Evangeline, I feel so happy. I want you to be happy, too. To have the kind of
happiness you''ve always wanted."
After leaving the room, Evangeline''s mind was a whirlwind of emotions.
She was d that Theresa had finally moved on from the past, but even as she felt
that joy, an inexplicable sense of unease and worry crept in.
After a moment, she realized the source of her anxiety.
Even now, Victor''s obsession with Theresa hadn''t faded. And she could tell that Theresa still harbored a deep resentment for him.
The happiness she wanted was for Theresa to return to Serenity City with her Even if they couldn''t go back to how things were, they could at least live a normal, peaceful life.
But if Theresa returned, Victor would never let her go.
At that thought, Evangeline sighed softly and looked up at the sky.
The vast, dark night sky was filled with twinkling stars.
When her mother gave her the name Evangeline, it was with the hope that she would find light in the darkness and never give up hope, even in the most desperate of times.
Her mother had managed everything
from Whitmore Industries down to
the Whitmore family with perfect
order if she were still here, a
proble
ジス
like this wouldn''t have
fazed her.
But s...
Evangeline lowered her gaze, her fingers gently caressing the ring her mother had left her, feeling a wave of helplessness.
Her vision blurred with a film of tears.
Through the haze, Evangeline saw Finn standing in front of her.
Seeing her red-rimmed eyes, Finn couldn''t help but chuckle softly. "I never realized you were such a crier."
Evangeline didn''t speak, just wrapped her arms around his waist in a sullen hug. Finn was momentarily stunned by the sudden embrace.
His breath hitched, and his whole body stiffened as he felt an unwee stirring deep within him.