“Let me out,” Jane said sharply. Her tone was clipped, leaving no room for argument. “William, I’d rather face the insults of strangers than sit in the same car with someone as deceitful as you.”
William’s eyes turned red, his voice breaking. “Jane, I just… I just wanted you to come home.”
She let out a bitter laugh. “Open the door, William. Or do you not understand plain English?”
The driver hesitated, glancing nervously at William.
“Open the door!” William barked, his voice hoarse and furious.
With a soft click, the door unlocked. Jane stepped out into the chaos, ignoring the jeers and the phones pointed at her like weapons.
Before shutting the door, she leaned down and spoke quietly, her words cutting deep:
“William, the person you’ve become… I don’t even recognize you anymore.” She paused, her eyes cold and unflinching. “And honestly? disgust me.”
William froze, her words hitting him like a physical blow.
He stayed motionless, his eyes red and glassy, his chest tightening painfully with every breath.
The car fell into an uneasy silence. No one dared to speak.
William watched through the window as Jane pushed through the crowd and climbed into a waiting taxi. Only then did he shut his eyes a out a long, shaky breath.
Finally, his assistant broke the silence, his voice cautious. “Mr. Faulkner… what should we do next?”
William opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and resolute. “Take every piece of evidence we’ve gathered,” he said, his voice low and menacin “Divide it into two sets.”
“One goes to the police. The other? Post it online.”
His knuckles turned white as he gripped the armrest. “Summer… and the Faulkners…”
His voice trembled with barely contained fury as he spat out, “They’re going to pay for this.”
Jane checked into a nearby hotel that night.
The receptionist kept glancing at her, clearly recognizing her from the live stream. Jane ignored the stares, pulling her hat down lower.
It wasn’t until she got to her room and locked the door that she finally allowed herself to breathe.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she opened her phone and scrolled through social media, finding Summer and Mrs. Faulkner’s accounts.
It didn’t take long to piece together the story they had been weaving.
For over a month, they’d been painting Jane as an ungrateful, heartless daughter–a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” who had abandoned her famil
Just yesterday, Mrs. Faulkner had even posted a countdown–a live stream titled:
“18 Hours Until the Witch Comes Home.”
It didn’t take much to figure out how they’d gotten her flight information. The power of the internet was terrifying.
For a moment, Jane felt a pang of guilt–she’d misjudged William. He really had only wanted her to come back, not for this circus.
Still, that didn’t absolve him of everything else.
Her fingers hovered over the screen as she watched one of Mrs. Faulkner’s pity–filled videos. Mr. Faulkner, frail and bedridden, even made an appearance, drawing waves of sympathy from viewers.
Jane’s name was in shreds. Online, she was branded as the villain in their drama–the ungrateful daughter, the selfish sister.
By the time she finally closed her phone, it was 3 a.m. She booked a flight out of the country for the next evening and immediately passed out,
exhausted.
The next morning, Jane was jolted awake by the sound of her phone ringing.
It was William.
She declined the call and blocked his number without hesitation.
Groggily, she opened her social media apps, only to notice something strange.
9:19 AM
<
Mrs. Faulkner’s live stream account had been suspended.
Jane sat up straight, suddenly wide awake. Her hands shook as she opened the trending topics on social media.
What she saw made her heart race.
Overnight, the tide of public opinion had completely turned.
Overnight, hashtags like #GrantGroupFireSummer, #SummerIsAMurderer, and #JaneTheRealVictim shot to the top of social media trends.
The surveillance footage of Summer using Jane as a “blood bank,” murdering a man, and setting the Grant Group fire had been exposed for the world to see.
S
Jane only realized this when she opened her old messaging app and saw hundreds of unread texts–messages of concern and support from
friends back home.
She sat in stunned silence for a long time, staring blankly at her phone, until Suzy called.
“Jane, where are you staying?” Suzy asked.
After picking up Suzy from the lobby and returning to her hotel room, Jane was surprised to see the front desk staff eyeing her with guilt.
“I’m so sorry, Miss Jane,” the receptionist stammered, her face flushed. “I shouldn’t have judged you so quickly. I promise I won’t jump to conclusions again.”
She hesitated before adding softly, “You’ve been through so much… I’m sorry for everything.”
Jane’s heart wavered. She smiled faintly and replied, “Thank you.”
She had never expected that the words she most needed to hear would come from a stranger.
In the room, Suzy asked, “What’s your plan now?”
Without hesitation, Jane replied, “I’m going back to Eldoria. My flight’s tonight.”
Suzy sighed, hesitating before saying, “You know… all that evidence being leaked? It was William. He’s the one who put it out there.” After a pause, she added, “I think he really does love you, Jane.”
Jane smiled faintly, shaking her head. “He doesn’t love me, Suzy. He just can’t accept that I left him.”
“If he truly loved me, he wouldn’t have pushed me back into the nightmare that is the Faulkner family.”
“And he definitely wouldn’t have let me come back to this place at all.”
She sighed deeply and continued, “He’s only thinking about how, if I’m back here, there’s still a chance to fix things between us. But he’s never
considered how I feel.”
“To him, his happiness outweighs mine.”
Suzy was silent for a long time before murmuring, “Safe travels, Jane.”
As Jane was leaving the hotel, dragging her suitcase behind her, she received an international call from Lucas.
“Jane, what’s going on?” Lucas asked, his voice filled with concern. “Everything about you back home is all over the international student forums. Everyone’s talking about it…”
Jane replied, “It’s too complicated to explain over the phone. I’ll tell you everything when I get back.”
Lucas was stunned. “You’re coming back?”
“Wait-” Lucas stammered. “Look, whether you stay there or come back to Eldoria, I’ll support whatever makes you happy.”
someday.”
Jane returned the hug, smiling. “You better.”
As the cab pulled away, Suzy stood at the curb, watching until it disappeared. Then, she glanced at her phone.
screen showed an active call. The name displayed was William.
Suzy sighed. “Mr. Grant, you heard all of that, didn’t you?”
There was a long silence on the other end before William’s hoarse voice finally came through. “I heard.”
“If you want to stop her, it’s not too late,” Suzy said gently.
For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of William’s heavy breathing.
Finally, his voice broke through, low and raw. “What everyone else seems to understand… I’m only now realizing.”
“Loving someone means wanting them to be happy.”
“It means… as long as she’s happy, that’s enough,” William whispered.
Jane had noticed the Lincoln following her cab from the moment she left the hotel.
But she pretended not to see it.
Her heart was resolute, unshakable. No matter what William did, no matter how hard he tried to stop her, she would never go back.
Yet, to her surprise, William didn’t try to intercept her. He stayed back, keeping his distance, as if silently escorting her to the airport.
The cab neared the terminal, and Jane turned her gaze out the window.
But just as they approached the entrance, a small car suddenly swerved violently toward them, speeding straight for the taxi.
The driver cursed, slamming the brakes and swerving to avoid the collision. “Jesus Christ! Does that idiot even know how to drive?!”
He quickly regained control, merging back into traffic.
Jane frowned, glancing behind them.
She saw the Lincoln accelerate sharply, cutting off the reckless car.
Then came the sound of metal on metal–a deafening crash.
The two vehicles collided, and the Lincoln came to a jarring stop.
Jane clutched her phone tightly, her voice unsteady. “Driver…”
The cab driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “What’s wrong?”
After a long pause, Jane shook her head. “Nothing. Just… keep going.”
The cab sped toward the airport, leaving the crash behind.
Back at the scene, the Lincoln was crumpled, its front completely smashed.
The other car’s window rolled down, and Summer’s deranged face appeared. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her voice was shrill, filled with
rage.
“William! Who the hell do you think you are to stop me?!”
Her laughter was unhinged as she screamed, “It’s all her fault! It’s all because of that bitch Jane! She ruined my life!”
“If it weren’t for her, I’d be the one married to you, William! I wouldn’t have gone to prison, wouldn’t have ended up like this–a cripple!”
Her voice cracked as she continued, “Now even you don’t want me anymore. You’re going to send me to prison yourself, aren’t you?”
Tears streamed down her face, but her expression twisted with hatred.
“I have nothing left. NOTHING!” she wailed. “And Jane? What does she have that I don’t?!”
“She was born to be my shadow. She’s nothing but a spare. So why does she get to live a better life than me?!”
Her voice cracked with rage as she spiraled further into madness. Veins bulged on her neck as Summer screamed, “Step on it! Crash into them! I’ll pay you three million dollars!”
The small car’s engine roared as the driver slammed on the gas, speeding straight ahead.
William was driving the Lincoln himself.
He was alone in the car.
And in that split second, without hesitation, William floored the accelerator, aiming directly at the oncoming vehicle.
The two cars collided with a deafening crash, sparks flying everywhere. Pain exploded through William’s body, white–hot and searing. For a moment, he thought he saw Jane as she had been at eighteen.
She smiled softly in his memory, her voice gentle, introducing herself: “Hi, I’m Jane, Summer’s sister.”
It had only been a glance. A fleeting moment.
But that moment had changed his life forever. From that day on, Jane had been the center of his world.
And yet, today, Jane had walked out of his life, suitcase in hand.
From this moment forward, he would never see her again.
As unconsciousness claimed him, William lifted his gaze one last time. Through the shattered windshield, he saw black dots in the sky- planes cutting through the clouds, leaving trails behind.
Somewhere up there, Jane was on one of them.
He smiled faintly through the haze of pain.
“She’ll finally be happy now,” he thought.
“Ma’am, we’re about to take off. Please switch your phone to airplane mode,” the flight attendant said gently, snapping Jane out of her
thoughts.
Jane nodded, running her fingers over her phone. On the screen was a breaking news alert:
“Serious Car Crash Near Airport–Two Vehicles Involved, Including a Lincoln. Small Explosion Reported.”
William. It must be him, she thought.
“Ma’am, is there anything else you need?” the flight attendant asked.
Jane shook her head and smiled faintly. “No, I’m fine.”
She closed the news app, switched her phone to airplane mode, and leaned back in her seat.
The plane took off, rising into the clouds, leaving everything behind.
The next time Jane heard anything about William, it was February of the following year.
Suzy had come to Eldoria for her honeymoon and hesitated several times before finally bringing it up.
Jane sighed, exasperated. “Just say it, Suzy. What’s on your mind?”
Suzy laughed nervously. “You always see right through me.”
“Yeah, you’re not exactly subtle,” Jane replied, rolling her eyes. “It’s about William, isn’t it?”
Suzy
nodded. “That day, when you left the country… Summer hired a recently released convict to drive a car and crash into your taxi. She wanted to kill you.”
Jane’s face didn’t change, but her hand tightened slightly on her coffee cup.
Suzy continued, her tone serious. “Willian
was following you the whole time, protecting you. When he saw what Summer was trying to do, he drove his Lincoln right into her car. He was ready to die with her just to keep you safe.”
Suzy paused, her voice heavy. “Summer died on the spot.”
Jane stayed silent for a moment before as
“And William?”
severe. Both of his legs had to be amputated. He’ll never walk again.”
Suzy hesitated. “He survived… but his injuries w
Jane’s expression didn’t waver. She simply mud, “I see.”
Before Suzy could say more, the door to the
room
burst open.
Confetti rained down as Lucas walked in, dressed sharply in a tailored suit, holding a bouquet of yellow roses–Jane’s favorite.
Suzy immediately fell silent, stepping aside to watch.
Lucas approached Jane, nervous but determined. He knelt down on one knee, holding out a small velvet box with a custom diamond ring
inside.
His voice shook slightly as he spoke, his words sincere. “Jane, I’ve been planning this day for a long time.”
“It’s only been six months since we started dating, but I already know I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Will you marry me?”
For years, Jane had been with William, but he had always hesitated, never taking that final step toward marriage.
Yet here was Lucas, after only six months, ready to commit everything to her without a second thought.
Perhaps that was the difference between someone who loved her more than himself and someone who loved himself more than her.
Lucas had never wavered in his love for her. Never been selfish.
Jane smiled warmly, extending her hand. “Yes. I will.”
The room erupted in cheers and applause.
When William received a photo of Jane and Lucas’s engagement party, he accidentally knocked over his coffee.
Yet here was Lucas, after only six months, ready to commit everyth
Perhaps that was the difference between someone who loved her more than himself and someone who loved himself more than her.
Lucas had never wavered in his love for her. Never been selfish.
Jane smiled warmly, extending her hand. “Yes. I will.”
The room erupted in cheers and applause.
When William received a photo of Jane and Lucas’s engagement party, he accidentally knocked over his coffee.
Instinctively, he reached out to grab the cup, forgetting for a moment that he was in a wheelchair. He fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
His assistant rushed over, helping him back into the chair. “Mr. Grant, their wedding is set for December,” the assistant said softly.
William didn’t respond. He opened a drawer and placed the photo inside.
Inside the drawer was a thick stack of photographs–one for every day Jane had been in Eldoria.
William had hired someone to secretly take pictures of Jane and send them to him. Every day, his assistant would print them out, and William would keep them in the drawer.
He had spent the past year silently watching her happiness from afar.
After a long silence, William finally spoke. “Send them a wedding gift. Put it under my name. Just say…”
He paused, his voice trembling slightly. “Just say, ‘I wish you happiness.”
The assistant hesitated. “But sir, they’re not married yet. You could still-”
“Stop,” William interrupted. “That’s enough. I’m tired. You can leave now.”
The assistant bit his lip, nodded, and turned to leave.
As he reached the door, he heard William’s voice, soft and broken.
“Don’t send me any more photos.”
The assistant glanced back. William sat alone by the window, his figure hunched and frail, like a man who had aged decades in a single year.
The assistant sighed quietly and left without another word.
William gazed out the window, watching as the season’s first snow began to fall, blanketing the city in white.
He thought back to that moment in Eldoria, when he had seen Jane again for the first time, the overwhelming joy of having her back in his life, even for a brief while.
It was in that moment he had realized just how deeply he loved her.
His assistant had asked why he had stopped fighting for her. After all, Jane wasn’t married yet. There was still a chance to win her back.
But William had finally understood something.
Loving someone wasn’t about chaining them to you.
It was about letting them go, even if it meant living the rest of your life in regret, guilt, and longing.
As long as she was happy, that was enough.
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