The four of them sat there for quite some time, none of them daring to break the silence. They exchanged glances, their expressions heavy with unspoken thoughts, but no one made the first move. frёewebnoѵēl.com
Finally, Avey gathered the courage to speak. Her voice was low, trembling slightly, as though she feared the weight of her own words.
“How’s Lucy?” she asked, her eyes flickering downward. Her hands trembled in her lap. The last few days had been a nightmare for her, and she barely had the strength to look up.
Jimmy’s jaw tightened. He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he let out a slow, measured breath, as though forcing himself to stay composed. When he finally spoke, his voice was cold, edged with restrained anger.
“Leave him be, will you? Why are you trying to torture him like this?” he shot back, his tone more of an accusation than a question.
Avey flinched, but Jimmy didn’t stop.
“If it weren’t for the little respect I have for Lucian,” he muttered under his breath, “I’d have…” He cut himself off, unwilling to finish the thought. But the implication hung in the air.
She’s the reason for his suffering, he thought bitterly. How could he even begin to forgive her?
Avey’s voice broke through the tension, soft and hesitant. “I… I just wanted to know how he’s doing. Is he alright? You know, these past few days have been…” Her voice trailed off, her head bowing under the weight of her guilt. She couldn’t even finish her sentence.
Jimmy’s gaze hardened. His hands clenched into fists as he fought to control his frustration. “You’re talking about the past three or four days?” he said sharply. “Maybe you’ve only just noticed. But he’s always like this. And it’s thanks to you.”
His words hit like a punch to the gut. Avey squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, as if to block out the pain. But the truth in his words only made it hurt more.
Jimmy wanted to say more so much more. But a part of him held back, unwilling to let his anger take complete control. After a tense pause, he sighed heavily and waved a hand dismissively.
“Leave it,” he muttered. “Just tell me why you called me here. What do you want to talk about?”
Avey opened her eyes and took a deep breath, visibly struggling to regain her composure. She couldn’t afford to fall apart now. Her voice was steady, but the sadness in it was unmistakable.
“I just wanted to talk about Lucian,” she said quietly. “I know you’re the closest person to him. Closer than even his real family. I just… I just wanted to know…” Her words faltered, but she pressed on. “I wanted to understand how he’s doing.”
Jimmy’s expression softened, but only slightly. He still didn’t respond, instead opting to sit in silence, his thoughts unreadable.
After a long pause, he finally spoke. “What do you want?”
Avey opened her mouth, her voice low and trembling as if she didn’t even deserve to speak the words forming in her mind. The weight of what she wanted to say bore down on her, but she couldn’t hold it back anymore. She needed to speak, even if every word felt like a struggle.
“There are so many things I want to talk about,” she began hesitantly. “I don’t even know if I have the right to… after everything. But I have to. I can’t stay silent anymore.”
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and her voice cracked slightly as she continued, her hands trembling in her lap.
Jimmy’s is very complicated about avey and even there was something softer beneath the surface an almost reluctant sympathy. He sighed, leaning back in his chair, trying to maintain a calm exterior. He was torn.
“What is it, Avey?” he asked, his voice carrying a note of both frustration and understanding.
Jimmy had always been close to Lucian. He had seen the way Lucian used to look at Avey the unspoken adoration, the way his entire world seemed to revolve around her. As Lucian’s friend, Jimmy had naturally felt protective of Avey too, willing to go to any lengths to ensure her safety. But now, things were different.
This woman had hurt Lucian in ways that Jimmy couldn’t forgive. He wanted to hate her for it, but somehow he couldn’t not completely. At the same time, he couldn’t feel any warmth toward her either. His emotions were as tangled as the situation itself.
The thought of Avey hurting Lucian again made Jimmy’s blood boil. He clenched his fists under the table, his nails digging into his palms. If she hurt Lucian, Jimmy didn’t know what he’d do and that scared him.
Avey’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. She was speaking again, her words spilling out like a desperate confession.
“I… I can’t live without him,” she repeated, her voice barely audible. “I just want to be with him again. I know I hurt him. I hate myself for it there are times I think I don’t even deserve to live after what I did to him. But even then…” She paused, her breathing ragged as tears began to stream down her face. “Even then, I can’t imagine a life without him. I just can’t.”
Jimmy expressionless he said nothing, letting her continue.
“He said… he said he’s giving up on me,” Avey whispered, her voice breaking. “And I don’t know what to do. I know I’ve been wrong. I’ve made so many mistakes. But I just want to make it right. I want to fix things. I want to go back to the way things used to be.”
Her hands trembled as she spoke, clutching the edge of the table as if it were the only thing keeping her grounded.
“I know Lucian still loves me,” she said, her voice rising just slightly, filled with a fragile hope. “I can see it. He’s just… he’s just hurting himself, trying to push me away. And it’s killing me. It’s so painful to see him like this.”
She lowered her head, her tears dripping onto her hands. “Please… I just want to know how to fix this. How to make him trust me again. I know you’re the only one who really understands him. You’re closer to him than anyone else, even more than his family. Please… just tell me how to make things right.”
Jimmy stared at her, his expression unreadable. For a moment, the room was filled with nothing but the sound of Avey’s shaky breathing.
“You know what, Avey?” Jimmy finally spoke, breaking the heavy silence. His voice was cold, devoid of any trace of warmth, and his expression was hard to read flat, almost emotionless.
“You disappoint me… far too much,” he said, the words cutting through the room like ice.
Avey froze, her breath hitching. She didn’t know what to say, or even how to react.
“You should never have been the person Lucian loved,” Jimmy continued, his tone merciless. “Honestly? You don’t deserve him.”
The weight of his words hung heavily in the air. For a moment, no one spoke. Jimmy’s hands were clenched tightly on the table, and his eyes flickered with something deeper sadness, maybe even anger. But it wasn’t for Avey. It was for Lucian.
Jimmy’s jaw tightened as he glanced away, as though he were struggling to maintain control of his emotions. His eyes seemed to glisten, just barely, as though the sadness he felt for his friend was threatening to spill over.
Avey stared at him, stunned. Did she say something wrong again? Her mind raced, trying to understand what she had done to provoke such harsh words.
Jimmy shifted in his chair, adjusting his position as though the conversation was physically uncomfortable for him.
The sudden movement startled Garry, who had been sitting quietly until now. His eyes widened, and he instinctively raised a hand, almost as if preparing to step in and stop Jimmy from lashing out further or worse.
But Jimmy wasn’t moving to attack. He was merely trying to calm himself, to find a position that didn’t make him feel as restless.
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Avey, however, remained utterly still. She didn’t flinch, didn’t react to Garry’s protective gesture. She simply sat there, silent and motionless, her trust in Jimmy unshaken. No her trust in Lucian.
She believed, wholeheartedly, that no matter how angry or frustrated Jimmy might be, he wouldn’t harm her. If anything happened now, she knew Jimmy would be the first to protect her. That’s how much she trusted him not just as Jimmy, but as Lucian’s closest companion.
As for the thought of Jimmy attacking her? It didn’t even cross her mind as a possibility. Deep down, she knew it would never happen.
Not even in their past life…
Her mind drifted for a moment, unbidden memories rising to the surface. She didn’t want to think about it that moment. The one that still haunted her, the one that shaped so much of what she was feeling now. But no matter how hard she tried, the memory lingered, sharp and vivid.
Gun on her forehead,cold body of lucy and tears in these people eyes.
She pushed it away, forcing herself to focus on the present.
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