“I can’t believe it,” Jimmy finally said, his voice trembling with barely contained anger. “Rather than feeling sorry truly sorry for what you’ve done to him, you’re still making this all about yourself.”
His eyes burned into Avey, his frustration evident in every word. “’You can’t live without him’? What is that supposed to mean? Do you even care how he’s feeling after everything? Have you even thought, for a second, about what he’s been going through? About the pain you’ve caused him?”
Jimmy’s voice grew sharper, louder, as his anger bubbled to the surface. He leaned forward, his hands gripping the edge of the table.
“Instead of sitting here crying and talking about proposing to him again like that’s going to fix anything did it never occur to you how much he’s hurting right now? Did it never cross your mind what he might be feeling after all that’s happened?”
Avey’s lips quivered as Jimmy’s words hit her like blows. Her hands trembled under the table, but she didn’t interrupt him. She couldn’t.
Jimmy let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “Do you even know what you meant to him? What you were to Lucian? He loved you and did anything he could just to be together with you, Avey. Anything. And you… you did those things to him.” His voice cracked slightly at the end, his anger mingling with something deeper, something rawer.
“I know,” Avey whispered, her voice barely audible. Her gaze was fixed on the table, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. “I know what I’ve done to him. I’ll never forgive myself for it, Jimmy. Never.”
She paused, taking a shaky breath. “I’ll do anything to make it right. Anything to redeem myself. But Lucian…” Her voice wavered, and she clenched her fists tightly. “Lucian means everything to me. I can’t live without him, and I know deep down I know he can’t live without me either.”
Jimmy scoffed, leaning back in his chair, his expression hardening further. “You’ve got some nerve, Avey. After all the damage you’ve done, after everything you’ve put him through, you sit here talking about redemption? About getting back together with him?” He pointed a finger at her, his voice rising with every word. “Do you even hear yourself? You hurt the person who loved you more than anyone else in this world like it was nothing and after years when that person thought of giving up you coming and say lets get together. And now you have the audacity to come here and talk about fixing things, as if it’s that simple?”
Avey winced at his words but didn’t look up. Her hands shook uncontrollably, her fingers digging into her palms beneath the table.
Jimmy wasn’t done. He leaned forward again, his tone cutting like a blade. “Do you even understand what you’re asking for, Avey? Redemption? Do you think saying sorry and crying is enough to erase what you’ve done? To heal the pain you’ve caused him? Because it’s not.”
“Jimmy,” Garry said softly from the side, his voice steady but firm. He placed a hand on Jimmy’s arm, a subtle reminder to rein in his anger.
Jimmy shot Garry a sharp look, but the man’s calm expression was enough to make him pause. Jimmy let out a heavy breath, sitting back and rubbing his temples as he tried to regain his composure.
Avey finally looked up, her eyes wet but determined. “I know I don’t deserve forgiveness,” she said, her voice trembling but resolute. “I know I’ve hurt him in ways that can’t be undone. And I know that no matter what I do, I’ll never make up for it.” She swallowed hard, her throat tight.
“But I also know Lucian. I know he still feels something for me, even if he’s trying to push me away. And I know…” Her voice cracked, and she took a deep breath to steady herself. “I know I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to him that I’m sorry, if that’s what it takes. Even if he never takes me back, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it right.”
“Ah, man,” Jimmy began, his voice tight with anger and disbelief. He running a hand through his hair before turning back to Avey, his expression a mixture of frustration and sadness.
“How easy it’s been for you, huh? Every time he asked you every time you said no. Over and over, you rejected him. And now, when he’s finally given up, when he’s finally decided to think about himself for once, here you come with this.” He gestured at her, his tone dripping with accusation.
“You’re selfish, Avey. Do you even realize what your selfishness has done to him? Do you know how badly you’ve messed him up, mentally and emotionally?”
Avey didn’t answer. She couldn’t.
Jimmy didn’t need her to. He pressed on, the words spilling out like a floodgate had burst.
“Lucian… God, do you even know how many problems he’s had to deal with his entire life? He’s been fighting battles since day one struggling to keep himself together, to make it through. And instead of being someone who could help him, who could stand by his side, you became his biggest battle. The one thing he had to fight every single day, and all by himself.”
Jimmy’s voice cracked slightly, his hands balling into fists. “You’ve had everything, haven’t you? All the love, all the support your family, your friends, everyone around you cares for you, loves you. But Lucian? His whole damn world was you. He didn’t have what you did, Avey. All he had was you. And you destroyed him.”
He took a shaky breath, his anger building as he went on. “And now, after years years of him chasing you, trying again and again, knowing it was killing him inside, he finally decides to let go. He finally decides to stop hurting himself over you. And what do you do? You come back, saying you ’understand,’ saying you want to fix things. What the hell is that?”
Avey sat frozen, her hands trembling in her lap as Jimmy’s words hit her like daggers. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, couldn’t even lift her head.
“You’re shamelessly selfish,” Jimmy spat, his voice trembling with fury. “Honestly, it’s disgusting.”
He took a step closer, pointing a finger at her, his anger boiling over. “He stood there for you, Avey. He faced every fear, every rejection, every single damn obstacle because of how much he loved you. And you rejected him, every single time. And now, after he’s broken, after he’s finally trying to heal himself, you show up saying you ’understand’? That you’ll do anything for redemption?!”
Jimmy’s voice rose with each word, his emotions pouring out as though he’d been holding them in for years. “What about his pain, huh? What about the years he spent suffering because of you? What about those nights when he was alone, when he had to fight through the hurt you caused? What about his mental health? What about his efforts his endless efforts to make things work with you, to prove himself to you? Do those mean nothing to you?”
He stopped, his breathing ragged, his shoulders heaving as the weight of his words settled over the room.
Jimmy opened his mouth to continue, unable to stop himself from letting out more of the pain and anger he felt for his friend’s sake. But Garry, who had been watching silently from the side, stepped forward. He placed a firm hand on Jimmy’s shoulder, a quiet but steady reminder to calm down.
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“Jimmy,” Garry said softly, his voice steady but sad.
Jimmy glanced at Garry, his jaw tightening as he tried to rein in his emotions. He looked back at Avey, his gaze filled with a mix of sadness and anger, his pain for Lucian written all over his face.
Avey sat there silently, unable to meet his eyes. She didn’t try to defend herself, didn’t offer any excuses. She simply sat there, trembling, listening to every word.
Jimmy’s anger wasn’t just in his words it was in his whole demeanor. His hands were clenched at his sides, his eyes glistening with unshed tears of frustration and grief. She had never seen him this way before.
He wasn’t just angry. He was hurt. Hurt for Lucian.
Avey closed her eyes, her chest tightening with every accusation Jimmy threw her way. She felt the weight of it all the truth of his words pressing down on her like a physical burden.
Jimmy’s genuine sadness and anger for his friend cut deeper than anything else. It wasn’t just his words that hurt; it was the raw, unfiltered emotion behind them.
Sitting beside her, Cassandra sighed deeply, her own face etched with worry. She reached out and placed a gentle hand on Avey’s back, rubbing it soothingly in an attempt to comfort her trembling friend.
Avey took a deep breath, her hands clenching tightly in her lap as she tried to stop them from shaking. She opened her eyes slowly, her vision blurred with unshed tears.
“Everything you said,” Avey finally whispered, her voice trembling, “it’s true.”
Her words were barely audible, but the room grew silent as she spoke. Jimmy didn’t respond, his chest still heaving as he tried to calm himself. Garry’s hand remained on his shoulder, grounding him.
Avey took another shaky breath, lowering her head further. “I’ve hurt him… in ways I can never take back. I know that. I know I don’t deserve him. I know I don’t even deserve to sit here and talk about redemption.” Her voice cracked, and a tear slipped down her cheek.
“Avey’s head snapped up, tears streaming down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she pressed her trembling hands to her chest, as if trying to hold herself together. freewebnovel.cσ๓
Jimmy shook his head, letting out a bitter laugh. “Look at you now. Crying. Feeling sorry for yourself. But tell me, Avey, where were those tears when Lucian needed them? Where was this regret when he was breaking under the weight of your rejections?”
Cassandra, standing beside Avey, sighed deeply. She stepped closer, placing a comforting hand on Avey’s shoulder. “Jimmy,” she said softly, “that’s enough. She’s heard you.”
Jimmy looked at Cassandra, his chest heaving. “Has she? Does she even understand the damage she’s done? I’m not sure she ever will.”
Avey finally found her voice, though it was shaky and weak. “I… I know,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “You’re right. Everything you said… it’s true. I was selfish, and I hurt him. I I don’t even know how to fix this, but I want to try. I know it’s too late, but I can’t just do nothing. I can’t just let him go without”
Jimmy held up a hand, cutting her off. “You don’t get to make this about you, Avey,” he said coldly. “This isn’t about what you want anymore. It’s about him. And if you really care about him if you really want to make things right then you need to understand that it might not happen. You can’t just decide to waltz back into his life and expect him to welcome you with open arms. That’s not how it works.”
Avey’s shoulders shook as she sobbed, her tears falling freely now. Cassandra wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close in an attempt to steady her.
Jimmy sighed, running a hand through his hair. His anger was beginning to ebb, replaced by a deep, aching sadness. “I just… I just want him to be okay,” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“Here, drink some water and calm down, will you?” Garry said, grabbing a glass from the table and holding it out to Jimmy.
Jimmy shot him a fiery glare, his eyes narrowing with unrestrained anger. “You shut the fuck up, you idiot,” he snapped, his voice sharp and trembling with frustration. “One more word, and you’re getting punched.”
Garry froze mid-motion, the glass still in his hand. For a moment, he just sat there, debating whether it was worth saying anything more. Then, with a sigh, he set the glass back down on the table without a word.
“Alright, alright…” he muttered under his breath, taking a step back.
He glanced at Jimmy, whose anger still simmered like a volcano about to erupt. Garry sighed again, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
“Man, Mister Cool really isn’t cool today,” he mumbled to himself, shaking his head.
Despite his usual easygoing demeanor, even Garry felt the weight of the situation. He was just as sad, just as frustrated. But he also knew better than to push Jimmy any further right now. When Mister Cool got angry, there was only one smart move: shut up and stay out of the way.
—