Chapter 99

Maybe her hatred toward me could be justified. For a brief moment, I finally understood why Sophia couldn't handle Edson's death after the case was closed. If I were in her shoes, I probably wouldn't have been able to handle it either. Edison stood silently for a long time, stunned by the revelation of Sophia's past. He had never imagined she carried such a heavy burden. Sophia's eyes lingered on me, filled with conflicting emotions. After a moment of silence, she said something that caught me completely off guard. "Joshua, Jasper's death wasn't entirely your fault. After all… if those kidnappers had been decent people, they wouldn't have done something so reckless in the first place." Her voice softened, almost pleading. "Joshua, don't die, okay?" In the gray, hazy space of my mind, I stood up. Hearing her sorrowful words, my heart tightened. Despite everything, I couldn't stop myself from feeling for her. I'd told myself I needed to let her go, to stop loving her