Chapter 28
+78 BONUS
“Mom, have you forgotten? Quartet Enterprises was built Audrey and me, together. She put in more effort than anyone else. When my business was failing, it was Audrey who begged people for help, drank with clients until she bled from her stomach, and yet, when she returned, all she did was comfort me and encourage me to keep going. It’s not that she wasn’t worthy of me–it’s me, Duncan Millington, who was never worthy of her!” Duncan’s voice grow louder, to the point where he couldn’t even hear his own frembling tone.
Seamus took advantage of Duncan’s emotional state to snatch the pocketknife from his hand and throw it far away. “Duncan, this was your mother’s mistake. I’m apologizing to Audrey on her behalf.”
But Duncan wouldn’t accept any apologies. No amount of apologies would bring Audrey back. It wouldn’t bring their child back either.
“Leave,” Duncan said, closing his eyes, but tears forced their way through.
“Son, I’m your mother! You can’t abandon me because of Audrey!” Janet clung to Duncan’s arm, refusing to let go. Seamus stood by, helplessly watching his son, realizing that the loss of this one woman had utterly broken him.
But he wasn’t ready to give up. With patience, he continued “Duncan, didn’t you say Quartet Enterprises was your and Audrey’s heart and soul? You’re letting the company fall apart by neglecting it, especially after you crippled the Leverton family business. Do you think Audrey would rest easy seeing you like this?”
Duncan’s gaze darkened, and his voice was weak. “Audrey is gone. What use are these worldly possessions to me?”
All he had ever wanted was Audrey.
Seamus’s frustration boiled over, and with gritted teeth, he threw a hard punch at Duncan’s face. “Duncan Millington, listen to me! I gave you life, and you don’t get to end it without my permission! If Audrey could see you now, she wouldn’t want to see you living like this–half–dead, wasting away. Duncan, pull yourself together! Think about the life Audrey lived. Did she ever give up? Did she ever just decide to die? No! She kept fighting, she fought to stay by your side. You say you weren’t worthy of her? You’re right–you’re not, because you’re not half as strong or brave as she was!”
Duncan collapsed onto the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His eyes never left Audrey’s photo on the tombstone.
He really wasn’t as brave or strong as she was. Josh had given him her medical records, and it had taken him so long to gather the courage to read them. He couldn’t sleep because every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was her lying in his arms, covered in blood, saying, “Duncan, thank you. I’m so grateful I met you and loved you in this life. I have no regrets.”
How could he face a world without her, burdened by his guilt and longing?
Janet, heartbroken to see Duncan lying there, rushed over to help him up, but he refused to move.
“Son, please don’t do this. You’re breaking my heart. I’m begging you. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have taken the company’s money and blamed it on Audrey. It’s all my fault, son. Please, don’t do this,” Janet cried, unable to control herself as she hugged her son.
Duncan watched as his mother broke down, her words stirring a storm of emotions within him.
He simply stared at her as she wept.
“Son, don’t look at me like that. You’re scaring me. I know I’m a terrible person. I was wrong,” Janet sobbed, slapping herself repeatedly in the face.
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Duncan grabbed her hands. “Mom! Stop!”
25 BORUS
“Son, you’ve forgiven me, haven’t you? You forgive me, don’t you?” Janet looked up at Duncan with desperate hope in her eyes.
Chapter 20
Heather had orchestrated everything, planning it all so meticulously.
It was all her doing.
Everything that had happened to Audrey and him Heather had played the pivotal role in their downfall. Duncan’s eyes narrowed, filled with a fury so intense it seemed ready to consume the world.
+25 BONUS
+25 BONUS
Chapter 29
Chapter 29
