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“If this continues,the Lane family is finished. .I’ll be torn apart online.People point at me,throw things…I’m falling apart…”
I only sneered,“You deserve it,”and listened to her plead for a while longer.
Once she realized that crying was futile and began cursing,I hung up and blocked her number.
Once the Lane family’s downfall was almost complete,Nathan returned to my hometown.
I looked at the man in front of me, his eyes marked by dark circles, his face aged from stress, and a surge of satisfaction welled up within me.
Nathan said slowly,“The Lane family’s finished.They no longer have a place left in the Capital Elite.As for Sophia,after her family fell apart,she couldn’t bear the online hatred and jumped off a building.”
His tone was icy,as if Sophia,his once-cherished childhood friend,had become a complete stranger.
I smirked.Pity I didn’t see it myself,and Sophia didn’t hear his heartless words.
“Emily,I’ve avenged you and Mom.I truly regret everything.Sophia and the Lanes are gone.No one will threaten you anymore.Can we start over?Let’s wipe the slate clean.”
“I've already lost Mom. I can't bear to lose you as well.”
I let out a laugh.Did he really think I’d forgive him and take him back?
Was I really a masochist?
I pulled out my packed suitcase and said coldly,“I’ve sold the house.I’m leaving.”
“In this lifetime,I’ll never be with you.Seeing you makes me sick.If I stayed,I’d end up killing you!”
Venomous words spewed forth,and Nathan’s face turned even paler.
Finally,I said softly,“Let’s put an end to this.Let me go.”
“Otherwise,I don’t know what I might do.”
I wouldn't take my own life to join Mom or use my death as a means of punishing Nathan.
She’d once told me,“If you and Nathan ever have problems,or he hurts you,don’t forgive him for my sake.Break up,divorce,whatever.Live for yourself.That’s what matters most.”
I was stressed about the wedding then.Maybe she sensed something and said that to comfort me.
Later,during the online backlash,she’d smiled and said,“When this is over,we’ll find a peaceful place with mountains and rivers,just the two of us,to relax.”
Her promise could never be fulfilled.
But I could fulfill it for her for the rest of my life.
Clutching her urn tightly,I boarded a train to leave.
Secretly,I’d swapped out her remaining ashes.
Then I’d arranged for someone to provoke Sophia into desecrating Mom’s grave,ensuring Ryan filmed it to fuel the online backlash.
Ryan,consumed by guilt and with the Lanes' empire crumbling, carried out the plan flawlessly.
The bigger goal was to deepen the rift between Nathan and Sophia,sparking a feud between their families.
I succeeded.
Nathan would never find out.He’d spend his life atoning for his sins,never seeing my mom again.
This time,I’d protect her.
A month later,I settled down in a quaint,rustic town.
It was the place my mom had always dreamed of visiting,with crystal-clear rivers and lush, green mountains.
One day,I got a call.
Nathan had been involved in a drunk-driving accident, a massive pile-up. He didn't survive the journey to the hospital.
I said calmly,“Got it,”and hung up.
Looking at the sky,I smiled faintly.
Mom,maybe this is what you meant by karma.
