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Exhausted,I didn’t want her excuses or this endless tug-of-war.
“Emily,you want my forgiveness, don’t you?”
She nodded.I pointed at Nathan.
“Then kill him.”
She’d said she’d die or go to jail for Nathan.
If she were willing to do the same for me, I would believe in her sincerity.
She froze in her tracks, and I sneered at her.
“What,the great romantic Emily hesitates now?You’d commit crimes for Nathan,take my kidney.”
Seeing teachers drawn by the commotion overhear,their eyes widened,staring at Emily.
Pain flashed in her eyes, and then it turned into madness.
“I’m not afraid of jail.”
“But if I go to jail, you'll run away from me again, won't you?”
“James,I just want to live with you now.”
She said she’d sell her businesses,move to the mountains,abroad,or travel the world with me,raise kids,and be a devoted wife.
I smirked.
No, thank you. I don't want Nathan to haunt us forever, living in constant fear of his next attack.
“Emily,I’m begging you—let me go.”
The setting sun dimmed,and the 999 paintbrushes lost their glow,like roadside stones.
But Emily and Nathan stayed,settling in the village.
Nathan would often loiter near the school, occasionally picking up his paintbrush to paint.
Though Emily ignored him,the naive village kids warmed to him,won over by his candies.
He loved chatting with Tim,letting him touch his art board.
“Does big brother’s painting look nice?”
Tim nodded but ran to me.
“Teacher James paints better!”
Nathan’s smile twitched,barely holding.
I laughed,ruffling Tim’s cheek.“Good taste!”
Emily and I both got accepted into an Ivy League school. She studied finance, while I pursued art.
Nathan was my junior.
Back then,my talent always outshone his,earning our mentor’s praise.
After we got married, Emily suddenly said she didn't like me painting others or landscapes, citing jealousy as the reason.
She asked me to paint only her,and I happily agreed.
The crash happened when I was taking my first non-Emily painting to an exhibit.
It broke my heart into pieces and ended my career.
Meanwhile,Nathan,once inferior,rose to fame with Emily’s backing,his paintings selling for hundreds of thousands.
“James,didn’t think you’d still paint after four years.”
Before I could even retort,Tim chimed in.
“Teacher James painted me,and it’s awesome!”
Nathan snorted derisively.
“Country bumpkins don't know good art when they see it. What an idiot.”
My nails dug into my palm.
“Nathan,insult Tim again,and I’ll smash your mouth!”
He wasn’t fazed.
“James,know why Emily loves me so much but I never committed to her?”
I’d pondered over this question endlessly.
Emily must’ve fallen for Nathan in college.
If he’d reciprocated her feelings,she’d never have married me.
He leaned closer, his eyes filled with venom.
“A jinx like you,who killed his parents,dares to outshine me?Teachers praised you,Emily was your childhood sweetheart,and every great girl at school crushed on you!”
“When I learned you loved Emily,I swore to string her along.”
“I wanted to torture you,watch you lose everything,fall from heaven to hell!”
