Chapter 25
673words
"You were the one who failed, every single time."
Luther's voice trembled as he said, "Honey, I truly know I was wrong."
"And so?" Callista let out a hollow laugh.
"Can you bring back the two children I lost? Can you erase what you did with Wren?
"From the moment I left, I never planned to turn back.
"Luther Spencer, you disgust me."
Callista then turned to Jane. "Your five minutes are up. Now, please excuse me."
"No… don't, Cally. We've been together for so many years. You can't just—" Luther's desperate, tear-choked pleas echoed behind her as she walked out the door.
Jane sighed heavily. "Luther, she's gone."
Those words landed like a death sentence.
Luther's eyes dimmed, and they became hollow and lifeless. But in the next instant, he bolted for the door. The IV needle was ripped out. It left a trail of blood, but he seemed immune to the pain.
Yet his body was long past its limits, and it gave out after just a few steps. He collapsed heavily to the ground and blacked out.
When he woke, he ignored all protests and discharged himself from the hospital, retreating back to the nursery. For days, he neither ate nor drank, merely clinging to the remnants of Callista.
That night, the nursery door creaked open.
"Get out—" he started angrily, but froze mid-sentence.
Luther sprang up in the next moment, his overwhelming joy at the sight consuming all rational thought. He tightly embraced the young woman who had walked in.
"Honey, you're home. You've forgiven me, haven't you? Do you know how long I've been searching for you? Every time I came so close, only to miss you again."
"I brought honey garlic prawns—your favorite. Let's eat together, okay?" The woman opened the box and held a piece up to his lips.
He automatically took a bite, and she handed him another. "You should eat more. Seeing you like this breaks my heart."
Luther stared at her in a daze. She looked so much like Callista, more like her than Wren ever did.
"Let me sit inside with you while we eat, all right?"
The woman took a step toward the nursery, but Luther suddenly snapped. He grabbed her and dragged her out of the room.
"Ah!" she screamed in terror.
"Get out! Leave now!" Luther bellowed.
"Luther, stop this right now!" Jane hurried forward. She pulled the woman away and let her escape.
"Mom, wasn't it enough the first time? Do you need to repeat this for Callista to abandon me completely before you're satisfied?" Luther's bloodshot eyes bore into her.
But she already had. Jane's lips trembled, but she couldn't bring herself to say those words aloud.
"You can't go on like this, not eating or drinking. I didn't know what else to do. I just wanted you to eat something—"
Before she could finish, Luther slammed the nursery door shut.
Jane stood there, and she was barely able to keep herself upright. Tears started streaming down her face.
Inside, the one prawn he'd eaten was promptly retched into the trash. Luther clutched the ultrasound photo to his chest before eventually succumbing to a restless sleep.
In his dreams, he and Callista had a daughter. She looked just like Callista, and she was a little princess he adored. But his deepest love still belonged to Callista.
The scene shifted to the day he proposed to her.
"Cally, will you marry me? I swear, for the rest of my life, I'll only love you."
Callista's eyes shimmered with tears as she extended her hand to him.
His palms had been sweaty with nerves as he slid the ring onto her finger. Though he'd envisioned this moment countless times, he was still overwhelmed with joy.
Finally, he managed to place the ring on her finger. But in the next instant, the ring fell to the ground.
Even the warmth in Callista's smiling eyes turned to ice.
