Avenging Love

Chapter Thirty

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Jennifer's POV....

I was just looking at Jake, feeling a mix of confusion and concern. He seemed so broken, his shoulders slumped and tears streaming down his face, leaving streaks on his cheeks.

His usually bright eyes were dull, filled with a sorrow, that I couldn't quite comprehend. Daisy and I exchanged worried glances, both of us deeply concerned for him.

Jake had always been the strong one, but now he seemed completely shattered. What had happened? What had he done to end up like this? I couldn't shake the feeling that, whatever had happened was far worse than we could imagine.

"Your parents died because of me."

And then a wave of shock hit me hard as his words rang in my ears. It was like someone had pulled the rug out from under my feet. The ground beneath me seemed to disappear, leaving me in freefall, trying to make sense of his confession. My mind struggled to handle the enormity of what he had just revealed, and a wave of complete disbelief washed over me.

"Your parents died because of me. I can't escape the guilt of knowing the accident was my fault, I was the one driving the car that day. Every time I close my eyes, I see the crash, hear the sound of metal twisting, and feel the weight of responsibility crushing me. It was my actions that caused all this pain, and I don't know how to live with that."

With my mouth agape and eyes wide with dread, I stared at him in deep shock. My hands trembled uncontrollably, and my legs felt like jelly, barely able to support my weight. It was as if the ground beneath me was disappearing. I reached out and grabbed the corner of the bench, desperately trying to steady myself.

Daisy, came running over. She quickly put her arms around me, her grip firm yet comforting, and guided me to sit down on the bench, my breathing was shallow, and my heart raced, pounding loudly in my ears.

"We were too young, but I insisted on driving. I was only 14 at the time. Anton tried to stop me, but I wouldn't listen. We took the car, and everything seemed fine until I lost control. As we approached an intersection, my heart sank as I saw your parents crossing the road. I tried to stop, but it was too late. The car skidded, and the next thing I knew, the accident had happened."

I shut my eyes tightly, hoping the ache would fade, but it lingered too deep. I wanted the Earth to swallow me whole. I can't bear living anymore. This life feels unbearable to me.

"We just couldn't see them lying there, couldn't do anything, we were too afraid to face what had happened. Panic set in, and without thinking, we ran from the scene, abandoning the car. Anton took charge, swiftly arranging for me to leave the country to avoid any consequences. He went to great lengths, even changing my identity, to ensure no one could trace me back to the accident. It all happened so fast, and suddenly my life was completely different. Now I was going by the name Jake instead of James."

Daisy repeated the name, looking at me with a confused expressions.

"It was all my mistake. Anton is completely innocent. I am the one who deserves to be punished. Could you please forgive me?" His voice trembling.

I looked at his face, which was twisted with a deep mix of pain and guilt. His eyes were red and swollen from crying.

"Please, even though I know I will never forgive myself for the rest of my life, I still need your forgiveness. It might ease this crushing burden, even if just a little."

Daisy looked at me with pleading eyes, silently urging me to forgive him. I nodded slowly, though I didn't want to, only doing it for Daisy's sake. He burst into tears again.

"Thank....thank you so much," his voice breaking.

Daisy held Jake's hand,

"Let's go, we'll drop you at home."

And we all headed to the car.

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I was sitting on the couch, my mind still wandering to the accident. After hearing their conversation, I composed myself with great difficulty. But now, with this revelation, I felt shattered, I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to return to normal life. Everything seems unbearable. I came out of my trance as Daisy came and sat beside me.

"Don't you think there's something fishy?" she asked, breaking the silence.

I looked at her, confused. "About what?"

"Don't you remember James?" Daisy said.

Suddenly, something clicked in my mind. I turned to Daisy, my expression one of disbelief, as her words began to sink in.

"Why did I never think of this before."

"I've been thinking about it since last night," she replied, her voice steady but concerned.

"I already had doubts about him, but this new information is making everything clearer."

"Of course," she agreed, nodding in understanding.

"We need to investigate," I said, determination in my voice.

"You should go to the office, you might uncover something important, leaving the office is not a good idea."

"I'll think about it."

"Yeah, you should."

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As I got up in the morning, I was torn between whether I should go to the office or not. Daisy had insisted, before going to work, that I should go to the office, arguing that it was important to uncover any new information. I felt overwhelmed and confused about what to do.

Then, the bell rang. I glanced at the clock, it was only 7:30am, Maybe Daisy had forgotten something as she often did.

When I opened the door, I was startled to find Mr. Vinson standing there. His presence was unexpected.

As soon as I saw him, I instinctively tried to close the door, but he swiftly placed a foot between the door and the frame, his hand pressing firmly against the door frame.

"I guess you don't remember what I said to you," he said, his voice stern.

"I don't want to work there, and that's final," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Okay, let's see," he said, a hint of challenge in his tone.

Until then....