Intoxicated (Stardew Valley)

Chapter Nineteen

SHANE DIDN'T REALIZE he was shaking after reading the contents of the parcel the little junimo had given him.

Was this feeling out of fury for what this woman had done to him? She had lied to him about her past, deceived him until he had truly believed she cared about him, had hurt the people he loved, and worst of all—had torn his whole life apart at the city. She was the reason why he had lost his family and his sanity. He became the person he was today because of her.

Shane hated Mae, he was sure of that. He didn't want to look at her nor waste his energy even thinking about her.

And to think that she was simply running away from her problems once again, to forget everything at the city? This made Shane furious. It was a coward's way out.

If only he had thought of it sooner.

"Uncle Shane... what is that?" a little and curious voice asked behind him.

Shane jumped at the voice, surprised that his god-daughter was able to sneak up on a grown man like him. She looked at him with her puppy eyes, smiling despite the traumatic moment she experienced at the festival. He sighed in relief, noticing how the burn marks were fading from her face.

For a moment, seeing Jas had made Shane slightly more calm, relaxing him from his rage. Shane had never told anyone this, but he saw Jas as his actual daughter. Ever since Loraine and his unborn child had died, he felt as if he could no longer find hope again. But having Jas in his life changed that.

"...Shane?" she asked again, her small voice curious and concerned. "Is it from Ms. Mae? Will she visit soon?"

Shane shook his head, lost in thought. He looked at the parcel once again, suddenly remembering it. He debated whether or not to reveal its sender, knowing that Jas had always asked where Mae had gone or why the farmer wasn't visiting her when she was in the clinic. He didn't want to reveal the truth.

"Yes... it is," he finally breathed out. "It's from her." He could never lie to her, no matter the consequences.

"What does it say?" Jas asked, inching closer to glance at the letter. Shane quickly hid it behind him, not wanting her to know the real reason why Mae was gone.

"She's gone, just left, and she's never coming back," Shane said flatly, blunt and straight to the point. After Mae harming Jas, he never wanted her to associate with her ever again. He wanted her gone from his god-daughter's and his life. "She doesn't care about you, Jas."

Sadness immediately etched onto Jas's face as soon as she heard those words. She was young, but she was able to understand what Shane meant. He didn't want to do this, but he wanted her to know that Mae was a horrible person. As much as it hurt Shane to see Jas like his, it was for the best.

"That's it... she just left?" Shane nodded. "She's not coming back?" Tears welled up in her eyes and soon she was crying.

"Jas..." Shane started, trying to wrap his arms around her. Jas simply pushed him away and ran off into her room, sobbing as she did.

Shane sighed and sat down on the dining table chair, reading the letter once again. He found himself gripping onto the paper hard and analyzing every word as if to decipher its meaning and Mae's intentions. He was shaking again.

Why did he feel this way? Shouldn't he be happy that this woman was gone from his life?

But after a while, Shane realized that he wasn't shaking because of the fact he was furious at her for leaving, it was because he was scared at the thought of her leaving. She turned his life around for the best and the worst. She made him who he was, but changed him for the better. He hated himself for thinking like that.