Max had asked the heavens countless times in his heart why that car accident had not taken his life outright and why it had not let him die alongside his wife.
He even wondered why it had not left him deaf and blind instead of forcing him to live with such a brutal truth.
Max remained trapped in his own torment, his whole being wrapped in unbearable grief and rage.
Elijah’s hand shook as he held his glass of water. The ripples trembled on the surface, reflecting the raw fury in his eyes, as if a volcano were about to erupt.
At last, he could no longer bear the agony pressing down on him. With a sharp motion, he flung the glass to the ground. The sudden shattering rang out, piercing through the heavy silence like a blade tearing open the air.
Elijah’s voice cracked with anger as he shouted, “You know the truth now! So, what else is there to say, huh?” The sound was thick with sorrow and frustration, as if he had nowhere else to pour the storm inside him.
Kayla, hit with a flood of revelations, felt as if her mind were tangled in countless threads, tight and chaotic, ready to split
apart.
Still, she forced herself to stay calm, sifting rapidly through the tangled events. She realized everything seemed even more complicated than she had imagined.
Kayla’s instincts caught on to something that felt off, and suspicion flickered in her eyes. “Mr. Carter, are you saying you saw my mom with your own eyes?”
Her voice wavered with uncertainty as she spoke. She kept her gaze fixed on Max’s weathered eyes, searching them for an
answer.
Kayla went on. “Yet your face was covered in blood, and one of your eyes was injured. Are you sure what you saw was really my mom? Did you truly see clearly?”
Even with Max’s firm conviction, doubt lingered in her stare. She could not accept so easily what was being presented as the truth.
Living a second life had taught Kayla more than just the clarity of her revenge. She had come to understand a deeper truth. What one saw was not always real, and what one heard was not always true.
Memories crashed over her like a tidal wave–all those times Marianna had set her up, trashed her reputation, and made her look like the villain. Over and over again, like clockwork.
Everyone had believed Marianna’s lies, convinced she was the innocent victim, while Kayla had been painted as the bully.
But Kayla knew the truth. It had all been a facade, carefully crafted illusions meant to blind everyone to Marianna’s deception.
Kayla pondered, ‘Besides, if Mom was really behind it, she would’ve said something. She wouldn’t have let me come looking for Max on my own. It doesn’t make sense. I still think there’s something fishy going on.
Max fell silent for a moment before nodding gravely, his expression burdened with unspoken feelings. “It was already dark out back then. She had a hat pulled low, and her face was hidden in the shade of the brim. I couldn’t see her properly.”
His voice faltered as he went on, uncertainty creeping in. “But her figure, her clothes, and her voice… They were exactly like
hers. How could I… mistake that?”
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7:58 pm
Chapter 98
50 voucher
Kayla’s eyes lit up, instantly catching on to the detail. “She wore a hat? You’re saying you never actually saw her face?” There was a spark of hope and urgency in her tone.
Max wavered but eventually gave a slight nod.
Kayla’s heart lifted, as if a sliver of light had broken through the gloom. “That means it’s very possible that the woman wasn’t my mom, right?”
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