Chapter 185 My Wish is Fulfilled

Chapter 185 My Wish is Fulfilled
Jane's POV

My heart felt like something was viciously tearing at it—half filled with unresolved resentment. So Mother really had cheated.

The "lighthouse" I'd guarded for half my life, the gentle image I'd held as sacred, had finally shattered.

But the other half was consumed by overwhelming heartache—for Luke's lifetime of displacement, for him dragging his broken body through darkness alone, and especially for Aaron, that brother I'd never met, so kind yet forced to bear two generations' worth of grudges, ultimately ending it all with his life.

How could I hate someone so pure yet tragic? Besides, back then it was Mother who chose to go to Luke, who chose that love that defied convention. They were all gone now—perhaps those questions of right and wrong should fade with their passing.

But I couldn't completely let go. Those nights of Father's harsh criticism and cold treatment, that bone-deep pain from abuse, those nights curled up alone in corners crying—they were like countless needles embedded in my heart, impossible to remove.

Those painful memories were too vivid; when I closed my eyes, I could still clearly recall that helplessness and fear.

Mother, oh Mother. The love you fought so hard to protect, the regrets you spent a lifetime trying to make up for—in the end, didn't it all collapse anyway? Luke was gone, Aaron was gone, everything you held onto with half a lifetime of obsession ultimately became nothing. The suffering of my first half of life stemmed almost entirely from your choices. To say I don't resent it would be a lie—a complete lie.

Yet I understood you. I understood your despair when you lost Luke, your reluctance to let go of your broken lover, your obsession with giving your beloved a home. This understanding was like a soft shell wrapping around sharp hatred, leaving me unable to completely forgive yet unable to truly hate.

Emotions churned inside me—resentment and pain, hate and pity, all tangled together, impossible to cut through or sort out. Only tears flowed silently, soaking my clothes and that heavy, complicated past.

Jacob gazed out at the heavy dusk, the sunset's afterglow casting a faint halo on his aged face, but his eyes held the relief of someone who'd spent half a lifetime carrying weight, as if finally setting down a thousand-pound burden.

He spoke softly, his voice calm as still deep water. "Well then, let's end it here today. Take good care of yourself—eat properly, stay away from late nights and cherish every warm moment ahead."

My heart felt heavy and blocked, but I didn't know what to say. I could only nod silently, letting David take my hand as we slowly walked out of this villa that held too many secrets and sorrows.

But just a few steps past the front door, a strong premonition shot through my body like electricity, my heart clenching suddenly, panic making me almost unable to breathe—Jacob's expression, his calm tone, those words "end it here"—they all carried an ominous finality. He seemed like he was going to... do something foolish!

"Something's wrong—an overwhelming sense of dread hit me!" I stopped abruptly, my voice cracking with panic as I grabbed David's hand and ran back. "We have to go back right now! Hurry, before it's too late!"

Though David didn't understand, he immediately followed my lead. The moment we pushed open the door, the scene before us made my blood freeze—Jacob stood in the center of the living room, gripping a gleaming fruit knife, blade pointing down, reflecting his hollow gaze.

"What are you doing!" I screamed, stumbling forward, my voice full of uncontrollable trembling and panic. "Put the knife down!"

Jacob slowly looked up at me, showing no surprise, as if he'd expected me to return. Instead, he smiled gently, that expression shallow and peaceful, without a trace of sadness, only the relief of settled dust. "I think my mission is finally complete."

"No—!" Those words struck my heart like thunder, intense panic instantly seizing me, nearly suffocating me.

I instinctively lunged forward half a step, tears uncontrollably flooding my eyes and streaming down my cheeks, my voice breaking as I pleaded over and over. "Don't think like that! Human life is so precious—how can you just give up so casually! I don't want this for you, I really don't! Please, put the knife down right away!"

I stared fixedly at the knife in his hand, then at his wrinkled face—those eyes held no attachment, only the emptiness of someone who'd seen through everything.

He'd already lost too much: his devoted wife, his son who'd died in depression after his disability, his grandson who'd died seeking revenge. In this world, he'd long been utterly alone. But I couldn't let him end everything in such a tragic way.

Jacob gently shook his head, his smile still warm, his voice light as a sigh in the wind. "Jane, you're a kind person."

He paused, his gaze drifting to the gradually darkening night sky outside, as if looking back on those long, bitter years, those obsessions and attachments that had kept him alive. "But I have my own path to walk. All these years, I've held onto one breath to live until now, just to tell you the whole truth, to give Luke, Aaron, and my beloved a complete accounting. Now that my wish is fulfilled, I have no more desires left in this world."

I cried out, "Don't—"