Chapter 29 : Did I Say Anything Wrong?
Allison cried for several minutes. She let everything out. It was the first time she released all the emotions she had been holding back.
When she slowly started to calm down, Nova went to get her some water.
Allison sat on the couch. She looked around. The place was a small villa, and there was a garden on the terrace.
It was still raining outside. Under the glow of the ambient lights, Allison could see a large rose tree swaying in the wind and rain. It was the wrong season. There were no flowers. There were only a few dried, dark red buds still hanging on. They clung stubbornly to the branches.
Allison stared at them for a long time. She felt a deep, overwhelming pain of longing for her father.
Nova followed her eyes out the window. She asked, “Miss, does it look familiar?”
Allison snapped out of her thoughts. Nova was ten years older than her. That made her barely thirty now. She dressed simply. She dressed neatly.
Nova came from a poor background, but she was hardworking. Ten years ago, Violet had introduced her to the Rogers family as a housekeeper.
To Allison, Nova was more than just a playmate. She was family.
Nova had been married. Violet had told Allison that Nova’s husband had taken another wife in the countryside. Nova tried to fight it, but it was useless. Violet felt bad for her, so she let Nova look after the house.
Now, Nova lives alone in the villa. It was a comfortable arrangement.
Nova looked out the window and said, “Your father planted that rose tree himself. When Mr. Nigel dug it up, I saved a few branches. I replanted them. In three years, it’s grown this much.”
Allison felt her chest tighten. The only people left who still remembered her father were she and Nova.
Nova squatted in front of Allison. She squeezed Allison’s arm. Even through the fabric, she could feel how thin Allison was.
Nova’s eyes turned red instantly. Her voice cracked while she said, “Ms. Rogers, you’ve suffered… I hate that I was so useless. No one believed me back then. I was with you for so long. How could I not know if you had a mental illness or not?”
Allison laughed bitterly. Her own family didn’t believe her. So how could they believe Nova?
Nova gripped her hand tightly. She said through clenched teeth, “Ms. Rogers, you can’t lose. I’ve lived 30 years. I’ve finally figured out that no one is reliable. You can only rely on yourself. You have to work hard. Buy a big house like this. Leave the Rogers family. I’ll take care of you. I’ll stay with you. I’ll be your companion. The Rogers family is a den of jackals. If you can’t stand on your own, they’ll rip you apart. They’ll swallow you whole.”
Nova said it with gritted teeth again. Fear shook her voice slightly this time.
She was terrified Allison might never recover, but she couldn’t do anything to help her.
Allison squeezed Nova’s hand back as she said, “I’ll buy a big house in the future. We’ll live together.”
Hearing this, Nova suddenly thought of something. She was beaming, and she said, “I even saved something for you! When you were thrown in the psychiatric hospital, Sherrie rushed to throw your things out. I secretly kept some for you. They’re buried under the tree in the yard. Ms. Rogers, find a chance to dig them up. They might be useful for you in the future!”
Rain kept dripping outside the window. Allison and Nova had so much to say. It felt endless. But the sun would rise again. And people always had to part eventually.
No matter how much Allison hated that house, she still had to go back.
She knew Ronan would definitely tell Nigel she was gone last night. But instead of rushing back, she delayed her return until late at night. She did it boldly.
Nigel wasn’t supposed to be back for another six days. But the moment Allison got home, she felt suffocated. The air felt strange. Her stomach twisted. It almost flipped when she saw Nigel’s car parked in the driveway.
Nigel came back early? Was it because Ronan complained, and Nigel rushed back overnight? She thought to herself.
Allison knew Nigel’s temper. He was impulsive. He got angry fast. When he was mad, the smartest move was to stay out of his way.
She turned around immediately. She was planning to stay out for six or seven days. Maybe by then, Nigel’s anger would cool down.
“Allison.” It was Ronan’s voice.
Allison turned back. Ronan was walking toward her from the living room. Nigel wasn’t there. She didn’t see him.
Ronan stopped right in front of her. His eyes scanned over her, top to bottom. He was checking her for any strange marks. When he saw there was nothing suspicious, he felt relieved. The tension in his shoulders had disappeared.
He lowered his voice and said, “I didn’t tell your brother about what you did.”
Allison looked at him suspiciously. She didn’t trust the sudden shift.
Ronan said, “You used to take the blame for me. So I’m helping you this time.”
Ronan had never been an easy person.
When they were kids, every time he got into trouble, he always pushed Allison to cover for him.
A few years ago, Sherrie was hanging out with a group of gangsters. Ronan beat one of them up. That landed him in the police station. Ronan was worried about Sherrie’s reputation. So he made Allison say she was the one being harassed by those gangsters. It was like Allison’s reputation didn’t matter at all.
Allison didn’t react to Ronan’s attempt at goodwill. She just let out a short, “Mm.” Then she walked toward the house.
Ronan followed her. He said in an annoyed tone, “I helped you, and you’re still ignoring me?”
Allison halted her steps. She looked impatient and blurted out, “You’re Sherrie’s boyfriend now. Is it even appropriate for me to talk to you?”
Ronan grabbed her arm. “Stop using that as an excuse. If you were really that loyal, would you have thrown yourself at Jareth?”
Allison raised an eyebrow. She looked at him coldly.
Ronan lifted his chin, confident. He said, “Did I say anything wrong? Flies only swarm to filth. You and him? You’re both rotten.”