Chapter 944

“That’s why you stopped me when my mother’s apartment was on fire, isn’t it?”

Lindsey asked softly, recalling that incident.

Feeling a tightening in his chest, Domenic nodded slightly and said, “That fire reminded me of the day of that car accident, of the moment my parents died.

I couldn’t bear the thought of you meeting the same fate.

”

Suddenly, Lindsey understood.

Domenic had been carrying this heavy burden all along, which was why he had stopped her back then and why he hadn’t followed her into the flames.

He must have been wrestling with immense psychological barriers, an insurmountable wall of fear and trauma.

“Have you ever pondered that…” Lindsey lifted her gaze and looked into Domenic’s deep eyes, speaking softly.

“Maybe your father didn’t abandon you.

Perhaps he believed there was still hope, that he didn’t want you to lose your mom.

He just… wanted to protect you both.

That’s why he rushed over regardless.

Just as I did that day, I will persevere, clinging to even the faintest glimmer of hope for my dearest family.

”

Her words made Domenic pause abruptly.

He had never considered it from that perspective before.

At the time, everyone had been warning them to stay away from the car, fearing it was about to explode and to wait for rescue.

Later, it became the consensus that his father had made the ultimate sacrifice out of love, forsaking himself and leaving Domenic behind.

Until now, he had steadfastly held onto that belief.

Reflecting on that moment now, he recalled how he had been engulfed in tears and cries for his mother.

As his father made that decisive choice and glanced back at him, he noticed his father’s lips moving, as if he had uttered something.

Yet, amidst his own loud sobs, he hadn’t caught a single word.

His father’s exact words remain a mystery, lost in the chaos of that harrowing moment.

A sharp, piercing pain lanced through Domenic’s head as though it were on the verge of exploding.

“I don’t know I truly don’t know… ” Domenic clutched the railing tightly, feeling Lindsey’s words churning his typically composed and steady heart.

It made heart ache, leaving him bewildered and adrift.

“What unfolded afterward?” Aware that the tale of Domenic’s past had only just commenced, Lindsey inquired with genuine curiosity.

Struggling to regain composure, Domenic spoke deliberately.

“Following my grandpa’s discovery of the car accident and the death of my parents, he was devastated and fell gravely ill.

I remained by my parents’ tombstones, where their remains were meticulously recovered from the wreckage by forensic experts.

However, during my grandpa’s illness, I was deceived by my uncles and confined to the basement for a grueling ten days.

My aunt was also present during the time I was locked up.

”

“Your aunt? Wasn’t she exceptionally kind to you? Why didn’t she come to your rescue?” Lindsey asked, her voice laced with disbelief.

Lindsey had heard Domenic mention it before, but still found it unbelievable.

A N G E L A ‘s L I B R A R Y

How cold-blooded his uncles were to plot their nephew’s murder, and in such a ruthless way? Knowing Rachel was there only deepened Lindsey’s confusion.

“She did that for her husband,” Domenic said, a touch of self-mockery in his voice.

“At that time, I heard my uncle Rupert threaten her.

He said if she dared to reveal it or help me, he’d crush Brady Lawson’s company.

Back then, Brady hadn’t taken over the Lawson Group yet, but his own company was flourishing thanks to the Walsh Group.

Uncle Rupert was the most powerful figure in the Walsh Group at the time; During my grandpa’s illness, he had all the authority to effortlessly crush Brady.

”

“So, for her husband, she… gave up on you?” Lindsey’s heart ached as the words left her lips.

Domenic offered a bitter smile.

“Yes, I’m always the one left behind.

My dad chose my mom, my aunt chose her husband, and you…” He trailed off, his gaze fixed on the moonlit distance.

“You chose Sumner, didn’t you?”

“I…” Lindsey wanted to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come.

She didn’t fully trust Domenic yet.

Domenic didn’t press the issue.

He simply stared at the moonlight and spoke softly.

“She left, and didn’t return for a long time.

I don’t hate her.

I understand and respect her decision, but… a rift once formed is hard to mend.

Since then, all I could offer her was the bare minimum of respect.

”

“You said the girl next door found and saved you,” Lindsey said softly.

Domenic nodded.

“Yes, that girl was Carole.

”