Chatper 124

Chapter 124 Staring blankly at Jason for what felt like an eternity. Estrella finally blinked back tears and offered him a cold, hollow smile.

“Jason, we’re square,’ she said, her voice tinged with a frosty edge.

All the fights she’d stood by him in, the homework she’d done for him, everything... It had all come crashing down with that one slap After she spoke, she brushed past Jason, leaving him behind as tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. Nineteen years of knowing him, and this was the culmination. She had to watch him be with someone else and feel the sting of his hand across her face.

Estrella was never one to start trouble or throw around harsh words. She was always more inclined to talk things out and negotiate. But sometimes, we must admit, our circumstances and those around us drive us to the brink of madness.

People push you to say things you’d never want to say and do things you never thought you’d do, to the point where you might not even recognize yourself in the mirror or feel like you’re on the verge of breaking.

If Jason hadn’t shoved her that day, if he hadn’t grabbed her face so harshly and interrogated her with such icy detachment, she wouldn’t have exploded in anger and said those things.

If he hadn’t come to her and had that fight, if she hadn’t felt the burn of his slap...

But life is devoid of ‘ifs,’ and what’s done is done.

Sometimes, all we need is a hug and a few understanding words, and everything could be different.

Overwhelmed by memories, Estrella gazed out at the moon and touched her cheek, still feeling the heat of the slap. So much so that the memory of it still felt hot and painful, as did the memory of her back hitting the rails. She knew she could never get close to Jason again after that.

Unbeknownst to her, disaster struck when Holly was caught in a terrible fire and didn’t make it through the surgery. She certainly didn’t expect the soothsayers to come out of the woodwork with their ominous predictions, nor did she anticipate that his family would come knocking for a marriage proposal, and least of all, Jason would agree to it.

Looking back, she thought maybe he agreed to the marriage to torture them both, to ensure neither could swallow their pride.

Eventually, buckling under her parents’ pressure, she agreed to the marriage. She had thought that maybe with a little effort, or if they both tried just a bit harder, they could get through life, turning a blind eye to their problems. But Jason wasn’t on the same page. He 1/3 08:52 Chapter 124 seemed to revel in making her miserable.

Recently, however, he seemed to have had a change of heart and was coming home more often. Perhaps the Nelson family had exerted dome pressure, as he’d said himself – a divorce would benefit neither of their families.

Estrella sighed deeply and withdrew her gaze from the window, looking down at the diamond ring on her finger. She tried to remove it but couldn’t. After a few attempts, she gave up.

Turning her attention to the master bedroom, she realized she and Jason were the epitome of being in the same bed with different dreams.

She gathered her clothes around her and was about to head back to her room when the door to the study suddenly opened.

Jason appeared.

With a smile, Estrella greeted him, “You’re up too?”

Jason, noticing her bare feet, asked, “Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”

Estrella glanced at the rack with a couple of spare slippers and slipped a pair on.

Jason walked over, and Estrella turned back to the window, murmuring, “Couldn’t sleep.”

He stood beside her, glanced out the window, then back at her, noticing the reddish mark around her ring finger. He knew without asking that she had tried to remove the ring but hadn’t succeeded.

Estrella caught his gaze on her hand and offered a light-hearted explanation, “I’ve gained weight. It doesn’t fit as well.”

Jason remained silent, not sharing that he had designed the ring to be easy to put on but hard to take off. He understood that despite Estrella’s outward composure, she was deeply affected by the past, especially the slap. Some things, once done, cannot be undone. They leave scars and create distance.

As they argued more over time, Estrella’s heart grew numb, but nothing compared to the pain of that first slap. Her patience and affection seemed to have been eroded by the constant back-and-forth, the relentless arguments.

After a long silence, Jason asked, “Something on your mind?”

Estrella forced a smile, “Just an old dream. Feels like it happened in another lifetime.” But the hurdle remained unjumpable.

Jason probably guessed what the dream had been about. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come to the study alone.

The silence resumed, and Estrella, looking at the moon, said bluntly, “That shove of yours 2/3 08:52 m hurt like hell. I ended up with internal bleeding.

Jason’s heart skipped a beat, realizing the severity of his past actions.

Without another word, Estrella turned to him and said, I’m going to bed.”

That night, Estrella had wanted to talk to Jason about their future, but the dream made her reconsider. Whether they could make it to the end or what sort of relationship they’d have didn’t seem to matter anymore.

Every day, so many couples divorce. It wouldn’t be strange if they didn’t make it. There were countless couples who stayed together, but how many didn’t fight or harbor resentment? How many weren’t living separate lives under one roof?

At that moment, Estrella understood she was just another person in the vast sea of humanity. Her life was subject to the same strife and entanglements as everyone else’s.

As she approached her twenty-fourth birthday, Estrella saw many things more clearly and of her need for control. Love and marriage were all the same in the end.

let go Jason spun around and grabbed her hand. Estrella’s fingers were icy to the touch, the chill seeming to emanate from her very bones.

Their eyes locked, and Jason tried to speak, to say something to Estrella, but the words faltered on his lips. With Holly gone, explanations seemed meaningless.

་

The silence lingered until Estrella sneezed, prompting Jason to finally let go of her hand.

Estrella chuckled, “Aren’t you going to bed?”

Jason replied simply, “Yeah.”

Once they returned to the bedroom and lay down, Jason instinctively pulled Estrella into an embrace. She didn’t resist. Instead, she snuggled closer to him, seeking the warmth from his body.

Life, it seemed, was all about the performance After a quiet interlude, Jason finally broke the silence. He said softly, “Estrella, I’m sorry. No matter what, I shouldn’t have pushed you. I shouldn’t have slapped you.”