Chapter 15: Regretful Soul
1332 Words
"Hurry up, Vince. Tell me everything you want to say because I have no intention of staying here any longer."
Every word that left Jade's lips was heavy with resentment. She didn't even want to look at the man standing before her.
How many years had passed since she had last been with Vince in this place?
A quiet and secluded place where it once felt as though only the two of them existed in their own little world.
They used to meet here often, hiding from the judgmental eyes of other people. They dreamed that someday the right time would come when their love would finally be accepted by everyone.
But that was then...
Back when they were still in love.
Their relationship had lasted five years, and the truth was, Jade had genuinely loved Vince. She had believed his promises. She had believed that the man truly loved her.
If she could turn back the clock and reclaim all the time she had wasted on him, perhaps she would have preferred that their paths had never crossed.
He had only given her false hope, played with her feelings, and then abandoned her for Monica.
Jade's eyes drifted toward the large narra tree nearby.
She slowly walked toward it.
Their names were still there.
Carved into the tree.
In an instant, Jade's eyes grew misty.
That tree had witnessed every promise Vince had ever made to her.
Vince clenched his fists.
For the first time, he felt ashamed of himself.
He couldn't blame Jade for feeling this way about him. He had truly made mistakes, and the truth was that it had taken him far too long to realize that Jade was the woman who could truly make him happy.
He had blinded himself to the truth.
He thought wealth was what he needed in life.
He believed that his family's reputation, power, and fortune would bring him happiness.
So that was why, no matter what Monica did, something always felt missing...
What had he done?
He had allowed Jade to drown in sadness.
Why had he been such a coward?
Why had he chosen his family's wealth instead of fighting for Jade?
Jade shook her head slightly.
Her eyes remained fixed on their names carved into the tree.
Eventually, she sat down on the grass, where she could freely see the town below from the top of the hill where they stood.
The view from the hill was still beautiful.
Nothing had changed—
except what was inside her heart for the man standing beside her.
"I'm sorry, Jade. I'm sorry for leaving you and breaking your heart. I'm sorry... I was too much of a coward to fight for our love," Vince finally said, gathering the courage to speak.
Jade clenched her fists.
"There's no point in asking for my forgiveness now, Vince."
Every word that escaped her lips was filled with bitterness.
Two years had passed since Jade had left this place.
Vince had thought that when she disappeared, her love for him had disappeared as well.
He had realized too late that Jade was his happiness—and that he would never truly be happy with Monica.
"Do you have anything else to say, Vince? If not, I'm leaving."
Jade slowly stood and coldly looked into Vince's eyes.
Vince swallowed hard.
The woman standing before him was nothing like the woman who had once loved him.
"Jade... I just realized something."
He took a shaky breath.
"I still love you. Do you still love me?"
Jade's jaw tightened.
Instead of answering, she slapped him hard across the face.
The sharp sound of her palm echoed through the open air.
"What do you think, Vince? If you were in my position, could you still love someone like you? You left me! You left without saying goodbye—without giving me a single explanation about what I had done wrong! You have no idea what happened to me after you abandoned me, Vince!"
Vince's eyes became restless.
His chest rose and fell rapidly, overwhelmed by emotion.
He quickly stepped toward Jade and pulled her into his arms.
It was a desperate embrace filled with fear.
"Baby... forgive me. I didn't realize how much it would hurt to see you with another man. Every day, I feel like I'm dying, Jade. I can't take it anymore. Believe me... I don't care about Hacienda Villareal anymore. I'll give everything to Primo. I'll talk to Mama and Papa, and even our family's lawyer. I don't want anything anymore except to love you. Let's go back to the way we were!"
"When did you realize all of that, Vince? Only now? It hasn't even been a month since I arrived at your mansion, and you're already acting this way? I was gone from this town for two years, yet you never even looked for me! Don't deceive me, Vince! You will never fool me again!"
Jade forcefully removed his arms from around her.
Vince had no choice but to fall to his knees before her, tears streaming down his face.
"Vince... I was at the church on your wedding day, and you didn't look like this then."
Her voice trembled with pain.
"You were happy as you stood before the altar, promising Monica your love and faithfulness. So get up and stop crying. This isn't becoming of a man like you."
"Jade... Jade, please! I love you! I made a mistake... I'll make it up to you. Please! Leave my uncle and come with me, just like we planned before. We'll get away from all of them and start a new life together."
"Too bad, Vince."
Jade's voice was soft but firm.
"You should have said all of that to me back then. You're too late, Vince."
Suddenly, heavy rain began pouring from the sky, as though nature itself had joined in the grief consuming Jade's heart.
Jade turned her back on him.
She had made up her mind to leave Vince behind.
Her heart was still filled with anger and resentment, and no amount of pleading or begging from him could change what she felt.
Vince quickly ran after her, desperate to stop his former lover.
He was hopeless.
Only now did he realize how cold Jade's eyes had become whenever she looked at him.
"Jade, don't destroy yourself just to get revenge on me. You'll only end up getting hurt because of Primo. He doesn't love you, Jade. He's only using you, just as you're using him. Please, forgive me. You and I are the ones who truly love each other."
It felt as though a powerful fist had closed around Jade's throat.
The scene she had witnessed inside the church suddenly came rushing back into her mind.
Two people standing happily before the altar.
Everyone applauding.
Everyone celebrating Vince and Monica's marriage.
While she had been there like a broken woman—
crying...
hoping...
praying that, at the last moment, Vince would still choose her.
Jade suddenly turned toward him.
Her expression was dark.
The tears she had been holding back finally escaped, streaming down her cheeks and mixing with the rain.
Even the weather seemed to be mourning with her.
"Fine..."
Her voice trembled.
"I'll come back to you, Vince."
Vince's eyes widened with hope.
"But there's one condition."
"Okay... yes. Whatever it is. I'll do it, Jade! Just come back to me!"
Jade stared straight into his eyes.
"Bring my child back to life, and maybe—just maybe—I might accept you again!"
Her voice broke as the tears continued to fall.
"I was pregnant when you left me, Vince—and you were the father of that child! You were the reason I lost our baby. Because of your selfishness, I lost my mother, too!"
She clenched her fists as years of pain finally erupted from within her.
"Bring both of them back to life, Vince. That's the only way I can ever forgive you!"
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