A Billionaire's Love

Chapter 19

Aki stood there trembling, her knees nearly buckling as she faced Trixie, whose eyes burned with hatred and sorrow. The room felt colder with every second, the silence between them thick and suffocating, punctuated only by the faint sound of these four corners, humming in the room. Aki's voice cracked as she struggled to speak through her sobs.

"I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to hurt your daughter, ma'am Trixie," Aki begged, desperation dripping from every word. Her heart pounded in her chest, her hands clutching together tightly as if holding herself together was the only thing stopping her from falling apart completely. "I swear to you, I never wanted anything like this to happen."

Trixie’s lips curled into a bitter sneer, her gaze unyielding as she stood tall, arms crossed tightly over her chest. The lines of her face, once softened by years of joy and maternal love, were now hardened with anger and grief. Her daughter Kaye was lying unconscious in a hospital bed, and the woman standing before her was the reason for it.

"Back then…" Aki began again, trying to find the right words to pierce through the wall of Trixie’s rage. "Back then, Kaye was one of my most beloved customers. I always wanted to give her the best service. I cared about her, I really did. The gown? I made it with everything I had. I spent hours on the details, every stitch, every bead… I did it all for her. That's how much I cared."

Aki’s voice wavered, her tears flowing freely now. She hated how pathetic she must have looked, standing there in front of Trixie, broken and small. But she couldn't stop herself. She had to make her understand. She had to make her see the truth.

"But the accident," Aki choked out, her breath hitching as the memory of that dreadful night came rushing back. "I never wanted that to happen. I never…"

Trixie’s voice cut through her like a knife, sharp and unforgiving. "You won’t change anything," she spat, her eyes narrowing into slits. "No matter how much you cry or beg, you can’t undo what’s been done."

The raw venom in Trixie’s tone sent a shiver down Aki’s spine. She felt the weight of her guilt bearing down on her like a thousand stones. No matter how many times she tried to explain, to apologize, it wouldn't be enough. Nothing would ever be enough.

"You think your tears can fix this?" Trixie hissed, stepping closer, her voice rising with fury. "Do you think your empty words will bring my daughter back to the way she was before? You ruined her life, Aki! You ruined everything! She trusted you, and you—"

Her words broke off, choked by her own grief. She was no longer just angry; she was devastated. The woman who had once been so proud of her daughter, who had beamed with joy as Kaye had walked into Aki's boutique for her wedding gown, was now reduced to this—an anguished mother standing over her daughter's shattered future.

"I..." Aki stammered, her voice faltering under Trixie’s piercing gaze. "I know I can’t undo the past. I know… nothing I say can change what happened. But please… I never wanted to hurt Kaye. Please, believe me."

Trixie’s hands clenched into fists at her sides, her knuckles white. She took another step forward, her face twisted with rage. "You think I care about your intentions!?" she screamed, her voice trembling with the force of her emotions. "Do you think I care that you didn't mean to do it? My daughter is lying in that hospital bed… because of you!"

Aki flinched, her body recoiling as if the weight of Trixie’s words had physically struck her. But before she could say another word, Trixie’s hand shot out, gripping her chin with surprising force.

"Look at me," Trixie demanded, her voice low and dangerous. Aki hesitated, her gaze fixed on the ground, too ashamed, too broken to meet Trixie’s eyes. But Trixie’s grip tightened painfully, and she yanked Aki’s face upward.

"I said look at me!"

Aki's tear-streaked eyes slowly lifted to meet Trixie’s, her heart hammering in her chest. The rage, the grief, the hatred in Trixie’s eyes was palpable, almost unbearable to witness. Aki felt her knees weaken, her whole body trembling under the weight of it. Then, in an instant, Trixie’s hand shot out again, this time with brutal force.

The slap echoed in the small room, a sharp crack that reverberated off the walls. Aki’s head snapped to the side, her cheek burning with pain. The force of the blow left her reeling, her vision swimming as fresh tears spilled from her eyes. She brought a hand to her face, feeling the sting, the heat of Trixie’s rage still imprinted on her skin. But she didn’t move. She didn’t fight back. She couldn’t. She deserved this, she thought. She deserved every ounce of pain Trixie wanted to inflict upon her.

"Do you feel that?" Trixie growled, her voice trembling with barely contained fury. "That’s nothing compared to the pain you caused my daughter. That’s nothing compared to what I feel every single day when I look at her lying there, motionless, broken. You took everything from her. From me."

Aki’s heart shattered at Trixie’s words. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. The weight of her guilt, her regret, was too much to bear. She wanted to fall to her knees and beg for forgiveness, to do anything to make this right, but she knew it was impossible.

"I’m sorry," Aki whispered, her voice barely audible through her sobs. "I’m so, so sorry."

Trixie’s eyes blazed with fury, but there was something else there too—something raw and painful, something even deeper than her anger. For a moment, her expression softened, just slightly, and Aki saw the grief that lay beneath the surface of her rage.

"You’re sorry," Trixie repeated, her voice thick with emotion. "But sorry doesn’t bring my daughter back."

Aki nodded, her tears falling silently now. She knew there was nothing left to say. No apology could ever be enough. No amount of tears could ever wash away the pain she had caused.

Trixie stared at her for a long moment, her chest heaving with the weight of her emotions. Then, without another word, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Aki standing there alone, her face wet with tears, her heart heavy with sorrow.

As Trixie disappeared down the hallway, Aki crumpled to the floor, her body wracked with sobs. She had lost everything—her reputation, her business, her sense of self—but nothing compared to the knowledge that she had destroyed someone else’s life in the process.

All she could do now was cry, her tears falling like rain, hoping that someday, somehow, she could find a way to forgive herself, even if Trixie never would.