Gone Quiet, Gone Love novel Chapter 16

A deafening buzz exploded in Nester's head, as if something had detonated inside him.

The words "accelerant" and "Della's room" reminded him of the night when Della said she was scared and asked to stay over.

Sabrina had said, "The guest room's at the very end of the first floor. The sheets and bedding are clean. Stay if you want."

She had been so calm and indifferent, so he had even thought that she had finally changed to become more understanding.

Now, he realized that she wasn't being understanding. That was a dead heart, the deepest sorrow and despair beyond grief.

"There's more…" Reid continued in a lower voice. "About the balcony incident, we spoke to some of the waiters who were present. Someone said they saw Ms. Green approach Ms. Frye first, then suddenly reach out and push her…

"When Ms. Frye fell, she grabbed Ms. Green's wrist, but let go almost immediately…

"Later, Ms. Green told you that Ms. Frye tried to drag her down with her, but based on multiple accounts of people at the scene, the stories don't line up."

Nester could no longer listen to a single word Reid said after that. He stood on a foreign street, clutching his phone as his ears rang and his vision darkened in waves.

The truth seemed almost like the cruelest blade flaying him alive.

It turned out that Della—whom he had protected with everything and believed was genuine, kind, and just a little willful—was venomous.

As for Sabrina—someone he had despised, ignored, hurt, and shoved into hell—she was a treasure he should have guarded with his life.

He wasn't just blind, but he was also stupid and cruel.

Now that he was finally awakened and knew the truth, it was far too late. He had lost Sabrina, who once loved him with her whole heart.

Nester ended the call and stood rooted to the spot like a statue stripped of its soul. The wind howled down the street and snapped his thin coat against his body, but he couldn't feel the cold at all.

All he could feel was the emptiness in his chest widening. The icy wind poured into it, freezing his bones until it hurt.

He had no idea how long he had been standing until he finally moved.

Leaning on his crutches, he limped step by step in the direction of Sabrina's apartment. Every step felt like walking on knives.

By the time he finally made it to the apartment building, night had fallen. The streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow and stretched his shadow long and lonely across the pavement.

He stopped on the path she had to take to enter the building and lowered his head to stare at the cold pavement for a very long time. Then, he released the crutches.

They clattered to the side with a dull thud. Slowly, he bent over and got on his knees.

When his knees hit the icy, hard ground, his whole body shuddered. An arrogant man who was once so accustomed to controlling everything now kneeled on the cold, unfamiliar pavement of a foreign land.

"Nester, your remorse means nothing to me. Your presence only reminds me of how foolish and humiliating my past was. If you truly feel sorry…"

She paused, then enunciated each word clearly, "Then please disappear from my life. That is the best atonement you can ever offer."

Nester jolted violently. His pupils shrank as if he had just heard the most horrifying sentence.

He shook his head as tears dripped in large drops. "No… Sab, I—"

"Also," she cut him off. "Thank you for finally uncovering the truth. Though it's too late, at least now I know that my five-year marriage and unborn child weren't a complete joke."

With that, she turned away without hesitation and scanned her access card. After pushing the door, she stepped inside.

The door closed in front of Nester with a bang and completely shut him out of her world.

Nester remained kneeling on the cold ground, staring at the tightly shut door. His gaze then shifted to the elevator numbers, which lit up and ascended before finally stopping at her floor.

Then the numbers went dark, and everything fell silent.

Sabrina didn't want his love, his remorse, his compensation, or even his life. She only wanted him gone.