My Love Burns for Anyone Worth It novel Chapter 24

24 /24

**TITLE: Vows Became Blame by Mark Twain**

**Chapter 24**

The situation had escalated to such an extent that it caught the attention of the authorities, igniting a full-scale investigation that sent everything spiraling into chaos. The once-revered Gale and Lowe families, who had lived in the shadows of privilege, suddenly found themselves exposed, their every misdeed laid bare for the world to see.

Collusion with officials, rampant bribery—every officer implicated in their web of deceit was swiftly purged from their positions. The fallout was catastrophic, and the foundations of their lives crumbled beneath them like a house of cards.

In the midst of this turmoil, Bella found herself face to face with Sebastian and Ronald once more. The confident, untouchable men she had once known were now mere shadows of their former selves. Their unshaven faces, gaunt from sleepless nights and worry, told her everything she needed to know about their suffering.

As their eyes met, she could see a mixture of regret and confusion swirling within them, their voices laden with defeat. “Do you hate us that much?” they asked, their tone almost pleading.

Beneath that simple question lay a deeper, desperate thought: “Do you despise us enough to discard the fifteen years of friendship we shared and leave us cornered like rats?”

Bella couldn’t help but find their inquiry somewhat absurd. “Shouldn’t I hate you?” she replied sharply, her voice steady despite the storm of emotions within her. “And please, don’t bring up those fifteen years of friendship. Weren’t you the ones who threw it away first?”

When they had used her as a pawn to appease Tessa, those fifteen years were never mentioned. Not when they coerced her into dropping her case against Tessa, nor when they ensured that every police station in Utopia turned a blind eye to her plight. And certainly not when they stole her design, handed it over to Tessa, and then returned the pendant she had pleaded for. At that time, those fifteen years meant nothing to them.

Now, however, when the consequences of their actions finally bore down upon them, they clung to the memory of that friendship as if it were a lifeline.

“Sorry, Bella,” Sebastian murmured, his eyes filled with sorrow. Both men realized, perhaps for the first time, that reconciliation was a distant dream, their attempts at making amends nothing more than wishful thinking.