What Separates Me and You novel Chapter 516

Lewis seemed too ashen. Josephine didn't think she would see his once decisive, firm composure shatter like this.

"Don't, Josie." His voice had grown hoarse, so Josephine couldn't fully understand what he had muttered. Still, she could sense a pleading tone in his voice.

Josephine winced then. She didn't know if it was because of the pain from her wound or the aching in her heart. She only felt an increasing burning in her chest. Josephine suppressed it before speaking weakly. "Lewis, I'm tired. I am. Can you please let me go?"

The rim of Lewis' eyes had reddened as he fixated on her.

They stared each other down in utter silence. As they did so, the seconds and minutes ticked by. It took a long while before Lewis forced himself to say, "Fine. You can leave. I'll let you go after you recover—but you must stay alive. You can go anywhere your heart desires, okay?"

Tears fell from the corners of Josephine's eyes. She felt the sudden urge to laugh. Yet, she only managed a bitter smile.

"Where else can I go? Where do you think I can go, Lewis? I don't even have a home anymore. Where do you expect me to go with these burdens and sorrows of mine?"

Lewis still held her hand. His head lowered, and he didn't know what to say or do apart from interlocking his fingers with hers.

He battled his inner demons before forcing himself to ask, "What will it take for you to live? What do you want me to do?"

He didn't even want her forgiveness. He just wanted her to stay alive.

That was his first time begging in 30 years of his life. Ironically, he was pleading for her to live.

Josephine shook her head. "Do you even know how I feel now? I swear I—"

She could only finish her sentence in her head, thinking, "I swear I can't go on anymore."

Staying alive would torment her conscience with guilt and remind her of her sins. She had caused the death of her last relative in the world with her bare hands. Seth was merely trying to avenge the Vance family, yet she killed him.

The scariest part? Josephine couldn't bring herself to kill Lewis. Apart from dying, she couldn't think of another way to atone for her sins.

"Josie …"

Josephine broke her hand free from his grasp. She then whipped her head toward the window and looked at the gloomy skies outside. "It would have been great if you had treated me this nicely when we were children, Lewis. At the very least, we wouldn't suffer now."

Lewis closed his eyes, placed his palm over his forehead, and inhaled deeply. "Must you force me to take extreme measures?"

The former's threat no longer made Josephine's heart race in fear. She replied, "What's the use of saying this? Will that revive Alex? Huh? Will it bring my two children back to life?"

"T-The children …" Lewis struggled to get the words out. His emotions were unreadable.

"My babies … both of them—you didn't give two shits about them! You knew yet pretended not to know. So, why can't you continue to act clueless about it now?"

"Josephine, it's not that I don't give two shits about them. It's because I'm afraid to mention them."

Lewis lifted his head to cast a penetrative stare at her.

Then, he continued, "It was already too late when I guessed what had happened. I was afraid of asking about the babies. I was afraid of finding out and not knowing how to handle things and what to do. I—"

Lewis thought of many excuses, yet he could only say, "I deserve to die."

He abruptly held Josephine's hand again. "Please? How about I end my life in exchange for you to live?"

Josephine turned to look at him.

A smile spread across Lewis' face. He tried hard to prove his sincerity.

"Lewis," she said.

"Yes?" he answered.

Josephine struggled to raise her injured hand. She then placed it atop Lewis' hand while fixing her gaze on him. "Promise me one thing. Do it, and I'll forgive you, okay?"

Lewis froze, then asked, "What is it?"