Sheila laughed at herself, her voice trembling with mixed emotions. “If you think of me as a friend, why did you hurt Jayden? Why did you kidnap me? What’s the point of it all?”
Dustin was momentarily speechless. He had mentioned his involvement in the fight with Jayden earlier. Still, Sheila didn’t believe him.
She had already decided, and it seemed pointless to explain. Trust faded once suspicion took hold, which he had come to accept.
“Why are you so quiet? Are you admitting you did it?” Sheila’s voice quivered with disappointment. “It seems my dad was right about you. Your past actions were just an act to gain our favor.”
She continued, “I thought you were different and special. You’re not like those who care only about power. But now I see I was mistaken.
“You’re like those who pretended to be close to me but were better at hiding your true intentions. You fooled me, made me doubt myself, and almost caused problems in my family.”
“Dustin! I hate you!” Sheila shouted and began to cry. She had genuinely trusted him, believing she had found real affection, only to be deceived. She couldn’t figure out what she had done wrong.
Confronted with Sheila’s accusations, Dustin shook his head and laughed bitterly. He knew Sheila had made her choice. She had chosen her family. It made sense, so he had no reason to be upset with her decision.
“Ms. Murray, I’m sorry for letting you down. You’re right; I’m someone who seeks recognition. But I’ve never lied to you. However, that doesn’t matter now. I have nothing more to say.” Dustin didn’t elaborate or defend himself.
He continued, “I hope you’ll be more careful in the future with the people you trust to avoid further disappointment. You’re safe now. I’ve fulfilled my obligation to General Murray. Your path from here on is own. Take care of yourself. See you soon. your
With those words, Dustin turned and walked away. The others instinctively made way for him as they were too afraid to stop him.
“Dustin…”
As Sheila watched him leave, a sense of panic gripped her. She reached out as if to stop him but found herself at a loss for words.
She had a vague feeling that she had missed something important. The connection she had with Dustin had shattered in an instant, and now, they were strangers.
“Sheila, I warned you about Dustin,” Vivian said as she was eager to fan the flames. “You’ve finally seen his true nature. Stay away from him in the future. He’s not right for you.”
“Yeah, Sheila, luckily you realized it in time,” Evan added. “If you continue to be fooled by him, you would’ve made a big mistake. Did you see how he attacked Jayden? Absolutely terrible!”
Sheila let out a soft sigh, her emotions in turmoil. Despite feeling uneasy, she ultimately pushed her doubts aside.
She realized that the gap between them was too wide. Even without this incident, they could never have truly connected. They came from different worlds and were meant to stay apart.
