16
I booked a train ticket for early the next morning, ready to return to my hometown.
Before leaving, I called Mr. Blackwell one last time.
Through a roundabout conversation, I confirmed that he didn’t know the real story behind the divorce or the lost child.
As for why Dominic had lied, I didn’t care to figure it out.
After hours of buses and crossing two mountains, I arrived back in the place where I’d spent over a decade of my life.
Many familiar faces were gone, and those who remained looked older, worn by time.
Though they’d gossiped about me being abandoned by my parents, they were also the ones who had truly cared for me.
The village was mostly elderly and children now.
I distributed the clothes and books I’d brought with me, watching their shy, innocent smiles.
It felt like seeing a reflection of my younger self.
In that moment, my heart felt settled.
On my third day back, I received a call from Mr. Blackwell.
“Audrey, it’s Grandpa. I owe you an apology. I didn’t raise him right.”
His words came out of nowhere, but I immediately understood.
Softly, I replied, “Grandpa.”
“That boy stormed in here earlier, throwing a tantrum about me not interfering with that Celeste Monroe. After some digging, I found out about the mess he made.”
“Turns out, he let himself be strung along. The girl never cared about him the way he thought.”
Mr. Blackwell continued, muttering about how Celeste had gotten involved with more than one wealthy man after returning to the States.
One of them, a CEO who owed his fortune to his wife, had retaliated when the truth came out, leaving her in disgrace.
I listened silently, unmoved.
Grandpa hesitated before saying, “I asked Dominic. He said he was only trying to help her out of sentimentality–nothing more.”
Despite his fairness, Mr. Blackwell’s age and affection for his only grandson softened his judgment.
2:36 PM
<
I smiled gently. “Grandpa, even without Celeste, Dominic and I were never going to work.”
A broken marriage isn’t the fault of one person.
Even if Celeste didn’t exist, Dominic would still have shared my private photos in that group
