Chapter 228: It’s too late

Gen’s fingers tightened in her lap.

This wasn’t the man she remembered as her father. Thomas had always been selfish and greedy, but above all, he had been utterly heartless.

"Why?" she asked, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on him.

She refused to let her emotions waver simply because he had finally admitted his mistake. She had spent too much time carrying the pain he had caused her, and she wasn’t going to waste her energy telling him how much she despised him.

He already knew.

The coldness in her eyes said more than words ever could.

Thomas met her gaze for a moment before looking away.

"Because I was tired of running from it," he finally admitted.

Gen frowned.

"You mean you’re sorry?"

Thomas remained silent for several seconds.

"No," he eventually said. "I don’t think saying I’m sorry can change anything now."

Gen’s expression hardened.

"At least you know that."

Thomas lowered his head.

"I spent years convincing myself that if I ignored what I had done, eventually it would stop haunting me. But it never did."

He looked at his cuffed hands.

"I couldn’t erase what happened, no matter how much I tried to bury it."

Gen stared at him silently.

For the first time, Thomas wasn’t trying to defend himself or shift the blame.

But that didn’t make what he had done any less unforgivable.

"Your mother was a good woman," Thomas finally said.

Gen’s eyes immediately filled with tears.

Reina had always been a kind woman. No matter how difficult life became, she had never allowed her hardships to change the person she was.

"She deserved so much better than what I gave her," Thomas continued, his voice heavy. "She ended up marrying a monster like me. I never deserved her."

Gen clenched her jaw.

"You didn’t deserve anything," she said coldly. "Not her. Not my forgiveness. Not even the life you’re still living."

Thomas looked at her. For the first time, he saw the anger she had spent years carrying inside her. Yet, strangely, it didn’t upset him.

He knew he had no right to expect anything else from her.

"I know," he whispered. "I’ve lost the right to ask anything from you."

Gen remained silent.

Thomas lowered his head, shame weighing heavily on him.

"But I still want to ask you for one thing."

Gen’s eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Forgive me, Gen." His voice trembled. "I know you probably never will, and I don’t blame you. But... please."

Gen stared at him, unable to find a single word.

Thomas swallowed hard.

"After your mother died, I thought I had gotten away with it. I convinced myself that if I kept living normally, eventually I’d forget."

He let out a bitter laugh.

"But I never did." His eyes grew distant. "Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Reina’s face. I could still remember the blood, the look in her eyes..." His voice cracked. "I couldn’t escape it."

"So you drank even more," Gen said quietly.

Thomas nodded.

"I started drinking even more because it was the only way I could sleep without seeing her in my dreams."

He looked down at his cuffed hands. "But alcohol never erased what I had done. It only helped me run from it for a few hours."

Gen’s eyes remained cold despite the tears gathering in them.

"And now?"

Thomas looked at her. "Now I know there’s nowhere left to run."

A tear finally rolled down Thomas’s cheek, but this time, he didn’t look away.

"So even if you still hate me, please find it in your heart to forgive me," he said, his voice trembling. "Maybe that’s the only redemption I have left."

Gen stared at the man sitting across from her.

For the first time, Thomas looked completely defeated. There was no arrogance left in him, no attempt to defend himself or escape responsibility. He looked like a man who had finally accepted that he had lost everything.

But despite seeing him like this, Gen couldn’t bring herself to forgive him.

"You’re too late for that, Dad."

Thomas’s lips parted slightly.

Gen’s eyes glistened with tears, but her voice remained steady.

"The day my mother died, you died along with her."

Thomas’s lips began to tremble.

Gen looked away, refusing to let herself break down in front of him.

"You didn’t just take her life," she continued quietly. "You took away my childhood too. You left me to grow up carrying the consequences of something I never did."

Thomas lowered his head as a sob escaped him.

"I know..."

"No," Gen whispered. "You don’t know what it was like."

Thomas finally broke down, covering his face with his trembling hands.

For years, he had tried to run from his guilt. Now, there was nowhere left to hide.

He had committed a sin that could never be undone, and deep down, he knew forgiveness was something he might never receive.

Gen looked him straight in the eye before slowly rising from her chair.

"I hope you find peace in your final days, Dad."

Her voice was quiet, but there was no warmth left in it.

Without giving him another glance, Gen turned around and walked out of the room.

Thomas watched her leave through tear-filled eyes.

The moment the door closed behind her, his shoulders began to tremble as he broke down completely.

For the first time, there was nothing left for him to hide behind—not his lies, his excuses, or the years he had spent running from the truth.

All the choices he had made came crashing back at once.

And as he sat there alone, Thomas could only regret the life he had wasted and the people he had destroyed along the way.

***

The car continued moving at its usual speed, but the man seated in the backseat shifted uncomfortably once again.

Mark had been trying his best to relax while sitting beside Dominic. It wasn’t the first time they had shared the same vehicle, but today felt different.

His boss had been unusually silent, and that silence only made Mark more nervous. His mind kept replaying everything he and Hannah had talked about earlier.

Back there, with Hannah by his side, he had felt surprisingly courageous. But now, sitting beside Dominic, all that courage seemed to be melting away.

Just as Mark opened his mouth to speak, ready to brief him on the schedule, he suddenly froze.

His expression changed instantly, his eyes widening in horror as though he had just seen a ghost.

"Ah!"