Chapter 25
**** JASON P. O. V ****
“Please tell me she’s has forgiven me.” As soon as Ryan left, I said. I knew it didn’t go as planned for him because he didn’t look happy. I knew she’d hate me even more.
“Brother, I’m sorry. She didn’t do it, and it doesn’t look like she will soon. She is far too mad.” He said sighing.
“I already told you I’m a monster. I don’t deserve her forgiveness.” I said.
“Not only that. She won’t follow you back. Harrison is taking her.” He said.
“What? But we aren’t done!” I said and he nodded.
“I told you, “I know, but now you need to respect her choice.” She has the right to leave, so let her.” I shook my head when he said that.
“I’d like to, but I can’t. I can’t Ryan. I’m selfish, and I only want her for myself.” I said and he nodded.
“I know how you feel and how painful things are for you right now. But if she is really yours and you want her back, you need to make sure she is happy first. That’s the least you can do since you nearly killed her.” He said, and I let out a sad sigh.
“So I’m going to just lose her? After she helped me turn back on my humanity. Ryan, she can’t just leave me to handle it.” I said feeling hurt.
“Jason, pay attention to what I’m saying. Let her go okay? She would come back if you were meant to be together.” He said and I nodded bowing my head.
“So I lose everything, including her forgiveness and her.” I said, “Hold my hand,” and he did.
“You really can put things right. If you do that, she’ll come back to get you.” He said it, and when I looked at him, I felt better.
“What do you suggest I do?” I was eager to know.
“You need to let go of everyone you have in jail.” He said.
“What? That’s not possible.” I said.
“Yes you can. This is what Melina really wants.” He added.
“She has no reason to want that. That has nothing to do with her.” I told him, and he just shook his head.
“Did you forget that she is one of your prisoners? She knows what it’s like to be used by someone. If you want her to notice how you’ve changed, you need to show that you deserve it. She should forgive him.” I sighed when he said it.
“Is it this hard to deal with people? I can’t just flip a switch and have everything go back to the way it was.” I said, “Hold my hand,” and he did.
“No! Nothing will go back to how it was. If you give up now, Melina will be gone for good. Who knows what she wants to do besides hate you?” He said.
“But who would help me with my housework?” He smiled when I asked.
“That’s no big deal. We can hire maids to do work for you, but you won’t be sleeping with them.” He said.
“What about them? Who are they?” I asked.
“You didn’t catch them, the only difference is that you don’t give them money. You pay them with the maids, but you can’t do that anymore. And if any of them wants to leave with the maids, they should be allowed to.” He said.
“What if they all decide to leave?” I asked.
“Then I’ll get you new ones myself.” He said it, and I sighed again when I thought about it.
“Fine. Even though Melina would never come back to me, I would do this if it would make her forgive me.
There are already too many of them in the house.” He laughed at what I said.
“That’s the Jason I knew when he was seven.” I smiled at what he said.
“I can’t do it by myself, though.” I said and he nodded.
“This is why big brother is here. First, you should go talk to Melina and let her know she can leave. That’s also how you treat the other people.” He said that, and I looked again through the window.
Harrison was with her, and the two of them seemed to enjoy being together.
“I don’t think she’d pay attention to what I say.” I told him, and he just shook his head.
“Don’t worry. Do it.” He said and I nodded. When I walked into the ward, she looked at me right away. I felt like I was getting weaker.
“What do you want to do here?” Harrison asked in a mad tone.
“Don’t worry, Harrison. He can’t hurt me anymore.” She said something, and I walked toward her but stopped before I reached the bed.
“I’m really here to apologize, even if you don’t believe me. I apologize. I didn’t mean to hit you, but my anger and fear of losing my mother made me not see clearly.”
“I didn’t even realize I was afraid of losing you until you died in your own blood. I didn’t know what was wrong, but I started crying. After 13 years, I did cry.” I told her to wipe away the tears that were falling from my eyes, but she did nothing but stare at me.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that I shot you and you got hurt. Even so, you still hate me and think I’m a monster.”
“But I would do my best to make things right, even if I couldn’t make everything right. So I’m here to tell you that you can go. I’ve decided to let all of you go.” I said something, but she didn’t reply. She only looked.
“If you don’t have anything to say. I would leave your life right now. I’m sorry to have put you through all of this, and I hope you find happiness and success.” I said this as tears fell from my eyes as I turned away.
When I left the ward, Ryan wanted to talk. I got his attention by putting up my hand.
“I’m headed home. I want to be by myself.” I said that I was leaving the hospital on foot.
**** MELINA P. O. V ****
As soon as he walked away, my eyes got hot. He was so cute even though he was trying not to cry.
“Gracie, you made the right choice. He doesn’t deserve your forgiveness.” Harrison said, and I smiled and nodded.
“When are we going to leave?” I asked while wiping my eyes and looking at him.
“As soon as you get out of the hospital. We’re leaving town to go to the place I set up for you before all this Jason stuff happened.” He said smiling.
“Harrison, there’s no need to leave town; he won’t come after us. He is different.” I told him, and he reached for my hand.
“Don’t think he has changed just because he cried crocodile tears and said he was sorry, Melina.” I shook my head when he said that.
“Those were not the tears of a crocodile. You don’t know Jason. He’s arrogant and all about himself. He never apologizes, and I’ve never seen him this sad. If he wanted to trick me, he wouldn’t do anything like cry and say he’s sorry. Even the maids are getting their freedom.” He sighed after I said it.
“Gracie, I don’t believe him, and you shouldn’t either. Okay, if you really did change him and now he’s letting you go, do you think he would just give up on you? What if he gets home and then decides to be the beast he has always wanted to be?” I sighed when he said it.
“I’m not sure what to think.” I said and he nodded.
“You don’t have to take anything he says seriously. After what he did to you, no way. To be on the safe side, we should leave this town.” He said it, and I smiled and nodded.
“Harrison, thanks a lot. We’re glad you came back.” I said, “Kiss my hand,” and he did.
“I would do anything for you, Melina. I wouldn’t easily give up on you.” He told me, and he gave me a tight hug.
“I need to let Nina know that we did it. Now it’s safe for you to come with us.” He said as I nodded. He left the hospital ward.
Again, the door opened, and Agnes came in.
She smiled and said, “Hey.”
“Hey,” I said with a smile.
“How do you feel at the moment?” She asked while she was lying in bed.
“Better. You seem happy.” I told her, and she nodded with her head bowed.
“Because of you, Jason is letting us go. Because he likes you, we were able to get that freedom.” I sighed when she said it.
“Just make sure you go a long way before he changes his mind.” I told her, and her eyes got narrow.
“Jason wouldn’t do that again.” I laughed at what she said.
“How do you know that?” I asked with my arms crossed.
“I saw him. When Ryan told him he was leaving, he was crying. He doesn’t want you to leave, and he said he’d do anything to make you forgive him, even if it meant you’d never come back.” She told me.
“Of course I wouldn’t go back to him, he can’t make me his sex slave anymore.” I said.
“He has a different view of you, Gracie. You’re not at all like the rest of us to him.” She told me, and I closed my eyes.
“Agnes, have you had enough of taking his side? I’ve already made my choice, and you should do the same.” I told her, and she agreed.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
“I made my choice, which is why I’m here to tell you not to leave Jason.” She spoke.
“Agnes, you have no say in that. Even though you are my friend, you have no say in who I hang out with.” I said and she nodded.
“I’m sorry that I pushed too hard. So, where do you want to go?” She did.
I said with a smile, “I’m out of town with Harrison.”
“Not around? Why? You still have a fear of Jason?” She did.
“No. I want to move on with my life without him in it.” I said and she nodded.
“Alright. I don’t know where to go yet because I’m waiting for Tony’s final decision.” She said and I nodded.
“I’m glad you and Tony are doing well. You are finally free.” I said and she nodded.
“I told Nina, and she’s glad to hear it.” Harrison walked quickly into the hospital ward.
“I should go now, so see you later, Gracie.” She said this, and then she kissed my head and gave me a hug.
“Good bye. I love you.” She smiled when I said it.
“Tell Jason that, not me.” She said something to me in a whisper as she left the ward.
“What did you say?” I told him no when he asked.
“Nothing.” I replied grinning.
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