Fati gazed at her grandfather with a heart weighted by the agony of past days, her voice a firm, suffocated cry:
- Grandfather, please! They were publicly engaged right before my very eyes... I will not simply forgive just because you ask me to
The grandfather offered a faint, sorrowful smile, unable to believe that Fati still harbored this agonizing nightmare firmly believing that Jaguar had moved on and married Miranda! He responded in a firm, decisive tone that utterly shattered her dark assumptions:
- And who told you he ever married her?! He threw her out that very same night in the most humiliating, unforgettable fashion! In fact, he severed all commercial partnerships and business transactions with her father simply because he dared to mock you under his own roof! He adores you, Fati... he adores you to the point of undoing
The grandfather then turned slowly and signaled to his servant, Butler, who hurried to retrieve a worn, battered box strikingly familiar to Fati's eyes from inside the car, placing it carefully and deliberately before her feet.
The grandfather gazed at the box with a tone saturated in melancholy and burning regret:
- He stares at this box every single day for three full years... from the moment he returns from work until sleep overtakes him, locking himself inside his room while contemplating the clippings and photos inside! He allows no one to enter, but I placed someone to watch him until I uncovered his secret... and I stole it from his room this morning specifically to bring it to you, for I believe everything in this box belongs to you, and you alone
The grandfather continued with a heartbroken sorrow, his voice drenched in searing remorse as he tenderly stroked little Leo's hair:
- I will not claim I am innocent, Fati... I was the orchestrator and the hidden catalyst behind the scheme of revenge, yet he never disclosed the truth to you out of fear that you would despise me or that my dignity would fall in your eyes! Thus, he chose to shoulder all the blame and guilt entirely alone until the very end... but I truly did not deserve his sacrifice, for through my harshness and stubborness, I forced you away and caused your break
Fati's green eyes remained fixed on the worn box placed on the ground before her, before raising her gaze toward her grandfather with a cold, pain-laced composure, asking in a decisive voice that challenged the past:
- Grandfather... should I return simply because he gazes at this box?! Give me one compelling reason to sell myself to the past and its thorns all over again
The grandfather answered, gazing at her with tear-filled eyes heavy with remorse:
- I will not demand that you return to him, Fati... merely think of this child who is deprived of a father who was willing to do the impossible for you! Every single time he tried to be a good husband, I stood in his way and stopped him... and because he revered and respected me for raising him, he could never refuse my request! But in the end, he reached a point where I, too, ceased to mean anything to him. The person who bestowed warmth upon his heart and made it beat with life was stripped away because of this old man's arrogance! On that night, I didn't just lose you... I lost him as well! So please, simply look inside this box and tell me whether he deserves your forgiveness or not!
Fati sank slowly, crouching before the box, her clouded eyes fixed on that humble cardboard box resting between her hands. It was the exact same box where she had once kept magazine clippings and photos gathered for his sake, letters laden with burning affection, her old journals... and even that small necklace shaped like a "teddy bear"!
Her eyes widened in pale disbelief, her heart pounding frantically against her chest like a war drum: When did Jaguar obtain this box?! And how did it reach him?! She had been utterly certain that she had discarded all those memories and scribbles of the past amidst the trash before her departure she had even donated that teddy bear necklace! Was it conceivable that he had retraced her steps like a madman, sifting through the garbage merely to recover her cheap cardboard box only to cherish it as a sacred treasure, guarding and gazing upon it every single night for three full years?!
Fati slowly raised her head toward her grandfather, asking in a raspy voice trembling with disbelief, unable to process what her eyes saw and her ears heard:
- Grandfather... where is Jaguar now?
The grandfather gently shrugged his shoulders with a tender smile soaked in sorrow and melancholy, speaking in a tone brimming with newfound hope:
- I believe he has just discovered that I stole his most beloved, precious treasure... for my phone has not stopped ringing and vibrating incessantly ever since I left the mansion! Thus... I am absolutely certain he is already on his way here right now
Fati asked in a tone filled with skepticism and surprise:
- You claim you haven't answered any of his calls... then how could he possibly know where we live?
The grandfather turned an intense gaze toward his servant, remarking dryly:
- I suspect someone has been leaking my whereabouts without my authorization
Panic seized Butler as he recoiled under his master's stern glare. Quickly lowering his cell phone with trembling hands, he stammered defensively:
- Sir... I swear I never told him why we came to this specific village! All I told him was a ruse! I mentioned that his grandfather took the cardboard box to toss it off the cliffs, and that he intended to stay for a few days at a newly purchased estate in this area
Butler paused briefly, glancing nervously at his brightly lit phone screen, before whispering under his breath:
- And... I have already sent him the live coordinates
Fati remained staring in stunned paralysis toward the outer gate, watching the entrance of the house with a silent panic and a storm of confusion churning inside her... for what could she possibly say to Jaguar the moment he crossed that threshold?!
Throughout all the long years of her exile and coldness, she had constantly envisioned him suddenly arriving through that very door, standing there pleading for her forgiveness while expressing heartfelt regret over his marriage to Miranda. She had prepared to face him with wounded pride, hurling razor-sharp words like arrows before driving him away without an ounce of mercy!
Yet... to discover only now that he had never married, that he had never formed a bond with that woman instead driving her out that very same night to avenge Fati's honor and that he had remained unwaveringly faithful to her memory, burning with passion for three full years... what could she possibly say to him now?! How could she meet his gaze when he had never betrayed her love, and when all that transpired was merely a tragic misunderstanding orchestrated by family pride, tearing their hearts apart and scattering their lives for years?!
Fati kept her eyes locked on the gate in breath-stealing awe, while her grandfather chose total silence. He refrained from disturbing her, giving her the needed space to reflect, gather her shattered thoughts, and prepare herself completely to face Jaguar face-to-face.
From afar, the deafening roar of an engine shattered the quiet space like a unleashing thunderclap; Jaguar was racing the wind and battling time in a wild frenzy, blowing past red lights, crushing the gravel scattered along the road, and defying every law of traffic for one single, unyielding purpose to arrive before his precious treasure was cast off the mountain cliffs!
Inside, his soul burned with a grim vow: if he arrived too late and found that his grandfather had thrown the box, he would not hesitate for a fraction of a second to plunge into the depths of the dark abyss to gather every single scattered fragment. He had memorized their exact count, their worn edges, and the tender words inscribed inside every piece! And if his grandfather truly committed such an unforgivable act this time, Jaguar would never remain by his side again—he would abandon him forever, just as Fati had once walked away!
The car screeched to a halt with a violent, harsh roar, and Jaguar leaped out in a stunned panic, oblivious to his surroundings as his eyes locked entirely onto the cardboard box resting on the ground before him!
Suddenly, his voice split the air like a thunderous roar shaking the heavens, his eyes blazing with a fierce glare akin to lightning striking the ocean's surface to shatter its deepest waters. He shouted in blind fury, charging toward the box:
- Grandfather