Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Brian and Sarah were overjoyed when Selby defended them. Brian could not help but say, âI knew youâd understand our painstaking efforts for you, Son.â
Everything they did was to protect their family and give their son a better future.
Selby had lived up to being the filial son whom they have taught and nurtured with all their hearts. He was considerate and could understand them!
As long as Selby was unwilling to step forward and clarify things, the video that Samantha recorded earlier was nothing more than strong circumstantial evidence. It would not be that easy to overthrow them without direct evidence from the persons involved!
Selby kept quiet and walked slowly to Samantha. He looked at her and repeated, âLet my parents go.â
Renee, who was beside him, stared at him and called out softly, âProfessor...â
They had not seen each other for a long time since she had been locked up in the medical facility. She had thought that she would spend the rest of her life without ever seeing him again.
Selby, however, did not seem to have heard her and did not even glance at her. He completely ignored her and merely stared intently at Samantha.
Samantha turned around suddenly and looked at Renee, who seemed shocked that it would end up like that right after making a desperate escape just so she could finally see the man she loved.
Worse still, Selby seemed to treat her as if she was nonexistent even after knowing what his parents had done to her.
Could it be that he never loved her at all during those years? Or could his love for her have waned with the passage of time? Faced with a choice of her or his parents, could he have decided on his parents?
There was nothing more painful than running eagerly to someone only to have oneâs hopes dashed because the other person had changed.
Reneeâs pale face became even paler. Her body trembled a couple of times and she collapsed to the ground after losing her grip.
Samantha saw that and immediately reached out to support her. âMs. Levy, are you alright?â
Renee looked depressingly at Samantha. Her lips were trembling and she could not say a word.
Selby squatted down and helped his father up from the ground. After ensuring that the man was standing firm, Selby even reached out to help his father straighten his clothes and hair.
Sarah stepped forward delightedly and held Selbyâs hand as she spoke touchingly, âIâm really happy.â
They did not raise him in vain.
Selby turned his gaze to his mother and smiled slightly when he met her tearful eyes.
The next second, he retracted his hand slowly but firmly and took a step back.
Sarah frowned and had a bad feeling. âAre youââ
âFather, Mother,â Selby said, interrupting her.
He clenched his fists slightly as his arms hung on either side of his body. There was a red tinge in his eyes despite his calm expression. He opened his mouth and said, âIâm going to tell the truth.â
That remark prompted Selbyâs parents to exchange a glance at each other and their expressions became extremely ugly.
They thought that he would side with them, but little did they expect that Renee would still have a place in his heart even after so long.
Renee had lowered her gaze all along but she suddenly raised it again and stared intently at Selby.
Did he...still remember her?
Sarah was the first to scold, âSelby, do you even realize what youâre saying? Do you want to expose the things your father and I did? Are you going to disregard your own parents and destroy our reputation just because of a little wench like her?â
Her anger was so great that tears rolled down her cheek. She raised her hand and struck Selby hard on the chest. âDo you think your actions are worth all the kindness and care that your father and I gave you for so many years? Is this how youâre repaying us for loving you and protecting you?â
Brian was so angry that his heart was aching. âWhat kind of spell did that woman put you under, Selby? This is simply unreasonable!â
Selby stood on the spot and bore the brunt of his fatherâs anger while letting his mother hit him. His eye sockets became even redder and he gulped once more as he spoke in a hoarse voice, âFather, Mother, youâve taught me to be an honest person ever since I was a child. I will always remember the generational rule passed down in our family is the word âhonorâ.â
âThat is why I canât let you repeat these mistakes again.â
They were so obsessed with the word âhonorâ that they had committed such misdeeds and his entire worldview collapsed after hearing their words from his room.
He could not believe that it was all happening before his very eyes.
For his sake, his parents had locked Renee up illegally, tricked him, and even tried to kill her. They have become so distant that he had even started to fear them.
âAndâ¦â
Selby took a deep breath. âBack then, I was the one who fell in love with Renee first. I was the one who pursued her because I thought I could give her happiness. She initially maintained a certain distance and was conscious of her status as a student. I was the one who persistently pursued her, causing her to give in and accept me eventually.â
âAnd you two put all the blame on her, thinking that she seduced me and led me off the wrong path. You werenât willing to listen to me no matter what I said or explained, still you did all thoseâ¦cruel things to her even though I had already compromised with the two of you back then. I broke up with her and promised you two that Iâd never see her again! Why then? Why did you have to do that to her?â
Just listening to it made him feel suffocated.
Had Samantha not brought Renee out and brought her to him, he might have spent his entire life not knowing that his beloved woman was forced to become a âliving zombieâ who spent her life in purgatory every day.
âYou... You shouldnâtâve treated the person I love in such a manner.â Selbyâs tears slid down the corner of his eyes when he said that.
âThat is why I must bring you to justice, for Reneeâs sake...â
He had to pay for her pain, her suffering, her wasted time, and her youth.
Selbyâs parents were stunned by his words and character. At that moment, the two of them staggered backwards and fell on the sofa after seeming to lose all their strength and confidence.
Renee was already in tears. She could not help but place her hand over her lips. The professor had not failed to live up to the feelings he had for her, and she did not fall in love with the wrong person either.
She could not control herself from stepping forward and reaching out to hug Selby. He pressed her cheek against his back as tears welled up in her eyes.
Timothy had already walked down the stairs and went up to Samantha. She watched the scene in front of her emotionally and looked at Timothy.
He then stretched his hands out and pulled her into his embrace.
â¦
At the apartment hotel, there were only five minutes before the clock struck 12.
Harmony opened a bottle of vintage red wine to celebrate her thumping victory.
As soon as the clock struck twelve, Samantha would have completely lost the opportunity to turn things over.
Harmony poured a glass of red wine at the counter and was just about to savor it when a notification tone came from her cell phone.