Chapter 9
The light turned green. The cars behind me honked, dragging me out of my reverie. I wiped away the final traces of my feelings for Benjamin and drove off. The sun shone brightly ahead of me—my future looked bright, too.
Three years later, I participated in a global documentary competition and won. After the competition, I gave my fans autographs.
I’d spent the past three years throwing myself into charity work and filming documentaries. I traveled the world with my colleagues, recording the lives of creatures that were bordering extinction.
It was late at night when I was finally done with work. I returned to my villa in the city center, so sleepy that I could barely open my eyes.
When I noticed a man standing before the gates, I reflexively clutched my taser tightly. The years I’d spent on the road had taught me to be wary of anyone I didn’t know.
Just then, the streetlight flickered on. The man turned around when he heard the sound. I saw who it was- Benjamin. He was out of prison.
He had a crew cut, and an eye was missing from his handsome face. His cheeks were sunken, and his brow bone Tooked broken. It seemed he’d been injured. He also had a leg injury–he was crooked even as he stood there.
He could tell from our appearances that we were no longer from the same world.
“Sammy…” he said softly. His voice was hoarse and filled with regret.
Instead of saying anything, I looked at him calmly.
This seemed to be within his expectations. He swallowed before pulling a gold pendant from his pocket. It was of a little boy. My child would’ve been a boy if it had been born
Benjamin stroked the pendant with a callused finger before smiling self–deprecatingly. “I know I don’t deserve to give you this, but our baby… I was looking forward to meeting him. I know I’m a monster–I’ll never be able to compensate you for what I’ve done.
“Before going to prison, I bought a grave for our child. As for this pendant… I bought it with the money I earned working at a construction site after getting out of jail. The money is clean and untainted. I don’t expect you to forgive me, Sammy. I just want you to take good care of yourself.”
