Three Years Too Late Chapter 08
Back at my apartment, my phone buzzed with a bank transfer alert.
It was for 200 thousand dollars.
It was for 200 thousand dollars.
The memo line simply read, “Voluntary gift.”
It was obvious who sent it, and I accepted the money without a single ounce of guilt.
Kellen owed me.
A few days later, Kellen showed up at my door before Denise even got the chance.
He looked even more exhausted than the last time I saw him.
“Jaz, too much time has passed,” he said, his voice thick and heavy with sadness. “I can’t find the evidence.
“Can you please just let go of your anger?
“I have plenty of money now. We could live comfortably for the rest of our lives. We could get married, move somewhere nobody knows us, and just live in peace. What do you say?”
“I think that’s a terrible idea,” I said coldly.
I’d been through hell over the last three years; there was no way they deserved a comfortable, wealthy happily-ever-after.
Kellen stood there, momentarily at a loss for words.
He let out a long sigh, looking incredibly worn down and stressed from the past few days.
“What do I have to do to get you to stop being angry?”
“What do I have to do to get you to stop being angry?”
I stared right through him. “Bring my dad back to life, and pay back every red cent he spent on your education,” I told him flatly. “Denise ruined my future, too, so she needs to compensate me.
“You pull all that off, and I’ll forgive you.”
Kellen opened his mouth to argue, but snapped it shut.
He turned and walked away, looking completely defeated.
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered in my head.
Anybody can string together a few pretty words to sound apologetic.
Once I was back inside, I started organizing the files I’d been hoarding for years.
I had the bank statements proving Dad financed Kellen’s education, plus the security footage linking him indirectly to Dad’s death.
I also pulled together all the proof of Denise constantly interfering in my relationship back in the day.
And, of course, I had the audio recording of her confronting me earlier.
Thanks to Kellen’s “voluntary gift,” I could actually afford a decent lawyer.
Thanks to Kellen’s “voluntary gift,” I could actually afford a decent lawyer.
We compiled all the evidence showing how Denise deliberately twisted the facts to orchestrate the online harassment campaign against me, and we filed a lawsuit.
They had caused me immense suffering and loss.
Why should they get to sleep soundly at night?
The very next day, Kellen came back to bother me again. The guy was nothing if not persistent.
He showed up with expensive gifts, a bouquet of roses, and a bag of my favorite pistachios.
He claimed he wanted to make up for all the pain he’d caused me over the years.
He started shelling the pistachios, slipping right into reminiscing about our past.
“Jaz, these used to be your absolute favorite,” he said softly. “You always made me go with you to buy them.
“But the second we got back, you’d always feed the very first shelled pistachio to me. They were so sweet. I didn’t appreciate it back then. I just thought you liked food too much. Please, let me shell them for you now.”
Somehow, his own words moved him to tears.
Somehow, his own words moved him to tears.
Right then, he finished shelling the pistachio he’d been holding and offered it to me, looking painfully hopeful.
I smacked his hand away. Hard.
The pistachio hit the pavement and rolled a good distance away.
I just stared at him in utter disgust. “Who wants this cheap crap?” I said.
“Take back all this inexpensive stuff, except for the diamond necklace. Actually, diamonds depreciate, so just buy me gold from now on.
“And by the way, I stopped liking pistachios a long time ago. Don’t buy them again.”
Kellen just stood there, frozen in stunned silence for a long time.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
After a minute, he nodded and let out a heavy sigh. “Jaz, you still blame me,” he said. “You blame me for calling you vain back then.
“But I honestly had no idea you were struggling so much. I thought your dad treated us equally.”
I actually found the whole thing amusing.
“Then make it up to me,” I snapped back.
I actually found the whole thing amusing.
“Then make it up to me,” I snapped back.
“Go ahead and wire another 200 thousand dollars to my account.”
Believe it or not, Kellen actually contacted his bank right then and transferred the funds to me.
I counted the zeros on my screen, and my mood finally started to lift.