CHAPTER 411

Uh oh. He does not look good. Theodore stared daggers at Jared. You just had to say that. He quickly changed the topic. "So how will you deal with Josiah?"

Love and hate were the two things that could keep people alive even if they didn't want to be alive. Theodore thought there was no way Caitlin would take Lucian back. He knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't take him back no matter how much she used to love him. Not the best time to talk about her, so let's talk about Josiah. That's a safer topic.

The mention of Josiah made Lucian's eyes flicker with hatred. He took his phone and sent out an order. Just a moment ago, he looked dead, but now he was filled with vengeance.

Theodore was worried about him. He frowned. "Don't do anything stupid, Luke. Mr. and Mrs. Owen are dead. You're the only one Caitlin has left. If something happens to you, who's going to protect her?"

"I know." Lucian sneered, "Don't worry. I won't make the same mistake twice. Besides, killing him is no fun. Making his life a living hell? That's fun."

Meanwhile, a tearful Rosetta took Josiah to the hospital after Lucian left.

Josiah didn't call the cops for fear they would find out about his attempt on Lucian's life. He took that hit and got himself a cast on his hand.

The doctor told him to get hospitalized, but Josiah didn't want to spend any money on the hospital fees, so he requested to go home. The doctor couldn't change his mind so he let Josiah do what he wanted, though he did tell him to come back every day for IV infusions.

He agreed and went back home with Rosetta. Their house was facing the elevator, and the moment the elevator doors slid open, he saw the door to his house open. Josiah's heart started thumping furiously as he quickly ran toward his house. Before he even got into his house, he was greeted by a mountain of mess.

Everything was ruined. The floor, the walls, and the furniture were coated in crimson paint. Rosetta almost fainted from fear. With a trembling voice, she asked, "W-What happened here?"

Josiah entered his house and stared at the ground in confusion. He knew he was done for. Lucian was his only chance of making a comeback, but now Lucian hated his guts. As long as he still lived, something like this would keep on happening, and his family would have to suffer through this with him.

He stared into the distance for a while and told Rosetta, "Clean this up and wait for Bobby to come home. Don't go out. I have to settle something."

"Settle what?" she asked fearfully.

Josiah caressed her face with his good hand. "I'll be fine, don't worry. I still have to take care of you and Bobby. I'll find a new place for us to live. We can't stay here anymore."

Rosetta had always lived her life listening to someone else, and she believed what he said. "Come home soon." She nodded. "Bobby's gonna be scared if he comes home to this."

Josiah nodded and left his house. When he got to the streets, he called Lucian. The call went through, but Lucian said nothing. "You win." Josiah smiled bitterly.

Lucian was still quiet. I won? No. I lost everything. Everything.

Josiah stared into the distance dumbly. "I lived my whole life scheming and working my *ss off to make my life better, but in the end, it meant nothing."

Lucian snapped, "Because you tried to better your life by taking something that's not yours. You kept trying to ruin someone else's life just to make yours better. You didn't try to create anything of value yourself, and this is what you get."

"Yeah." Josiah sighed, but in reality, he didn't regret making this decision.

He didn't regret killing Lucian's father, nor did he regret marrying Rosetta. If he hadn't killed Lucian's father, he would never have had the chance to marry Rosetta.

Nor would he have had the chance to live a decade of a happy life or have a child with Rosetta. Bobby was the continuation of his life and the child he had with the woman he loved. It's a good life.

If Lucian's father hadn't died, he could only imagine living this kind of life and never getting it forever. He killed Lucian's father and married Rosetta, and then life was good for a decade or so. It was a short time, but at least he had the chance at happiness, so he never regretted it.

He only regretted getting found out. This life could have gone on forever, but Lucian had to see through his lies and stop believing him or doing his bidding.

This was the end of the line for him. All hope was gone, and death was the only thing waiting for him. That was the price to pay for his family's survival.

"I know you hate me." A long silence later, he said slowly, "I'll give my life to you, but please let your mother and brother live. They're still your family no matter what. They're the only ones you have left. This is my crime and sin. They have no idea what I did. Lucian, they really care about you. Please, don't hurt them." Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

"Yeah, right," Lucian sneered. "You're my nemesis, which makes the people you care about a target on my list. I'll make you suffer. The more you care about them, the more I'll torment them. That's your version of hell on earth, isn't it?"

"No, you can't do this!" Josiah flew into a rage. "They're your family too! What I did has nothing to do with them. They have no idea about the crimes I committed. You can't do this to them. You have to protect and care for them!"

Lucian let out a sneer. "In your dreams."

"Why you…" Josiah was coming up with an argument, but unbeknownst to him, he had been walking all the time he was on the phone, and now Josiah was at a crossroads.

The red light lit up, but he didn't see it. Josiah kept walking forward, and a truck crashed into him. The truck driver couldn't stop in time, sending Josiah flying away before falling with a thud. The agony made him open his mouth to scream, but all he did was cough up blood.

He could feel his insides getting torn apart, but Josiah ignored the pain and tried to search for his phone.

The truck had sent the phone flying away as well. He kept his eyes open and tried his hardest to find the phone.

He had come out alone to kill himself. Back when the debt collector almost had his life, he bought accidental death insurance. Because he lacked funds, he couldn't buy policies that had a high insured amount. All he could buy was the one that would pay about a few hundred grand to his family in case he died. It was not much, but at least Rosetta could clear the debt and have a bit left for her and Bobby.

Death was what he sought for, but Josiah never thought it would come this quick. I still haven't finished my business. I still haven't made Lucian promise he'd take care of my family. I can't die yet.