Chapter 8
481words
The evidence was solid, the actions egregious—especially involving a critically ill patient and causing fatal consequences.
She was convicted accordingly.
Landon didn't pull any strings to "help" or hinder; he let the law run its course.
The downfall of the Summers and Summer's imprisonment caused a brief stir in their circles, but it was quickly overshadowed by fresher gossip.
Yet the man who'd orchestrated it all—Landon—collapsed completely once the storm passed.
He stopped going to the office, locking himself in our old "marital home" with bottles of alcohol and endless dark nights.
Career, family, future...
Everything lost meaning.
He wasted away quickly, gaunt and hollow-eyed, mentally adrift.
His parents—especially his mother—went from shock and anger to panic and heartache.
She'd always favored Summer's "sweetness" and kept me at arm's length.
But now, seeing her son reduced to this state, she had no choice but to swallow her pride and come to me.
It was a rainy day.
She stood at the door of my new place.
I didn't let her in, just watched her calmly across the threshold.
"Chloe, what happened before... Landon was wrong, and we as parents share some blame."
"But now, he's really falling apart. The doctor says if this continues, his health will break down."
"He won't listen to anyone—only you... Please, I'm begging you, go see him, talk to him, even just say a few words to stop him from destroying himself."
"The Bennett family can't lose him—his life can't just end like this..."
I listened quietly to this woman who'd once been so lofty, now just a mother worn out with worry for her son.
But her son was inextricably tied to my mother's death.
"Mrs. Bennett," my voice was steady, without a trace of emotion, "Landon's life is your family's concern."
"My mother died—because of what, you may not know the full story, but you're not entirely in the dark."
"Do you really think I have any reason to comfort the man indirectly responsible for her death?"
Her face paled further:
"But... that was all Summer's doing! Landon regrets it—he already punished her..."
"Without Landon's initial lies, his indulgence, his selfish choices—would Summer have had the chance to do any of this?"
I interrupted softly.
"I have no obligation, and no desire, to soothe a murderer's guilt."
"As for the Bennetts," I paused, meeting her gaze clearly, "I never aspired to join your family."
"From now on, please stay completely out of my life and my father's."
"This is the last time. Please leave."
With that, I gently closed the door.
Outside, I could hear her stifled sobs and the sound of footsteps fading away.
I leaned against the door, exhaling slowly.
My chest felt tight, but more than that, there was a sense of finality—like dust settling.
All ties with the Bennetts, with Landon—grievances, love, hate—were now settled.
