Chapter 13
Ever since Declan discovered Ruby wasn’t the innocent girl she pretended to be, he cut all ties with her.
He looked at Ruby crying herself nearly unconscious, his eyes showing undisguised disappointment.
‘Declan, I was wrong! Please don’t leave me…” Ruby’s voice was hoarse as she tried to hold onto him.
If this had been before, Declan might’ve felt sorry for her pitiful state.
But now, looking at her just made him feel sick and disgusted.
He violently shook off her hand, the force making her stumble and nearly fall.
“We’re DONE. That’s it.”
Without looking back, he walked away.
Because his next target was twenty–eight–year–old Declan.
Declan found him in the corner of some bar.
Still in his suit but looking disheveled, downing drink after drink.
Declan slammed the hired thug’s confession and Ruby’s admission recording on the table in front of him, voice seething with suppressed rage.
‘You knew all this, didn’t you? You knew from the START that she jumped in herself?! You knew she set Nina up but chose to cover for her, even helped her lie to me while having Nina beaten! DIDN’T YOU?!”
Twenty–eight–year–old Declan paused, setting down his glass.
‘Yeah, I knew.” His tone was calm, even somewhat righteous. “So what? Ruby just got confused for a minute–she was scared of losing me because she loves me too much! Nina’s existence was a threat! I love Ruby, so I chose to protect her. What’s wrong with that?”
‘Love?” Declan looked at him like he’d heard the world’s biggest joke, slamming his fist on the table.
Twenty–eight–year–old Declan’s eyes turned dark and dangerous as he shot to his feet. “Nina’s NOTHING compared to Ruby. I’d do anything to make Ruby happy.”
Then he laughed coldly with reckless abandon.
“Besides, I’m the one who personally gave her those ninety–nine hits.”
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Chapter 13
“What…”
Declan stared at him in disbelief, desperately hoping this was all fake.
All the accumulated rage, regret, and disgust for this future version of himself exploded in that moment.
Seeing twenty–eight–year–old Declan’s taunting smile, he threw a vicious punch, landing squarely on the
bastard’s face!
The dull impact sent twenty–eight–year–old Declan stumbling backward into bar chairs.
“That’s for LYING to me!” Declan’s eyes were bloodshot as he pressed forward.
“And THIS is for slandering Nina!” He swung again, but this time it was blocked.
“Look at what you’ve become!” Declan growled, voice filled with fury. “You turned into a disgusting monster for some evil bitch! I will NEVER become a sick freak like you! You’re not my future! You don’t deserve to
be!”
He pointed at the door, using every ounce of strength to roar: “GET OUT! Don’t ever show your face again! There’s no such thing as ‘destiny‘ in this world!”
Twenty–eight–year–old Declan wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, staring at this furious, desperate, yet strangely clearheaded younger self, his eyes flickering wildly.
Under Declan’s shouting, twenty–eight–year–old Declan’s form began to shimmer and fade.
He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something.
“Declan… let go of… Nina… don’t be with her…”
But before he could finish, his figure dissolved like an erased pencil drawing, completely vanishing into thin air, leaving only unfinished words and emptiness.
Declan stood there gasping, staring at where twenty–eight–year–old Declan had disappeared, unable to
believe his eyes.
His fists clenched tight, his heart still pounding violently.
The other man’s final mumbled words sank without a trace.
Now Declan had only one thought consuming his mind.
He had to find Nina and beg her forgiveness.
He frantically dialed that number, sent countless messages that went nowhere, contacted everyone who
ndiand–Dick Your Fighter!
Chapter 13
might know Nina’s whereabouts, but came up empty.
But it was precisely because he was running around like a headless chicken, rapidly losing weight, that Declan’s parents quickly noticed their son’s condition.
Seeing their once–proud son become so lost and broken, they were heartbroken and shocked.
During one of Declan’s drunken breakdowns, they pieced together the truth from his sobbing confession.
Declan’s mother immediately started crying. “That poor girl Nina… she went through so much…”
His father’s expression was grave too, sighing heavily, furious at Ruby’s actions while feeling deeply guilty
about Nina.
Seeing their son like a walking corpse, his mother finally couldn’t bear it.
After hesitating for ages, she pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Declan, who was curled up on the
couch.
Her voice was choked with tears: “Declan… this is the address and school Nina’s mother gave me before she left. She didn’t want anyone to know, but seeing you like this breaks my heart… Go. Go find her and apologize properly…”
Declan’s head shot up, trembling hands taking that piece of paper like it was his last hope.
On it was a distant foreign address and university name.
Finally, he was going to see the person he’d been thinking about day and night.
nil. Vaur Fighter!
