Dear Don, We Can Never Go Back to 18 Chapter 04
Enzo lifted his hand to hit me, but he stopped himself at the last second.
He turned his back to me and spoke his harsh verdict.
“You lost our baby because you couldn’t handle your emotions, Ada.”
“You held a grudge against Elena for years, and now you pushed her down the stairs to hurt her. What you did was assault, and you have to answer for it.”
I let out a quiet laugh. “I hate Elena, but I hate your betrayal far more. If I could not bring myself to hurt you, I would never lay a finger on her.”
“I did not push her.”
No matter how clearly I defended myself, he refused to believe a single word.
He had me locked away inside the Family Private Cell owned by his family.
I endured endless torment during my time trapped there.
The day I was finally released, I learned Elena was pregnant once more.
She scheduled her labor deliberately. Her baby was born on the exact anniversary of my miscarriage.
From that day forward, every year on my child’s death anniversary, Enzo spent the day celebrating his son’s birthday with Elena.
Now I told the whole story to the man pretending to be my teenage lover, standing there in the Western Cemetery.
Wind swept across the gravestones and scattered fallen leaves across the ground.
After a long silence, Enzo parted his lips.
“I’m so sorry.”
I looked at him with a calm smile.
“What are you apologizing for? None of this is your fault.”
“The eighteen-year-old you never lived through any of this pain.”
Guilt and agony flickered across Enzo’s eyes, but he pushed the emotions down quickly.
On the drive back home, I tossed out a casual question.
“What were we doing the day you supposedly switched places with your younger self?”
Enzo looked caught off guard, then gave a vague reply.
“We were in gym class, I think.”
I stared out the car window, my gaze distant.
“Tell me more. What exactly were we doing?”
Enzo frowned and struggled to recall details.
“I was practicing for the varsity basketball games. You said you’d come cheer me on, and you even organized a dance squad for it.”
He spoke like he was talking about a recent memory, his expression softening with nostalgia.
“You never focused on practicing your dances though. You always wandered over to the court just to watch me play. When I lost a game, you even booed me.”
“I’d chase after you out of frustration, but you were the fastest runner in the whole school. I could never catch up.”
A small laugh escaped him as he talked.
I laughed too.
For a fleeting moment, I truly believed the boy beside me was the eighteen-year-old Enzo. The boy who would chase me around the school grounds over a silly prank, whose world revolved around basketball and me.
Our eyes locked unexpectedly. A look of sorrow crossed his face, and his voice dropped to a hoarse murmur.
“Ada, I wish I could take us back to when we were eighteen.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks.
“We can never go back.”
Those teenage years were gone forever.
And you are not that boy anymore.
The car pulled up to the mansion gates. Elena stood outside with Leo at her side.
Her smile did not reach her eyes as she glanced back and forth between Enzo and me, sharp resentment hidden beneath her friendly act.
She pushed Leo forward a little.
“Ada, I know you kept Enzo busy today, but Leo can’t miss his own birthday celebration.”
The young boy glared at me with pure hatred and shouted.
“You miserable hag! You stole my dad! Give him back to me!”
“Leo! Watch your mouth,” Elena chided him with a fake scold. She turned back to me with an apologetic smile. “Kids say the wildest things, they don’t mean a word of it.”
“Please don’t take it to heart.”
Her eyes glinted with unmasked provocation and triumph.
I let out a cold snort.
Unfortunately for her, I never let insults slide. I always took every word to heart.
I looked at Enzo and nodded toward the pendant around the boy’s neck.
“Take that Guardian Angel medallion off him and bring it to me.”
