Chapter 145 – Until You Say Sorry Novel

Niamh struggled to open her eyes just so she could see who it was, but her eyelids seemed to grow heavier by the second. Instinctively, she curled toward the man who refused to let her go. Perhaps because he gave her a sense of security.

This might have been the first time Niamh felt what it meant to be protected.

All she had been subjected to these past few years were nothing less of torture. Every time she wished someone would help her up, all she received was more pain.

It had gotten to the point where she had given up on hoping because her heart was tired from all the disappointment.

Right now, she finally understood what it felt like to have someone supporting her back and it was very warm…

Kendrick felt the person in his arms lean deeper into his embrace, her hands slowly sliding up to rest around his neck to hold herself in place.

Kendrick’s thoughts snapped back to reality. Lowering his gaze to stare at the woman in his arms, Kendrick could not help but be reminded of Niamh Delgado who he had lost long ago.

“How are you feeling, Vera?” he asked. Despite knowing very well that she was not Niamh, her appearance had Kendrick finding it impossible not to care about her.

Niamh’s brows furrowed “Dizzy…”

“I’m bringing you to the hospital now!” Kendrick immediately carried her to the car.

“Kendrick!”

He was surprised to hear Nevaeh’s voice come from the factory behind.

Kendrick halted and turned around in confusion only to be met with the sight of Nevaeh kneeling on the floor with tears streaming freely down her face. Her clothes were a mess as she pointed her finger at the thugs he had dealt with. “Kendrick! These men forced themselves on me! You have to stand up for me, Kendrick! It hurts, I don’t want to live anymore!”

Chupse.

Kendrick felt the thread of his sanity snap as he furrowed his sharp brows.

His memory provided him an image of the pure and innocent Nia from his youth.

Regardless of how certain Kendrick was that he had never once loved Nevaeh in all their years together, his heart still refused to believe that she, as memory served, was anything but pure and innocent—untainted.

How could such a thing occur now?

After receiving a report, the police arrived in no time.

The four thugs were apprehended while Niamh and Nevaeh were both admitted into the hospital.

Both Sean and Eloise rushed to the hospital when they got wind that something had happened to Nevaeh. Eloise sobbed into Sean’s arms when she was told that Nevaeh had been taken advantage of by four different men.

“How could this happen? Wasn’t Nevaeh supposed to be resting in the hospital? How could she suddenly… Sean! Why must our daughter suffer such a harsh fate?”

“It’s all my fault. I should’ve kept a better eye on Nevaeh.” Rose blamed herself while she mused internally, ‘What on earth had happened?

‘Didn’t Nevaeh go to record a video of Vera getting taken advantage of? How did she end up being the victim?’

“Where’s Kendrick? Why isn’t he here looking after Nevaeh?” Eloise huffed as she looked around the hospital room.

“I heard that Vera Quinn also got admitted. Kendrick must’ve gone to see her.” Rose sighed sadly and wiped off her tears as if she was extremely sad. She pressed on, adding oil to the fuel by saying, “Nevaeh’s here suffering yet Kendrick has gone to see that witch!”

“This is absurd!” Eloise exclaimed, immediately turning around to ask the nurse which room Niamh was resting in…

Within the quiet hospital ward stood Kendrick as he watched impassively as Niamh slumbered off.

He felt his heart clench at the raw memory of her almost being taken advantage of mere moments ago.

Taking a tentative step toward Niamh, he slowly reached out his hand.

His warm fingertips fell on her brows on their own accord. She looked exactly like her, from the curve of her eye to the delicate bridge of her nose to her cherry pink lips. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

Still, this was not the woman on his marriage certificate.

Bending his finger, Kendrick was about to pull his hand back when the decisive words of Ava and Daniel echoed in his head.

‘She is Niamh!

‘I refuse to believe that there are two people in this world who would like so alike!’

How could they be so sure? Unless it was because they saw some sort of identifying mark?

Identifying mark?

Kendrick was reminded of the mole above Niamh’s left chest.

Kendrick remembered how Vera’s grip on the towel had tightened when she walked out of the bathroom the time she had stayed the night for Jackson.

Had she perhaps done so not out of embarrassment but out of fear of him realizing something?

Kendrick’s heart rate sped up at the thought. Staring at Niamh who was still deeply asleep, one of his fingers fell on the button of her hospital gown.

The first, second, and third buttons were unclasped in quick succession.

Click. The ward door burst open when Kendrick’s hand was still on Niamh’s gown.

“What are you doing, Kendrick?” Felipe walked into the room. Seeing Kendrick’s hand on Niamh’s clothes, he walked up to tuck the blanket over Niamh’s shoulders.

Kendrick took his hand back as his deep, cold, and inquisitive gaze met with Felipe’s.

“How did you manage to move my wife overseas back then?”

Felipe smiled calmly. “What are you talking about, Kendrick? You can’t possibly still think that Vera is Niamh, can you?”

Kendrick pursed his thin lips, opting not to answer.

Felipe chuckled faintly and sighed. “The dead cannot be brought back alive, Kendrick, nor do I have the ability to revive a dead person. Niamh’s death pains me as well, but perhaps, death is more of a relief to her.”

Kendrick’s eyes dulled, but he chuckled coldly. ‘Relief?”

“Am I wrong? She gave her passion and love, waited for you her entire life, yet what did you give back in return? Did you ever care for her? No. In fact, you never even stopped to see her for who she was.”

Kendrick felt a coldness washing over him at Felipe’s words.

“You only hope that Vera is Niamh, Kendrick, because you know you’ve blamed her for things she didn’t do. You’re guilty, so you hope to make it up to her. In your eyes, Vera is merely a vessel for you to make peace with the guilt inside you.”

“Shut up!” Kendrick interrupted icily, his chest heaving.

He no longer wanted to remember how he had hurt Niamh in the past, for every time he did, even breathing and the fact that he was alive felt like a sin.

She had loved him her entire life, even until her dying breath.

Yet what had he given her in return? Nothing but endless torture.

“I’m going to get Vera her prescriptions. Don’t do anything you shouldn’t.” Felipe reminded on a heavy note before he turned around and left.

Outside the door, Felipe’s thin lips curled subtly as he watched Kendrick stand soullessly by the bed.

‘There was no such thing as a pill of regret, Kendrick. A love too late is worth nothing. You don’t deserve Niamh anymore.’

The unconscious Niamh began to dream. It was a scene from her youth when she and Kendrick had first met by the seaside. The sea breeze was salty, but the air was sweet.

Hand in hand they ran without a care in the world. Oh, how pure and easy their life used to be.

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