Chapter 380: Live your life well
Sylvia picked up the cup, taking a slow sip of her coffee. As she set it back on the saucer, her gaze lingered on Lucius.
"You should have come to me the moment you learned the truth about my brother," she said with a small chuckle. "Now, the more I complain, the more foolish I’ll seem."
Lucius let out a quiet sigh, his fingers intertwining as he clasped his hands together. "I’m sorry, Sylvia," he admitted. "I should have made an effort to understand you better. Instead, I ignored your feelings and labeled you as nothing more than a rebellious girl." His voice softened. "Honestly, I just thought it would be best if you stayed away from all of this. But I could never explain it to you in the better words."
"Indeed, you never could," Sylvia said, her voice calm yet firm. "I learned that my brother saved your life. You might blame yourself for simply existing, but you shouldn’t. Matteo saw you as someone precious so that he gave his last breath to protect you. The least you can do is honor his sacrifice by living your life well, without regrets."
Lucius was taken aback. Sylvia had never spoken with such maturity before. He had expected anger, resentment and even hatred. But instead, her words carried an unexpected wisdom.
"I thought you would blame me," he murmured. "If I hadn’t been in Italy, Matteo would still be alive. My brother, Antoine, would still be alive. So many lives would have turned out differently..." His voice trailed off as he turned a bit gloomy.
"I did blame you at first," Sylvia admitted, her fingers lightly tracing the rim of her cup. "But what good would it do? Holding onto that anger would only mock my brother’s sacrifice. I don’t want that. I want to honor his choice—because in the end, he saw you as his brother. That’s why he gave everything to protect you."
She lifted her cup again, taking another slow sip of coffee. Across from her, Lucius followed suit, finishing his own in silence.
Then, Sylvia set her cup down and met his gaze. "I forgive you, Lucius. You should move forward and live your life well, with Layla. She was the one who protected you in the end, and now, I understand why you’ve always been drawn to her. Why she was the one for you and not the others. I’m sorry for always pestering you."