Literally Die in His Tenderness

Chapter 10

As expected, Troy was bitten by Atrax before he even got close enough to touch my hand. Gordon kicked him two meters away with ease. Atrax, the little spider Sarah gave me, had once again come to my rescue. The scene ended with Troy being rushed to the hospital after fainting.

Just when I was thinking about whether to move again or take some unpaid leave from school, Terra got her hands on the corridor surveillance footage and posted it online. She was deliberately twisting the narrative. She painted me as the villain, claiming I had abandoned my boyfriend of four years and then beat him into the hospital with my new lover. I wasn't sure if she paid for the trending search, but the post definitely gained a lot of attention. She even sent a false complaint to the school, accusing me of things that never happened.

As a result, I was called in by the school administration, and to make things worse, Gordon got dragged into it too. Both of us were suspended. Despite everything, he still found the energy to comfort me.

"If you're not busy, just take a break. Honestly, I'm kind of done with these little jerks lately. It's been nice not dealing with them." Gordon flashed me a smile. "The committee said we can come back after this whole mess blows over."

His words only made me feel more guilty, and I realized I couldn't just sit there and do nothing. If Terra wasn't going to leave me alone, I wasn't going to keep running. Luckily, I had a plan. I found the recording of my last meeting with Terra and sent it to Troy.

I checked with Sarah, and she explained that Atrax, the "king of insects," had the power to control other bugs. Since Terra had been bitten by Atrax, it meant her connection to Troy would be weaker. She had probably used other methods to manipulate him. And with Troy also bitten by Atrax, their bond couldn't be all that deep. I decided to take a gamble and hoped that when Troy realized how much he'd been manipulated by Terra, he'd get angry enough to break free.

Troy received the recording, but he didn't respond to my message, and I wasn't sure if he had even read it. Days passed in anxious silence, and I was almost ready to go online to defend myself. But then, out of nowhere, Troy sent me a message.

"Aubrey, thank you for sending me the recording. I've finally realized that I've been manipulated for all these years. I used to be confused about how my feelings for Terra began. I kept telling myself she was my childhood sweetheart. But in reality, it's all been a lie. The last time I came to you, it wasn't because I was trying to help her. It was because I realized that I love you... even though…"

I couldn't finish reading the message. Honestly, I didn't care anymore. Just as I was about to put my phone down, I got another notification. The title read: "Man Brutally Hacks Woman 49 Times Before Jumping to His Death." I thought it was just another shocking headline, but when I clicked, it turned out to be a live broadcast.

It was Troy's room. He was telling his story, and the viewers were hooked. He talked about a 15-year-old boy whose life had been ruined by a 14-year-old girl. As Troy spoke, I learned the entire story between him and Terra.

The live chat blew up with comments:

"Clickbait headlines tricked me into watching this."

"Wait, didn't he ask for a reconciliation before? Now he's telling us a ‘fantasy' story instead? Well, I'm still here for it."

"Mind control and insects? This has to be a lie."

"Is it just me, or does this sound like a personal experience? If I'd been emotionally manipulated like that, I'd probably go crazy too."

Troy didn't respond to the viewers. He finished telling his story, then looked straight into the camera:

"I've lived a little over 20 years, but for 10 of them, I couldn't love the person I truly wanted to. When I finally realized I loved someone, I wasn't even in a position to ask for forgiveness. I hope all of this is just a story."

He paused, then continued, "And to clarify everything online, I'm sorry for the rumors that I was abandoned for someone new."

"I know I can't get your forgiveness, but I hope this can end here."

He paused again. Then, without hesitation, Troy jumped from the building.

Later, the police discovered Terra's body in his apartment, just like in my previous life. I hadn't expected Troy to make such a decision. His and Terra's lives ended that day when he jumped. But in a way, it proved that he'd been deeply troubled. Instead of facing his issues, he chose to hurt others. Even though it was suicide, murder was involved, and I was still the last person he reached out to.

The police brought me in for questioning, and after an investigation, they concluded that Troy had a mental illness, as the situation couldn't be explained logically.

Two years later, I accepted Gordon's proposal. He became the one to heal my wounds, the man who helped me start fresh.

Note: This is purely fiction. Please believe in science.

(The End)