Chapter 31 Both Need Closure

At the hospital...After the morning meeting, Eliz did her usual rounds in the wards. When she entered Jamon's ward, she saw a strange man with a handsome face.

"Damien, let me introduce you. This is Eliz, whom I have mentioned to you before." When Eliz entered, Jamon introduced her to Damien with a smile.

"Hello, Eliz. Thank you very much for saving my father," he said with a warm smile and sincere gratitude.

"You are welcome. No worries. This is what I try to do," Eliz nodded with a genuine smile, looking dignified and graceful.

After a simple examination of Jamon, Eliz left the ward. She didn't want to be involved in their family conflict.

"Dad, is she the woman you mentioned who is having an affair with Pierce?" Damien asked coldly.

"Yes. If I'm right, she is now living with Pierce," Jamon answered.

"If we take advantage of this woman, we will have a chance to defeat Pierce. Damien, what you need to do now is to get Eliz's attention and keep her interested in you," Jamon said with an evil smile on his face. His eyes were dark under his bushy eyebrows.

In the evening, Eliz went home straight after work. It was six in the evening when Eliz's phone blared with Pierce's phone call.

"Hello, Mr. Aleotti!" Eliz greeted him.

"Hey, how was your day?"Pierce asked.

"Everything is fine, but I ran into your cousin at the hospital today." Eliz smiled.

"What did he say?" Pierce asked as his tired eyes suddenly became alert.

"Nothing. I saw him this morning when I was making rounds across the wards," Eliz answered honestly.

"You'd better steer clear of him!" Pierce warned coldly.

A sudden shiver ran through her body. "Okay," she answered obediently.

"So... Do you miss me?" Pierce's face softened as he asked gently.

Eliz was silent. "No, I don't," she finally replied.

"You heartless woman!" Pierce said as he squinted his eyes, and his face darkened all of a sudden.

"Um... When will you come back?" Eliz asked, trying to change the topic as she was embarrassed to show her love.

"No, I won't come back," Pierce joked.

"That's exactly what I want!" Eliz also joked as she pouted.

"Don't worry. If I'm going to live here forever, I'll take you with me. Eliz, you are mine for the rest of your life!"

Pierce growled over the phone. A gloomy smile crept over the corner of his beautiful lips.

"It's time for dinner. I'm hungry. I'm going to eat," Eliz said impatiently.

"Have your dinner." Pierce hung up.

Eliz walked into her room after dinner.

At that moment, her mobile phone began to ring.

"Eliz, it's me," a deep male voice answered.

"Please don't hang up the phone, Eliz. I've got something to tell you." Mavi knew Eliz fairly well.

Eliz took several deep breaths and tried to calm her nerves."Speak!!"

"Tomorrow is Saturday. Can you come to see me? I have an important thing to tell you," Mavi said softly. He was feeling a sudden pain in his heart.

"Just tell me over the phone. I don't have the time to see you." Eliz's voice was cold but her heart ached.

"I know you hate me but I'm going to die. Will you talk to me for the last time?" It felt like Mavi was begging for her agreement.

"I'm not heartless, but this will be the last time," said Eliz, gnashing her teeth. She just agreed to meet Mavi to get over the situation.

"Thank you, Liz." Regret resounded in Mavi's voice. Eliz sensed it, too.

Eliz was lost in thought again after she talked to Mavi. She used to be so familiar with his voice but now, it felt like it came from a distance. She rested her head on the chair, remembering their meet-up.

Eliz reminisced on how Mavi had betrayed her on Valentine's Day. If not for that time, she wouldn't have met Pierce, and the Navarro Family wouldn't have suffered a lot. Everything would still be the same.

However, fate had decided!

It was a long night for Eliz. She had difficulty sleeping as thoughts continued to occupy her mind.

In the detention center

Eliz dropped by once again. This time, her purpose was different. She had come to visit a person she used to love.

Across the cold glass, Eliz saw Mavi. He was still handsome, but his face was now covered with stubble, a little different from what he looked like in Eliz's memories. He was wearing a prison uniform too.

Mavi took his time before speaking. "Liz, I'm sorry..." He opened his mouth and pressed his lips together again.

"Don't try to play mind games with me. You just say sorry now? Is that all you can say? Don't you think it is a little late?" Eliz frowned.

"I know it's hard for you to forgive me, but listen to me first. I'll tell you everything I know. You shouldn't know about this, but I feel guilty to hide it from you." When Mavi saw Eliz's reaction, a hint of guilt hit him. He felt like he was the one who destroyed Eliz's happiness.

"Okay, I'm listening," Eliz swore with a cold expression on her face. She was expecting to hear more from this man.

"Fifteen years ago, when your father bought my father's company, our family was destroyed. My parents killed themselves by jumping off a building one night. In an instant, I became an orphan and lived under other people's roofs. Then, I entered the St.Louis School and met you," Mavi said calmly, but his eyes were constantly moving through.

Hearing of his words, Eliz was stunned.

"You approached me with a purpose from the very beginning. And I was so stupid to fall for it." Eliz was furious. Her father had purchased the Perez Family Group, but she never had any idea that it was connected to Mavi. How was it her fault? What did she do to deserve this pain? She did not push Mavi's parents off that building. Why should she carry this heavy burden?

She thought, 'Business is a war field. No one could predict what would happen the next second. If they couldn't even afford to take the risk, why did they have to be a businessman?'

"I'm sorry, Liz. I know it's all my fault. I don't know why I never mentioned this to you before, but of all the lies I told, this is the only truth: I loved you." At the other end of the glass, Mavi was unsettled. He wanted to convince Eliz that he loved her.

"That's enough. It's meaningless to talk about it now. Mavi, I do not have anything to do with my father purchasing your family's company fifteen years ago. You lied to me and made me a fool, so you can get vengeance. I will never be fooled by you again. From now on, let us be strangers." Eliz's words cut deep, words that only a woman who was made a fool of could utter. Eliz sniffed. She couldn't cry!

"Liz, I know you hate me, and I know how despicable I am right now. Live your life happily in the future while I pay for my sins here in prison. Maybe I am asking for too much, but I just hope that you can forgive me when the time comes," Mavi desperately said. He knew he was wrong, but this was the only chance he would get to beg for forgiveness.

"Don't worry. I will not ruin my life because of a useless and insignificant man." Eliz looked away swiftly, her heart shattering into pieces.

With a faint smile, Mavi said in low voice, "I thought we both need closure. I guess this is it. Eliz, just forget me completely and then start a new life."

"Ha! Of course," Eliz sneered, and tears started to well up in her eyes. She tried her best to contain her emotions. "How many years will you stay in prison?" Her voice was cracking.

"Eight years according to my lawyer." He smiled lightly. He did not know what the next years would be like, but he wanted to cherish today and this time that he saw Eliz again.

Eliz felt sorry for Mavi, and Mavi was doubly sorry for himself.

"Eliz, stop crying. Seeing you cry is killing me," Mavi said. "I hate it, the distance between us. I miss seeing your face close to me, beaming with radiance," he continued. Feeling sad, Mavi stretched out his hand in an attempt to touch Eliz's face, which seemed so close to him. As his hand got closer, he was woken up by the coldness of the glass between them. Thinking that he couldn't caress Eliz's cheeks ever again made Mavi reevaluate his whole life. He smiled bitterly as he thought about his life.

"Tell me, Mavi, why have you done this? I still can't believe it," she wailed. "I just want to know why you did it." Eliz was having a breakdown, slamming the glass over and over. To put her mind to rest, she clutched her hands and forced him to tell the truth.

The guards noticed Eliz's nervous breakdown and took her away from the glass. The visiting time was over, Mavi was taken away without notifying either him or Eliz. Tears streamed down on Eliz's cheeks.

It took Eliz quite a while to pick herself up and walk out of the police station.