Heartstrings on Fire novel Chapter 1181

Kearney clutched his head, his voice a mix of anger and despair. "Stop, just stop talking."

The truth was a cruel torture to Kearney. For years, he had fueled his life with a deep-seated hatred, shaping himself into a monster as a form of twisted remembrance. It was his creed, his path, his very purpose in life.

But in a single moment, it all seemed to crumble into nothingness.

"I don't believe it, I just can't!" Kearney protested.

But what if it was true? What about everything he had stood for?

The irony that the person he had despised to his core was actually his benefactor was a bitter pill to swallow. It was laughably absurd, yet painfully true.

Agnes spoke with a gentle firmness, "Deep down, you know it's true, Kearney. Your mother always knew you were smart; she left you clues hoping you'd uncover the truth instead of harboring this vengeance. You got it all wrong, Kearney. So very wrong."

Kearney fell silent, the agony of his realization forcing him into a chair, his fingers white-knuckled around the letter that he nearly tore apart.

Reggie finally stepped forward, having never anticipated such a turn of events. He had made his arrangements after Sean's death, suspecting there was more to Kearney's story. Pretending to be overtaken by grief, he had laid low, allowing Kearney's guard to drop while he conducted his own investigation. Discovering Kearney's act of vengeance against Sean was a blow Reggie could hardly bear.

Bending down, Reggie picked up the gun Kearney had dropped, his actions causing Agnes to gasp in distress.

Holding the gun, Reggie approached Kearney. "Do you know why you've always been afraid of water, Kearney? Have you never thought about the reason? It's because when you were three, I rescued you from a cruise ship. We jumped into the sea, escaping on a small boat amidst a terrible storm. I was badly injured, and we nearly drowned several times. Even though you were only three, don't you remember any of it?"

Those words hit Kearney like a physical blow. For years, he had been plagued by nightmares of stormy seas, never understanding why. He would dream of drowning, the suffocating fear of the deep waters engulfing him, an invisible maw consuming him night after night. He never considered the origin of this fear, the events of his third year lost to him, yet the terror remained deeply ingrained.

Reggie's revelation was a piece of the puzzle Kearney hadn't realized he was missing, but it only added to his torment, further proving that his years of hatred had been misdirected.

"It's too late, all too late," Kearney lamented, his voice breaking. "Just end it, end me. Do it now."

Reggie raised the gun with a heavy heart. "Kearney, you've made some grave mistakes. Even if you harbored hatred enough to wish me dead, why Sean? You've become a monster, incapable of remorse. Go and seek forgiveness from Sean."

In the dim light of the room, the echoes of past mistakes and the hope for redemption hung heavily in the air, a tragic tale of misdirected vengeance and the painful journey towards truth.