Cheat with my boyfriend best friend by Jane E.L.

Chapter 350 Freedom

Aaron's POV:

"What did you tell them? They're no pushovers

Even if you bring them to their knees at the moment, they won't be able to pretend for long

The Woods are all the same at heart: stuck up for themselves, and no one can control that," I said

"T didn't ask them to compromise or try to convince them," Cinder replied coldly. "I just gave them two choices. They should give up their careers, return to Olive, and spend the rest of their lives making up for the parental duties they haven't fulfilled over the past thirty years, no matter what Olive's attitude toward them is

Or they should go back to the United States to find the court and sever the parent-child relationship with Olive through legal proceedings."

"Are you out of your mind?" I exclaimed, looking at her in shock

Rolling her eyes, Cinder stopped in her tracks and stared me in the face. "I'm rather puzzled as to why you went through all the trouble of getting them to act like they regretted abandoning Olive. Do you think thirty years of trauma can be repaired?"

"Do you think that forcing Olive to become an orphan is the right thing to do?" I asked back

Given my knowledge of the couple, there was no way they'd ever give up the career they'd loved for the past few decades for a daughter they abandoned thirty years ago

"Aren't you afraid that Olive will resent you when she learns the truth?" I asked

"That's where we differ," Cinder retorted, resting her hands on her hips. "Everything you do is adding up to you, while all I care about is that my best friend gets out of her psyche! I don't care if she resents me or not. All I know 1s that dwelling on a wrong relationship will only lead to continued misery, be it love or family affection."

I had a feeling she was being sarcastic, but I had no proof. After a long silence, I withdrew my

gaze and sighed

"Friendship can't replace family affection. A piece of her life will be missing forever."

"There are many incomplete lives in the world," Cinder reasoned. "Do you dare to say that your life is complete?"

I was speechless

"Clean out the rotting flesh from the wound, and it will slowly grow new flesh and blood." Cinder continued, gazing calmly into my eyes, "Besides, Olive is far stronger than you think she is."

Olive's POV:

Cinder seemed to have been jet-lagged for a long time

I didn't see her the following day, and the same went for Aaron. During that time, I asked Rita what the reason for calling Aaron earlier was

All she said was that Aaron had a phone call

But I knew that it could never be just that

"How is Sam Robin doing? Was the surgery a success?" I asked, not because I was concerned about him

I was only worried that Cinder and Aaron would get in trouble for this

"He didn't have surgery." Rita's words were a relief

Probably seeing through my concern, she reassured me. "The head of the station has already come over to ask about the situation. We provided the appropriate surveillance and witnesses to prove that Mr. Robin had indeed tried to flee. Mr. Morris and Ms. Swann ran into him on the road and chased him until they caught him and brought him back."

My eyes widened in disbelief. I'd rather believe that the two had contacted a team of professional hackers to fabricate a surveillance video. But since the evidence was solid, I couldn't say anything more

After Rita left, I had two unexpected guests in

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my ward

"T told you I didn't want to see you guys again."

When Kristy's and Chris's faces came into view, my cheerful mood instantly bottomed out. I craned my head to look out the window, my face expressionless as I refused to have a single interaction with them

"Your friend came to us yesterday." Chris's words entered my ears

Cinder went to them? I was surprised for a second, but I soon figured that Cinder could have done that. She never could see me being bullied by anyone, no matter what the other person's relationship with me was. I was just

surprised that she was still as mobile as ever

"Your mother... Kristy and I were up all night, deeply reflecting on the situation. Olive, if our presence is really causing you that much pain, we'd be willing to take a trip back to New York with you."

Back to New York? To do what?

Cinder hadn't reappeared since she left yesterday, and I didn't know what she had told them. But I didn't think that she'd advise them to give up their careers and go back to New York

to be a pair of idle, arguing parents, as Aaron had done

Kristy's unusually sad voice followed. "Honey,

does it have to come to this?"

She didn't sound like she was going to give up her career for me. I whipped my head around to look at them

"T don't know what you're talking about."

"Didn't your friend tell you?" Kristy looked surprised, her eyes red and puffy with tears

Chris gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "She gave us two choices: either give up our careers and spend the rest of our lives making it up to you, or go back to the U.S. and find a court to sever the parent-child relationship with you through a formal legal process."

Once again, my heart stung hard. Cinder gave them two choices, and they made their choice

In their hearts, career always took precedence over family

"Does it really have to come to this? Even 1f we are not as close as other families, we have maintained harmony for so long. Moreover, your father and I have come to a deep realization of our former mistakes during this time. We are willing to make amends. It's just that..."

"Just don't force you guys to choose between me and your careers, right?" I chuckled as I suddenly understood Cinder's intent in giving them those two choices. "You guys suck."

Looking at their frozen expressions, I couldn't

help but feel a sense of mockery. "Why so surprised? The rapprochement you all thought you had for the past thirty years was based on my pain. Don't tell me that you are not aware of that."

I continued, "One cannot have their cake and eat it too. You want freedom and a cause you love, and I respect that. I'll give it to you. When you are free, go back to New York and go through the legal process. Then we will be strangers, never having any contact again, and even if we meet again, there will be no need to greet each other."

I closed my eyes and concluded, "Please leave. I need to rest."

Kristy broke down and cried 1n pain, startling

some onlookers outside the door. Chris put his arm around her and gently soothed her as he led her out of the ward

I heard Aaron's and Cinder's voices, but I kept my eyes closed

It wasn't until Kristy's and Chris's voices faded away that I felt a faint pang of sadness. My eyes were a little moist, but there were no more tears

"Honey, are you okay?" Cinder approached me worriedly

I opened my eyes, trying to reassure her with a smile. But as soon as my lips parted, a wave of intense nausea washed over me. I turned my head and retched on the edge of the bed

It was a moment of physical reaction that brought tears to my eyes, woefully out of control