Chapter 279: At peace [2]
The news took Rosalie by surprise. She should feel vindicated that she was right all along about a child, but she didn’t.
Despite how upset Rosalie was with Victoria at the moment, she still pitied her. The loss of a child was an experience no one would endure, no matter how awful they were.
It had once stung Rosalie that while she could not get pregnant, Victoria did it so easily, but she couldn’t be cruel.
"I am sorry for your loss. Given that Cole shall be imprisoned, this might be best for you. You would have needed to provide for the child alone, and that would not have been easy. His parents would have helped you, but even then, that wouldn’t last for you," Rosalie said, her heart twisted with conflicting emotions.
Part of her wished to hug Victoria, but the other part reminded her of what occurred between them. She could only pity Victoria, but not comfort her as she had before.
"This loss doesn’t make me forget all that happened before. I truly feel sorry for you and wish that you heal well, but our friendship is still over. Slowly, I am moving on from my marriage. Perhaps you can do the same with this friendship," Rosalie added, shattering the hope to start anew.
"I must do so. Since there isn’t a child anymore, my mother thinks that I can get married when I leave this town," Victoria said, but she didn’t feel confident. She didn’t feel ready to find a husband.
"You can. Your life doesn’t stop here simply because Cole will be imprisoned. You can find a husband and settle down. I hope that by then you will stop keeping secrets and inform him of what happened. If he learns of it from someone else, your marriage will end," Rosalie warned, offering Victoria one last piece of advice as an old friend.
"You are kind to offer me advice," Victoria said softly, wishing Rosalie could forgive her, though knowing it was impossible.
"I could be cruel to you, and I have every right to be, but I am not going to change the person I am simply because I was hurt by you. I will remain kind, but I have learned to be careful. I will be very careful with my friends," Rosalie said.
"I hate what you did. I hate that you, of all people, betrayed me, but I realised that I am unable to move on because I keep holding onto that hate. I am letting go of it," Rosalie decided, her shoulders feeling lighter as though a burden had been lifted. "Every person has a season in my life, and your season has ended."
"I understand. I leave for the countryside today, and there are no plans for me to return at the moment, so I wanted to say my goodbyes and apologies. If I could take it all back, I would, so we would still be friends," Victoria said, her eyes glistening with regret, wishing she could turn back time.
"If I could take it all back, I wouldn’t stay your friend. I know what you are capable of, and while we had many good years together, we are not meant to remain friends. Let us cherish what we had in the past, but move on," Rosalie suggested. "We will find others to fill that space."
"I shall forget about you, and you should do the same. Know that I don’t hate you, and I wish you well. You should forget about this town and start over. If you choose to return, so be it, but I don’t want you coming to any of my family’s residences anymore," Rosalie said, truly wanting this to be the last time they spoke.
"Not only did you betray me, but you hurt my family. This is their home, and when you come here like this, you place the servants in an awful position. Let this be the last day you come here," Rosalie requested.
"I had hoped to apologise to your parents as well, but if they weren’t going to see me, I prepared these," Victoria said, offering Rosalie two envelopes. "I understand if they don’t want to read them. They treated me well over the years, so I thought it was only right that I wrote to them."
Rosalie accepted the letters, but she wasn’t certain if she would hand them over. "I will pass them on, but I can’t make any promises. Let your parents know that I wish them well. I will speak to them if I see them in passing, and if they don’t respond, I don’t mind. They should take your side."
"My actions have caused two families to split. I will share what you said with my parents. I must get going now to leave on time. I wish you well," Victoria said, taking one last lingering look at Rosalie, her eyes filled with sorrow.
Rosalie only offered a faint smile, one that carried no warmth.
Victoria returned to the carriage, her steps slow, as though weighed down by the gravity of the moment. There truly was no going back now.
Rosalie did not stand around to watch Victoria leave. She had offered enough kindness for one day. She walked back in silence, accepting that she would never see the lady she once referred to as her best friend ever again, and it was fine.
Rosalie took a deep breath and felt lighter now. All she had needed was a talk with Victoria where they weren’t shouting at each other.
"I should plan a big event," Rosalie planned as she looked at the gardens.
Everyone thought she was hiding simply because she was tucked away at her parents’ estate, but all Rosalie wanted was peace.
"If I wait too long, they shall all think I have let this overcome me. I shall host a ball," Rosalie said, determined. She was ready to throw herself back into society.
Rosalie peered at the envelopes in her hand, contemplating whether she should hand them over to her parents or destroy them in secret.
’It should be their choice,’ Rosalie thought, deciding to keep them.
When Rosalie entered the front doors, she handed the envelopes off to the butler.
"When my father or mother arrives, tell them that I must speak to them urgently. I have a ball to plan, and I must use their estate," Rosalie instructed before hurrying away.
For the first time in days, while she was alone, Rosalie smiled. She finally had something to look forward to. She looked forward to wearing the prettiest dress the town had ever seen and proving that she was still a desirable lady.