---- Chapter 6 Joel muttered, "When I handed Jean over to you, I actually thought she'd be safe, and that you wouldn't fail her. But you're just a piece of shit!" Feeling like a complete joke, Conrad sucked ina sharp breath through his teeth, swiping at his mouth. "If I'm a piece of shit, what does that make you? A heartless bastard? We're the same damn kind." Joel sighed quietly. "Jean comes across as gentle and easygoing, like she doesn't have a temper. She won't lash out even if you say something harsh or do something that hurts her. "She'll just lower her voice and try to talk things through calmly. But the truth is, she's actually sensitive. She notices everything-every kindness, every cruelty-and doesn't forget a thing. "There's no changing her mind once she's decided to leave you, like she has now. So don't bother chasing after her. If she's walking away, let her go. " ---- Conrad smiled until a tear rolled down his cheek. " Let her go... Just let her go..." Before he realized it, he'd wandered back to the ruins of the Lennon residence. This place was full of our memories. But the home we'd shared, and even I myself, were gone now. Conrad thought I was truly heartless. I'd burned it all down to keep him from clinging to the past, leaving nothing behind. Just a short distance away, someone was sifting through the wreckage. They hauled out a safe, and Conrad knew it at once. It was the very same one that had once stood on his desk. He suddenly remembered he'd custom-made that safe for Jenny years ago. But after that, it had just sat on his desk, collecting dust for nearly seven years. Conrad pulled up the safe's access log as if guided by some unseen force. The records showed it had been opened in the days before my death. He knew those two rings inside had definitely led ---- me to the wrong conclusion. Conrad couldn't help but remember how he'd gotten Jenny the lead role. He'd promised to stay with me, but left me alone the second Jenny asked him to be with her. The memories rushed back like a tide. All those secrets he thought he'd buried so well started coming back, one by one. Only then did Conrad pull out my last note. He'd kept it perfectly preserved all this time. He unfolded the paper, and as soon as he saw my handwriting, a sharp pain shot through his chest. "Dear Conrad, "Consider this letter as me being right there with you. By the time you read these words, I'll already be gone. And knowing you as well as I do, I imagine it will have been quite a while since my passing before you finally open this letter. "We really did have something beautiful once, and that's why it hurts so much to know you've never loved me. I'm only writing to say one thing-