Chapter 439 No Second Chances
Kayden was willing to do anything. He never wanted to see his family in pain over Tilda ever again.
“Tilda, us running into each other today, it has to be fate. You played Canon on a ridin’ I tuned myself. It was flawless. That proves something—our talents as siblings, they’re unmatched. You’re a once-in-a-century musical genius. I can help you, Tilda. If we work together, you’ll be immortalized. Just like Beethoven, like Mozart. A hundred years from now, the world’s music history will have your name carved into it: Tilda Jenson. I’ll give you everything to make that happen!”
Kayden was desperate. He had no idea what else he could offer her. All he had left were the skills he’d spent his whole life sharpening, his absolute pitch and ability to compose. If only Tilda would come back to the Jensons, if she’d give them one last chance to show her the love they should’ve given from the start, then Kayden would dedicate the rest of his life to her.
Write music for no one but her. Even if it killed him. Even if he died unknown, while all the glory went to her. He didn’t care, as long as she came home.
Faced with his hoarse, near-hysterical pleading, Tilda stayed cold as ice, and she almost laughed. And in the end, she couldn’t hold it back. A quiet, mocking chuckle slipped out.
“Tilda…”
Kayden flinched as he heard the open ridicule in her voice. It cut through him like a blade. In that moment, he understood. This was her answer.
“Ha… Kayden, oh Kayden. You really are hopeless, just pathetically naive,” she said, shaking her head. “First of all, I don’t care about fame. Playing music is just a hobby, something I do when I’m in the mood. If it makes me happy, I’ll play. If it doesn’t, I’ll drop it without a second thought. There is one thing I didn’t expect, though. I didn’t know that random video I posted years ago actually saved Justin’s life.”
Chapter 430 No Second Chance
She smiled coldly. “Now I just regret not deleting it sooner. If I had, maybe Justin would’ve stayed in the dark. Like you said, he would’ve rotted there, lived a life worse than death.”
Such cruel words, spoken from Tilda’s lips without a shred of emotion. Kayden felt like a man walking toward his execution, strapped to a cross, flayed alive with red-hot blades, one slice at a time.
It hurt. God, it hurt…. His chest ached. His head felt like it was being crushed. Even breathing had become painful. It was like there were razor blades flowing through his veins, tearing him apart from the inside out. Colder than the mountain snow in January, so cold it felt like his bones were about to shatter.
Tilda stared at him in that pitiful state and felt nothing—not even a flicker of sympathy. She would never forget how she died in her life, how the Jensons had emotionally broken her down, abandoned her, driven her to death. So what if Kayden hadn’t been the one to personally do it? Did it matter? This wasn’t some fluffy, second-chance fantasy where she came back with a clean slate.
She had come back with every memory, every scar, every ounce of fury burning in her bones. And Kayden? No matter how sweet his words sounded now, back then, he’d stood right beside the rest of the Jensons, treating her like a curse, like she was nothing, mocking her, ignoring her. Just another brainless follower, a loyal little puppet for the so-called family he blindly believed in.
It always ended the same way—the one who screamed loudest got the sympathy, and the one who suffered in silence got left behind. If Tilda hadn’t shown her brilliance, revealed her power, would Kayden have even remembered she existed?
Doubtful. The second she said no, he probably would’ve walked away without a second thought—not this pathetic, clingy, tail-wagging act he was putting on now.
Without another word, Tilda turned and walked away, no hesitation, no looking back. As Tilda’s figure grew smaller in the distance, just about to disappear, Kayden suddenly clenched his jaw and dropped to one knee.
The air was freezing. The ground was hard. He hit it hard. The sharp crack of bone against stone echoed in the air, his right knee colliding brutally with the ground. The pain shot through him instantly, twisting his face in agony. Some of the guests nearby, those who had paused to watch the drama unfold, gasped at the sound, startled.
Tilda heard it too. Of course she did. But she still didn’t look back. She walked on, disappearing from Kayden’s view without a single glance behind her.
“Kayden! What the hell are you doing?!”
Stephen had been following from a distance this whole time. Now he couldn’t stay any longer. He rushed forward and grabbed Kayden by the arm, trying to pull him up.
“You’re a man! You don’t kneel like this unless it’s to your parents, your savior, or the person you love. Don’t throw yourself away like this. You matter! You’re loved! You’re a goddamn musical prodigy!”
“I’m sorry… Mr. Woodward. Just leave me here. I don’t have anything left.”
But Kayden didn’t move. He stared at the space where Tilda had disappeared, her silhouette burned into his eyes, and he let out a bitter, broken laugh. Then, without warning, he lifted a hand to cover his face, his shoulders shaking as the tears finally fell.
In the Jenson family of seven kids, Kayden had always been the quiet one, but also the one who felt the deepest. Now, after everything that had happened, he knew the Jensons could not be forgiven, and that they wouldn't be given another chance.
Not even the slightest chance remained.