97 Betty 3

As if the shout had taken away a lot of energy from the Mayor, the 58-year old man had to pause and take a deep breath before he could speak again.

Liz looked at Betty to see whether there were any indications of her trying to leave again, but noticing that the girl was just frozen on the chair, she relaxed.

Indeed, the Mayor had been watching everything from outside, and the original plan had been that he would enter after Liz had a chance to talk some sense into the girl's head.

However, clearly, he hadn't been able to control himself.

As for that sound from before, Liz understood its source when she looked at the Mayor's hand.

Blood was dripping to the floor from multiple cuts, as if he had put it through something, but he didn't seem to care about the pain.

Liz was about to order someone to bring in some first aid, but she stopped, as she saw that the expression on his face showed that the pain he was feeling in his heart was much greater than any he could feel from his body.

As the Mayor finally started to talk, Betty's jaw fell more and more with shock at the things revealed by his words.

"Beatrix Anderson, you were named after your mother's mother, who was known for her patience. I want you to listen to me now with that quality, as I won't be repeating myself. Maids…gossip. I thought you were smart enough to know that. When I stopped your parents in front of the door, I was asking them to stay back. The weather was bad, but your father insisted on not missing the meeting which would only have gone on for 10 minutes. You also forgot, or neglected to mention, one thing. It was your birthday. Have you never wondered why your parents would leave you alone and go on such a special day?"

Unable to form coherent words and still reeling from the shock of being screamed at by the man who had treated her only with love all her life, Betty only shook her head.

Indeed, her birthday and her parents' death day matched, but she had never seen any link between them.

"They were going to take you, too so that you could celebrate after the meeting! You were running a fever, so I said that you should stay back, although your father said that it would be fine. Still, in the end, he accepted, but he didn't accept when I asked him to stay back. So, in a way, I saved you, you little rabbit. I didn't kill your parents."

As she heard the nickname that her grandfather had always used during her childhood, Betty burst into tears once again.

Indeed, now that she heard a first-hand account, it made sense.

She had wanted to ask about this for years, but she had never been able to speak about it using her own tongue.

Hence, seeing it cleared now, she didn't know what to feel.

However, what about the other two things?

As if sensing her question, the Mayor continued.

"I never wanted to replace your parents, rabbit. I just…wanted to relive my son's childhood because I missed him so much. All the parenting quirks you saw only existed because I raised him in that way, and I also imitated your mother, because everything she did was always perfect. Yes, I wanted to be your father and mother, but not because I wanted you to forget them because of some 'guilt'. And, finally, the house. I felt that it comforted you, rabbit, as you had memories of your parents all around you. I thought you would feel as if you were in your embrace. Clearly, here, I was wrong. You wanted to move on, but I was stopping you. I'm…sorry. If I could, I would destroy that house right now so that we can…move on together. I realize now that even I was holding on to it only because I thought you treasured it. I was wrong. I was…wrong."

As the Mayor also devolved into sobs after saying the final sentence, Liz finally spoke, making her presence known to the two who had forgotten about her.

"I can help with that.", she said in a calm tone before pressing a button on the table.

A projector dropped down from the ceiling and switched on, making an image appear on the screen on one end of the room.

As it became clear, the Mayor and his granddaughter gasped, recognizing it.

It was their old house, a building in the center of a square where 4 lanes intersected.

However, strangely, there was no foot-traffic, except for a few men here and there.

As both of them stared, unable to understand what Liz meant, she took out a small square box with a red button in the center.

Pushing it towards Betty who was sitting, she said, "That button will demolish the house. If you think you are ready to move on, press it together. I knew that you must have had things to talk about, so I arranged this meeting. My job is done."

Leaving these words, Liz left the room, leaving the two staring at the box with the button.

As they shared a look, small smiles broke out on both of their faces before looking towards the door through which Liz had just left.

How…was this woman so good?