Claim Me Captain! I'm Addicted to You!-Chapter 420: No More Distance (5)

Oliver’s POV

"One night, after we filed the case, we were celebrating in a parking lot. Then armed men attacked us. Avner moved first—God, he was fast. A shootout broke out. He shielded me... he took the bullet meant for me."

My breath caught.

"I shot back," Benjamin said hoarsely. "I didn’t even realize until later that the man I hit was Marco Gambino; it was me who killed him, not Declan, unlike what the report says."

His tears fell freely now.

"Everything happened so fast. And then Declan, your father—he was hit too."

The room spun around me. I gripped the sheets, trying to breathe past the pressure building in my chest.

"I tried," Benjamin whispered. "I tried to save them both. I dragged them to my car, drove like a madman to the hospital. But Avner... he didn’t make it. Declan... lived for a few hours before passing in the ICU."

My vision blurred. My father. My grandfather. Their deaths weren’t senseless misfortunes; they were sacrifices. They died protecting a friend. Protecting justice.

"I was with Declan when he died," Benjamin said, clutching his chest like he was holding the memory against his heart. "He made me swear... to take care of his children."

I bit down on my lip so hard it hurt.

"It took me time to find you," he continued. "Because his wife made sure I couldn’t. When I finally did, your mother was already institutionalized. You and your sisters were living with your aunt—barely surviving."

He exhaled, shaking.

"So I did what I could. Quietly. Hidden. I made sure your aunt and uncle kept their jobs. I secured your scholarships because Declan wanted his kids to grow up knowing the reward of hard work. I watched you from afar, proud of everything you achieved. Promising your father that I wouldn’t fail you the way I failed him."

His voice collapsed on the last words.

And I... I couldn’t breathe.

Everything I hated him for. Everything I blamed him for. Every memory of suffering, every ounce of resentment... was suddenly crushed under the weight of the truth:

He wasn’t my enemy.

He was a man drowning in guilt, carrying the ghosts of the two men I loved most. I thought I was already righteous because I forgave him for the sake of my peace and for Nick, but I was not. He was grieving, just like me, maybe even more than me.

And I had never been more heartbroken in my life.

Benjamin inhaled shakily, as if the next part was the one that had been haunting him the most.

"But then... right after their deaths," he whispered, "my father had his lawyer retract the lawsuit. He accepted the money the Gambinos offered and distributed it to Violet, to Avner’s wife, to Declan’s wife. And I—I didn’t argue."

His voice cracked.

"I didn’t fight. Not because I believed they deserved that silence, but because I was terrified. Terrified that if I kept pushing, the remaining Gambinos would come after my family... or Declan’s children."

My breath hitched. I hadn’t realized I was holding it.

Benjamin dragged a hand down his face, shame weighing down every movement.

"So I let them blame Avner and Declan, for Marco’s death. They can’t imprison dead men anyway," he continued, voice trembling.

"Avner’s wife begged me to drop it. She wanted peace, more than justice. She knew what the Gambinos were capable of, and she didn’t want another coffin in her home. I should’ve fought harder, but instead... I protected the living by burying the dead."

He looked up at me then, and something inside me twisted painfully.

"I am ashamed of what I did. But I am not sorry for trying to keep everyone alive." His eyes softened with raw regret. "My only true regret was not telling you sooner. You were a smart boy... and I should’ve trusted that. I thought you’d forget with time, that you’d grow up, build a new life, and leave the past behind."

He shook his head, tears gathering in his lashes.

"I didn’t know you would dig into it," he whispered. "I didn’t know the silence I thought was protecting you would instead shape you—push you into revenge, into pain, into all this darkness you carried alone. I’m so sorry, Oliver. I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But please... punish me instead of punishing yourself."

His voice broke completely on the last word.

And I—God—I couldn’t speak. My throat was burning, my chest felt too tight, and yet the tears just kept spilling out of me, warm and unstoppable. When I glanced around, everyone in the room had tears in their eyes—Georgia wiping her cheeks, Prudence holding her breath, Liam and Ella frozen in shock, Nick leaning forward like he wanted to reach for me.

But all I could do was stare at Benjamin.

This man I had hated. This man I had blamed. This man, who had been carrying a mountain of guilt, while I carried a mountain of grief.

And suddenly, all those years of resentment felt unbearably heavy.

And unbearably small. Slowly, all of that hatred faded... Years of plotting revenge were suddenly pointless.

While everyone else cried, Benjamin wasn’t finished—not even close. I could see it in the way his shoulders tightened, in the way he swallowed hard before speaking again. The air in the room felt thick, heavy, waiting.

"I also knew about you and Vicky..." he said quietly.

I froze.

Every muscle in my body locked. Even my breath stopped.

"I knew you were using her to get back at me," Benjamin continued, and the entire room seemed to jolt. "Your grandmother came to me after she was diagnosed with dementia. She said you were planning your revenge... and she begged me to distance myself from you."

My blood ran cold.

No. No, no, no—

"But by the time she told me," he whispered, "it was too late. You were already close to Nick, and Vicky..." He looked at his daughter—his fierce, furious, brokenhearted daughter. "She was head over heels in love with you."

Vicky’s breath hitched. Everyone else went dead still.

"So I let you stay with us," Benjamin finished softly. "Because I didn’t want to destroy them—Nick and Vicky—by taking you out of their lives."

Silence exploded in the room.

Even our tears stopped. Like every emotion had slammed on the brakes at the exact same moment. My chest tightened painfully, my stomach twisting.

He knew.

He knew everything.

He knew from the beginning.

And he still let me stay.

I didn’t know what hurt more—the shame burning through me or the relief clawing its way up my throat.

Vicky stared at her father, speechless.

But I... I felt myself unravel completely.

Benjamin had known all along.

And he still trusted me with his children.

He still let me love them.

He still let me love her.

My heart felt like it was cracking open.

******

Thank you for the Golden Ticket!

Edna_R2679