Chapter 8
“James,” I asked, my voice calm but firm, “what exactly do you want?”
His manic energy seemed to settle slightly. His eyes bore into mine as he spoke,
“Laura, please… forgive me. Everything that happened in the past was my fault. Not a single day has gone by where I haven’t thought about you.”
Listening to his so–called confession, a wave of nausea rolled through me.
I had already said everything I needed to say the day I left.
“I don’t love you.”
James’s lips trembled. “Not even a little chance?”
The media smelled blood, their cameras clicking furiously as they tried to capture every word, every shift in my expression.
I sighed, deciding to pacify his madness–at least for now.
“After my speech, we’ll talk.”
We met at a nearby café.
The rich aroma of coffee filled the air, warm and inviting.
It had been so long since I allowed myself this kind of quiet moment–without work, without research,
without responsibilities pressing down on me.
James sat across from me, his eyes filled with nostalgia and regret.
Then, he started talking.
“Laura… after you left, I finally realized how much of a fool I was. How much of a bastard I was.”
“The one I love… has always been you. Only you.”
His voice was hoarse, pleading. “Can we…?”
These were words I had once longed to hear.
Back then, I would have given anything for him to say them.
18:45
Dating Two Years: He Still Wants The Inne Typ
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Chapter 8
But now?
“Absolutely not.”
Before he could finish, I cut him off.
“The past wasn’t all your fault,” I said, my tone indifferent. “I had my own mistakes too.”
“You saved me from my stepfather back then, and I was deeply grateful to you.”
“I was desperately searching for someone to rely on, which is why I mistook that feeling for love.”
“In these five years, I’ve thought a lot and understood a lot. Love isn’t gratitude, nor is it about blind indulgence.”
“Thank you for saving me back then, but I really don’t love you.”
“I’m sorry.”
I turned and walked away, no longer caring about the pain or breakdown behind me.
After saying everything, that heavy stone in my heart finally fell away.
The nightmare that had haunted me for so long was finally gone from my world, starting today.
My life finally returned to normal.
When work wasn’t too busy, I’d go visit my father, Victor Parker.
The country had rewarded me for my outstanding contributions over the years, and, unbeknownst to me, they had found my biological father.
That was when I learned he was the kind–hearted businessman who had helped me back then.
It seemed that luck and fate always appeared when least expected.
I realized that whether it was my career or my family, it was God’s way of rewarding me for those two painful years I wished to forget.
My father often mentioned James recently. At first, I thought it was because he pitied me and was simply reminiscing about the bastard who had once tormented me.
After all, James had relentlessly pursued me back then, and it was my father who had stepped in to drive him away.
But my father said it wasn’t just that. He had heard new rumors about James.
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Dating Two Years: He Still Wants The Inn CIN
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“Do you remember when he abandoned you and left with that delicate, fake woman?”
I smiled faintly and lowered my gaze. “I remember. Let’s not talk about it.”
Suddenly, my father scoffed. “That woman, after being abandoned, tried to win him back by drugging him with an overdose of aphrodisiacs.”
“She got drunk that night and dragged James to a nightclub, even bringing several escorts to entertain him. In the end, they ended up sending him to the hospital.”
“I heard he’s ruined for life now. It’s karma, really–he got destroyed in bed by his own woman.”
I had stopped hating Lily long ago, and instead, I felt pity for her.
People like James–it’s best to see through them early and leave. Every minute spent with him was a
waste of life.
Thinking he would ever marry her was nothing but naive.
I was lucky to wake up in time and leave.
Lily, who had dragged him into that mess, was the one who ended up miserable.
The sunset slowly dipped behind the treetops, casting a golden glow on the railing of the villa’s
second–floor terrace.
I stared at the two birds in the distance, watching them for a long while before murmuring to myself, “Right, it’s not that the revenge hasn’t come. It’s just that the time hasn’t arrived yet.”
95.8%
Dating Two Years: He Still Wants The Innoce Typ
