Chapter 68
Now, the situation had reversed. Dorian was in so much pain he could hardly breathe. He couldn’t imagine how Lila had endured such heart-wrenching agony at the time.
“Lila, it’s my fault. I was so foolish. I had the best person in the world, yet I didn’t know how to cherish you.”
He held her hand tightly, resting his forehead on her palm. His attitude was sincere and reverent, like a repentant sinner.
Feeling the warmth and dampness in her palm, Lila turned her gaze toward Dorian. His head was bowed low, and his shoulders slightly trembled.
“Lila, please don’t be mad at me anymore, okay?”
Even though it was midsummer, his fingertips felt cold.
He looked so pathetic. Even during the hardest times they had faced together, she had never seen him like this before.
This was her boyfriend of five years. She had loved him deeply for three, been accumulating disappointment for two, and ripped him out of her heart in just one afternoon.
But she was miserable too, deeply wounded and still bleeding.
What struck her as odd was that, even with his heartfelt apology, she felt no satisfaction. Nothing at all. No sadness, no joy.
It was like watching a play that had nothing to do with her.
She blinked and said calmly, “Dorian, I don’t love you anymore, so there’s no point in being angry.”
His breath caught for a moment. “Lila, don’t say things you don’t mean.”
“From now on, I won’t make a fuss with you anymore. I won’t ask you to only look at me, so you can stand beside anyone you want.”
Lila had been hurt many times when she saw Dorian standing next to Zara. It was hard to look at, and her chest tightened with pain.
Now she could tell him to be with someone else without a second thought.
Dorian was shaken to his core. It felt like his heart was being ripped open, making it hard to breathe.
“There’s no one else, only you. Lila, it’s only ever been you. I just want you.
Lila was beautiful, and she loved him deeply. Aside from the occasional temper, she had always been everything Dorian had ever wanted.
He had never thought about truly breaking up with her.
Lila’s long lashes fluttered lightly, like a dragonfly skimming the surface of the water, stirring a ripple of delicate waves.
She stayed silent for a long time.
Long enough for Dorian’s legs to go numb before she finally spoke, “So, are you trying to force me?”
His body stiffened, and he quickly responded, “No, I’m not forcing you. I’ll wait until you’re no longer angry, okay?”
Lila turned her head away, refusing to look at him or even respond.
She had said everything, and there was nothing left for her to feel guilty about in this relationship.
Whatever Dorian thought or wanted to do no longer mattered to her.
Realizing that she had completely shut him off, Dorian stared at her, his eyes reddened with a mix of frustration and despair.
“Lila, please, just look at me. How could you stop loving me?
“Even Mrs. Foster told me that when you said you wanted to break up, you had already made up your mind. But I don’t believe it.
“I know you’re just angry. Otherwise, why would you go back to Mount Shasta after the breakup?”
Lila frowned. The reason she had returned to Mount Shasta that day was to sever their bond by breaking their destiny talisman.
But right now, she had no desire to talk to him anymore. Not even an explanation.
Dorian didn’t get angry when she didn’t respond. Just imagining how she had been alone in a foreign country, facing possible death from illness, made him realize how much resentment she held.
He knew he was at fault.
It didn’t matter if she denied loving him now. He would go Mount Shasta himself, retrieve the evidence, and wear the sandalwood bracelet again.
When he returned with all his sincerity, Lila would surely be moved, and they could go back to how things were.
Just as Dorian sorted out his thoughts, his phone suddenly rang.
Seeing Zara’s name on the screen, he frowned and instinctively glanced at Lila who was lying on the hospital bed, her gaze calm and distant.