Chapter 13
It wasn’t until the next morning that Bryce finally woke up. The moment he moved, pain shot through his entire body, making every muscle ache.
Yelena was resting right beside him. When she noticed he was awake, her face brightened with relief.
“Bryce, you’re finally awake! I’ve been so worried about you. Are you still hurting anywhere?”
She looked concerned, but Bryce felt only bitter irony as he turned his head away. He didn’t want to look at her or say anything in response. Seeing his coldness, Yelena’s eyes grew misty, and her voice took on a trembling, almost pleading tone as she reached out to hold his hand. “I’m sorry, Bryce. I know you hate me, but I really had no choice. I had to say those things.
“I’ve always just been the Daltons‘ adopted daughter. If I ever made a mistake, Dad would have thrown me out right away, but you’re different. When you made a mistake, Dad only hit you. He never said a word about kicking you out.
“Bryce, after you passed out, Dad immediately started making arrangements for me to get married. If he really sends me away, we’ll never have another chance. Please, just listen to me this once and bring Yara back. Only if she returns will Dad be satisfied, and then we can go back to how things were.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks while she spoke.
Although Bryce had been deeply wounded by her words before, his heart softened. He had spoiled her for so many years, and he couldn’t help but give in when he heard about the arranged marriage.
He squeezed her hand tightly and said, “Even if I get disowned or cut off from the family, I could still take care of you. Lena, why won’t you give me a chance? “You know, ever since I turned 18 years old, I’ve dreamed about marrying you. I even designed your wedding dress and ring, thinking about the day you’d wear them and finally become my bride. Lena, I really don’t want to be apart from you.”
He took out his phone and showed her the designs he had carefully saved over the years–an exquisite wedding gown and a sparkling ring that was worth a fortune. He laid them out in front of her. Yelena, overwhelmed with emotion, threw herself into his arms.
“I know, Bryce, I know, but right now it’s just not possible…” she cried out, her voice muffled against his shoulder.
As she sobbed, Bryce’s heart ached for her and he forgot his earlier anger. He hugged her tightly and, with great difficulty, promised, “Alright, I’ll do what you want. I’ll go find Yara.”
Yelena finally stopped crying when she heard him say that, but Bryce added immediately, “But you can’t marry anyone. Lena, you have to stay with me. I can’t lose you That’s as much as I can compromise.”
She managed a smile through her tears, her cheeks blushing as she leaned forward and kissed him for the very first time.
“Of course, I’ll never leave you, Bryce. I’ll always be with you, even if we can’t be together openly. I’ll stay by your side, no matter what.”
Hearing her promise made Bryce’s expression soften even more. His deep eyes stayed fixed on Yelena, and despite the pain in his body, he pulled her close. He was just about to kiss her back when Yelena stopped him, her face turning even redder.
“You’re still hurt, Bryce. Let me take care of you tonight.”
Bryce’s eyes grew dark and his breathing quickened.
Before long, the room filled with the sound of quiet moans.
Since Richard was watching them closely, neither of them dared take things too far. After a while, Yelena slipped away, and Bryce gathered his thoughts.
He went to Richard and adinitted his mistakes, promising to bring Yara back. Only then did Richard look satisfied.
“Eryce, you have to understand, everything I do is for you. Has Yara ever treated you badly? Even when you ignored her, she never did anything to embarrass our family. Whenever you were sick, wasn’t it always Yara taking care of you?
“Yelena is just our adopted daughter. She doesn’t know how to do anything right, so how could she ever be with you?”
Bryce almost argued back, but the words caught in his throat.
He thought about how Yara had left. Maybe she had already figured out everything between him and Yelena, but she had never confronted him. Instead, she had chosen to quietly walk away.
With too many emotions swirling in his mind, Bryce could only keep it all inside and quietly agree to everything
