Chapter 22!!
The café’s air felt dense with tension as Troy sat quietly, slowly stirring his coffee. “Give her back to me.”
Xander’s gaze snapped up, a slight frown tugging at his lips. ‘Give her back? You think this is a matter of just handing her over?”
“I’d trade anything.” Troy said, his words thick with regret. “The shares of my company, all my assets–everything I have, just to get her back.”
Xander’s eyes narrowed slightly. He could see the desperation in Troy’s stance, the way his posture seemed to collapse under the weight of his regret. “Anything? Even your sister’s apology? You think that will fix things?”
Troy winced at the mention of his sister but didn’t waver. “Yes,” he muttered. “T’d do anything. Just to make things right”
Xander’s lips curled into a thin, cold smile. He put his coffee down, his gaze now entirely focused on Troy. “Don’t you understand yet? Thalia isn’t some possession to be traded or bargained for. She’s a woman–a person, with emotions, with the capacity to love and to feel pain.”
Xander stood up, towering over Troy now. “You had her once, but you ruined it. You destroyed her trust, and now, it’s my turn to be with her. As for you, you can keep your guilt. Live with it. Because you’ve lost her.”
Troy sat there, stunned into silence, watching Xander walk away. His mind raced back to the past, remembering when he had pushed Thalia away–again and again–every time she came to him. How had he not realized what he had before it was gone??
Troy couldn’t escape the haunting image of Thalia with Xander. He had tried everything–arranging meetings, sending messages, even going as far as showing up at her apartment late at night–but nothing had worked. She was gone. All he received were cold glances from the world around him. The lights in her windows always remained distant, cold, and unreachable.
Then, one moming, Troy found himself standing outside her door. He waited until she appeared.
Im going back to the States for a while, Troy said, his voice low and rough. “There’s business to take care of. But I will be back.“8
Thalia didn’t respond immediately. She turned her head slightly, barely meeting his eyes, before she spoke. “Have a safe trip.”
He didn’t give up. “I’ll be back,” he repeated stubbornly, his voice desperate. I’ll come back when everything’s settled ”
Then, his eyes softened just enough, and he extended a small velvet box towards her. “Wait for me.”
Thalia didn’t take the box right away. When she did, she opened it slowly. Inside was a brand–new wedding ring, engraved with their initials: “T&T.‘ The warmth from his touch lingered in the cold metal, and for a moment, memories of the past flooded her mind.!!
But before she could react. Troy tumed and walked away. Thalia threw the ring. She was really done with him and hoped he would never come back.
Then, Troy came back to the estate. As soon as he opened the door, his stepsister, Bianca threw herself into his arms. This is the business he needed to settle, since he beard that Bianca had ran away from her husband.}
“I regret it… I really regret it,” she sobbed into his chest, clinging to him like a drowning person. “I don’t want to be your stepsister anymore. I just want you…. please
Troy’s heart ached, but he pushed her away gently. “Go back. This isn’t the place for you anymore. I don’t want to see you ever again.”
Then, suddenly, someone entered the room–an old man. Bianca’s husband Troy called to bring back Bianca because he was sure he didn’t care about Bianca anymore. Just Thalia, even though she’d moved on.
