16
Perhaps it was the weight of everything that had happened in the past few days, but finally, my body and mind found a moment of peace here.
Clutching my parents‘ photo, I drifted off, the exhaustion of everything catching up with me, and I unknowingly fell asleep on the couch.
It wasn’t until the evening that a sharp knock at the door jolted me awake
I thought it might be the neighbors needing something urgent, so I opened the door, only to find Mathias standing there, his eyes shadowed with fatigue.
Without thinking, I instinctively took a step back, preparing to shut the door, but Mathias was faster. He pressed
his arm against the gap, stopping me
I
I pushed with everything I had, the door straining against him. His arm left a red line as I shoved, but he was. unbothered, simply forcing his way in.
As soon as he was through, he grabbed my hand, his forearm straining with the effort.
“Irene, have you had enough of this?” he demanded.
I couldn’t stop the bitter laugh that bubbled up, anger mixing with disbelief.
“Mathias, you’re the one trespassing, and you’re asking me if I’ve had enough? Are you out of your mind?”
In the heat of the moment, I executed the arm lock he had once shown me.
Caught off guard, it was perfect, leaving him struggling in my grip.
Mathias stumbled back, thrown off balance by the force I applied, his hand scrambling for the table to steady
himself
Yet, his eyes never left me, his gaze intense, as if he were ready to consume me whole.
“Isn’t this just because you’re angry that I left you alone in the hotel, so you found some man to provoke me?”
“Fine, I forgive you now.”
Rejected and Abandoned, Chuck the light Man found M
A patronizing smile twisted on his lips.
“As long as you come back with me, I won’t hold anything against you.”
He spoke like some noble figure, the picture of grace and forgiveness.
But why in the world would I need his forgiveness?
And why on earth would I ever go back with him?
Did he think I was some kind of masochist desperate for his approval?
I couldn’t help but sneer, my voice dripping with disgust.
“You drugged me, threw me into the bed of some vile man notorious for abusing others, and now you stand
there, pretending to be some noble figure, asking me to accept your forgiveness?”
I took a step back, cold fury in my tone.
“Don’t project your own twisted mind onto me. Not everyone’s a masochist.”
Mathias froze, caught off guard by the force of my words.
“What drugging?”
“It was you who threw a tantrum, pushing Nathalia into Liam’s bed. I had to step in and teach you a lesson,” he muttered, growing defensive.
“When did I drug you?”
His voice faltered.
“Anytime you screamed, the bodyguards would’ve rushed in to save you. So why were you with another man…
I could see the realization dawn on him, but it did nothing to break my resolve.
“You know exactly what your bodyguards did to me
I felt the sting of it again, but I wasn’t going to back down now.
“You set up those cameras, didn’t you? You were waiting for me to be ruined. Your plan failed, and now you’re pulling another trick, aren’t you?”
He stammered, trying to defend himself, “I didn’t… I never…”
“Enough!”
I cut him off, my voice sharp, unable to hide the exhaustion and disgust that surged through me. Watching the man I once loved crumble before me, all I could feel was an overwhelming sense of regret, I regret wasting ten years of my life on someone like him.
“It doesn’t matter what you do; I’ve completely given up on you,” I said, my voice cold and final
“From now on, bridges are bridges, roads are roads. We have no connection left.”
Mathias froze, his eyes betraying a flicker of confusion like a defeated lion struggling to find his footing.
But then, as his gaze swept over the house behind me, something changed. His eyes lit up, his voice almost
desperate.
“Impossible!”
“Irene, I know you’re just angry.”
“You can’t just let go of a house you’ve lived in for ten years, a house you’ve put your heart and soul into could you walk away from it now, after everything we’ve shared?”
“How could you forget how much you loved me, how much you needed me?”
“Maybe I’ve neglected you because of Nathalia, but…”
