Chapter 17
Reflecting on recent events, Blake realized that since Charlotte had left, he’d been desperately nostalgic for the past. Even with Madeline by his side, he felt no happiness-instead, he resented her for spreading lies.
The deeper he thought, the more unavoidably he missed Charlotte.
He missed her gentleness at home, the concerned look on her face when she cared for him, her shy demeanor in bed. His heart raced as if discovering something momentous, becoming increasingly lost in his memories.
But Charlotte was gone.
Suddenly, he clutched his chest as a searing pain tore through it.
He finally realized he had fallen in love with Charlotte long ago.
He didn’t answer Madeline’s question, but his expression revealed everything.
Madeline’s emotions shifted from hurt to suspicion, and finally to outrage.
she couldn’t stand the thought of losing someone she considered hers, especially to Charlotte whom she had previously looked down on!
she lost control, screaming hysterically:
You said I was the only one you loved! What are you saying now? Have you fallen for her? Tell me!”
‘aced with Madeline’s relentless questioning. Blake’s mind was in chaos, leaving him deeply silent.
ut Madeline was accustomed to being adored. The more she was ignored, the more she hated Charlotte. She violently threw something, creating such disturbance that the media who had just left began returning.
hey raised their cameras and microphones again, discussing loudly among themselves:
What’s happening? Didn’t Miss Grant say Mr. Hayes and Miss Wells weren’t in love?”
Was everything we just heard a lie? Mr. Hayes, could you please give us a reasonable explanation?”
Mr. Hayes, is it true, as Miss Grant claimed, that you don’t love Miss Wells at all?*
s the cameras drew closer and Madeline continued pressuring him, Blake realized that if he admitted to loving Charlotte, Madeline would ndoubtedly be disgraced.
ut why should he care? Thinking of all the grievances Charlotte had suffered, he clenched his fists tightly.
at his breaking point, his gaze toward Madeline no longer held any of the love it once had. He completely failed to understand how he could have ever iked someone so unreasonable, selfish, and willful-someone who had driven Charlotte away!
With this realization, Blake could no longer contain himself. His eyes reddened as he responded:
You’re right. I do like Charlotte. I’ve fallen in love with her! You were gone for so long-Charlotte was the one who spent these years with me. Madeline, what right do you have to speak about her like that?!”
He shouted, his expression dark and intimidating, frightening Madeline. She trembled involuntarily, tears welling in her eyes, but still maintained her
lefiance in front of the media:
“Who does she think she is…”
SLAP!
Before she could finish, Blake raised his hand and delivered a hard slap across her face. The sharp sound left Madeline in shock-he had actually hit
her.
Chapter 17
The tears that had been threatening to fall now streamed down her face. Madeline no longer cared about her image in front of the cameras and began crying, flailing her hands wildly.
“You hit me! Blake Hayes, you actually hit me! You were the one who kept saying you loved me, and now you hit me for Charlotte! You’re already
divorced from her!”
But her struggles were futile. Having recognized his true feelings, Blake looked at her as if she were utterly repulsive. He grabbed her hands and slapped her again without mercy.
The loud impact made Madeline’s head jerk to the side, her face immediately swelling. But the anger in the man’s eyes didn’t diminish. His words
were ice cold:
‘Charlotte suffered far worse than this. What’s a slap compared to that? I want you to apologize to her!”
The man’s gaze was detached. If he had felt any softness toward her before, now even that slight hesitation was gone.
Now he only found her disgusting. He couldn’t believe he had done so many things for her, continuously hurting Charlotte.
le pushed through the crowd of reporters, ignoring the hysterical crying behind him, and left the hospital room to return to the villa.
harlotte was all he could think about now. Once he admitted his love for her, he realized how terribly wrong he had been all along.
n their four years together, he had already become dependent on her, yet refused to acknowledge it. Only after completely losing her did he ecognize his regret.
1 this moment, Blake finally understood what it meant to have his heart cut like a knife. He couldn’t bear it anymore and cried out in agony, wishing e could go back and ask his past self: Your heart clearly felt reluctant to let her go-why did you do nothing?
le sat desolately in the villa all night, absorbing the last bit of Charlotte’s warmth. Only when daylight came did he break down and weep.
le would never find Charlotte again.
