Chapter 118
“Mr. Dehart, what are you doing…?”
“I’m sorry.”
It was then that Dehart realized. From the very beginning, he never had the right to decide.
He had only struggled to delay facing the inevitable fate, following Sebelia’s choices as best as he could. Dehart knew he had boxed himself into a corner. It was only now, with no way to look back, that he could face the reality before him.
There was nowhere left to run.
“I’m sorry, Sebelia.”
His voice, strained with agony, was drowned out by his ragged breaths. But that alone was enough. The change in tone, his desperate manner, and finally, calling her true name.
Sebelia’s blue eyes froze like ice.
“You…”
You had remembered everything. Without speaking it aloud, her words hung in the air, and Dehart nodded with tearful eyes.
“Yes, I don’t deserve to answer your question. I’ve never forgotten the past, nor have I ever been content to live in the present and build a new future.”
“…”
“There’s never been a moment where I was not Dehart Inverness.”
His distorted golden eyes looked up at Sebelia. The cold, icy blue of her eyes met his burning, molten gold. And in that moment, Sebelia felt an unwanted shiver.
That chilling sensation, making her heart tremble, was nothing but pure exhilaration.
No.
This shouldn’t be happening. Sebelia tried to keep her composure. Was it because of Dehart’s sudden confession? She could feel a violent storm stirring inside her.
I’m not angry because he lied to me.
After all, she hadn’t had any real expectations from him. Whether he had amnesia or not, she had already decided to do what she needed to do.
But the problem was the emotions that kept confusing her, feelings that didn’t obey reason.
Dehart Inverness was no longer the innocent young man she once thought he was. The husband who had neglected, scorned, and ignored her was right before her. Just that fact alone made her feel as though she was becoming Sebelia Inverness, not Bella.
The emotions from that time—the resentment, the anger—whirled inside her, setting her chest ablaze.
“Ha.”
This is why… this is why I tried to leave before he regained his memory.
Sebelia closed her eyes, placing her hands on her knees. She tried to calm the trembling breath, to manage the fury that seemed about to burst from her throat.
The moment felt like an eternity for Dehart, but eventually, Sebelia’s cold, blue eyes opened again. Her gaze, as frigid and unforgiving as a winter sea, poured down upon him.
He groaned.
“Sebelia…”
“No, don’t call me that.”
Sebelia shook her head and spoke calmly.
“You’ve deceived and lied to me through every moment we’ve shared, but I’ve never once done the same.”
“But I—”
“Unlike you, I’ve never once been Sebelia Inverness.”
She wasn’t the unfortunate and pitiable Sebelia Inverness, but Bella, someone full of hope for the future. That was the identity she had chosen.
“So don’t call me by that name. The person you’re looking for is already dead. She can never come back to life, nor can she return to your side.”
The words fell mercilessly like sharp ice. In an instant, Dehart’s composure shattered completely.
“Sebelia! No, Bella. I’ll call you however you want me to. Just please, don’t say that you’re dead.”
Don’t say that you’re dead to me. Without realizing, Dehart reached for the edge of her clothes. He nearly begged her, clinging to her. But Sebelia calmly reached out and removed his hand from her clothes. Their gazes naturally locked in the air.
“Ah.”
A soft gasp escaped Dehart’s lips as he saw himself slipping away from her smooth, pale blue eyes. He realized that his pleas would never reach her.
Just as he had ignored her cries when she had called out in anguish before.
As he remained engulfed in his bitter realization, Sebelia straightened her posture. Dehart’s empty gaze turned upwards to her.
“When we first met, I clearly told you, Mr. Dehart. To call me Bella.”
Her calm voice fell like a death sentence. Dehart froze in his position, still kneeling before her.
From the beginning, my fate was sealed.
With no more way to escape, Dehart had to face the reality, pierced by the pain that stabbed at his heart. She truly wanted to leave behind the life of Sebelia Inverness.
Everything connected to that life, including him.
He muttered softly with his head bowed.
“Does that mean I can never call you Sebelia again?”
“Yes.”
“Even if I kneel like this?”
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