Chapter 22
I walked through the rows of shops inside the mall, enjoying my free time before getting busy with wedding preparations again. I wasn’t in a hurry, just enjoying the atmosphere in the company of some of Caius‘ men. It’s very redundant, but I can’t refuse for security
reasons.
Meanwhile, he was with Lucas somewhere and I had no idea. Caius said it was a man’s secret.
As I walk past a jewelry boutique, my eyes are drawn to a ring displayed in the window. Not because I was interested, but because it reminded me of something in the past.
I smiled and shook my head. In retrospect, I was a fool to have lasted that long.
“Do you want this, Miss?” one of Caius‘ men asked.
“No, I didn’t. I was just watching,” I replied, continuing to smile.
As I turned around, a voice I hadn’t heard in a long time stopped me.
“Althea.”
My body froze. That was impossible. How could she have found me?
I slowly turned my head and sure enough, he was there.
Damien stood a few steps away from me, looking at me with an expression that was hard to interpret. His face looked crumpled, not like usual, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
Some of the men swiftly moved closer to me with suspicious glances, as if Damien was a threat.
I straightened my shoulders, bracing myself. “Oh, Damien. What are you doing here?” I asked, looking casual.
He swallowed, as if gathering his courage before replying, “I need to talk to you.”
I raised both eyebrows and didn’t take my eyes off him at all. “About what? Just tell me.”
He looked at me, then said softly, “Can we talk for a while? Just the two of us.”
“Sorry, Damien. I can’t. If you want to talk, you can do it here. I don’t want my future husband to misunderstand,” I replied calmly.
Damien looked at the men beside me. He seemed to have no choice and finally said, “I know everything now. I know that I have misjudged you.”
I chuckled. “No need to feel guilty, Damien,” I said casually.
Damien’s POV.
I clasped my hands, feeling increasingly cornered by Althea’s cold gaze. But I couldn’t back down now.
“I only found out after seeing the CCTV footage at home. I saw everything, Althea. Selene… she threw herself into the swimming pool. She poured hot coffee on her own hands. She was the one who manipulated all this time,” I explained everything to Althea and hoped she
understood
Chanter 22
2/3 86.7%
13.00
VVEU, 20 way
understood.
Althea’s gaze remained cold. “So it’s only now that you trust me, Damien?”
I paused. I did. I was so stupid for never trusting her before.
I looked down, letting my memory go back to when I saw the tape for the first time.
73%
A few weeks after Althea left, I sat in the living room alone. The house felt so lonely without her.
I glanced at the corner of the room, where several security cameras were installed. All this time, I never really cared about the footage.
However, something inside me said that I should check it out.
With an uncertain feeling, I opened the footage of the days before Althea’s departure.
And there, I saw it.
I saw how Selene herself pushed her body into the swimming pool when she realized I was coming.
I saw how she poured coffee on her own hands, before throwing herself on the floor in tears.
I saw how she smiled with satisfaction when I took her side and blamed Althea.
My hands trembled on the keyboard: I was fooled. It was then that I left Selene and no longer believed in anything that happened to her.
I had hurt the woman who loved me, just because I was too blind to see the truth.
At that time, I wanted to find Althea and apologize. However, she was already gone. I was too late.
I looked for her at the hospital, at the places she used to go, but no one knew where she had gone.
And now, after all this time, I finally found her again.
***
I looked back at Althea who was still standing in front of me, her expression remaining unchanged.
“I know nothing can erase my mistakes,” I said, trying to hold back the turmoil in my chest. “But I want you to know, that I am truly sorry.”
Althea stared at me silently before finally asking, “Are you sorry for losing me, or for knowing that you were deceived?”
I was stunned. I opened my mouth, but no words could come out.
Althea smiled slightly, then said softly, “Never mind, Damien. Didn’t we have any relationship all this time? Isn’t that what you always say in front of everyone? So, don’t ever come to see me again for something completely unimportant like this!”
Then, without looking back, she walked away followed by several well–built men, leaving
Chanter 22
