15
“I’m sorry, Dad. I know I was wrong.” Cyril sobbed, his swollen eyes barely able to open. have insulted you or hit you…”
“I know
w you al
At last, he understood the pain Dimitry must have felt when Cyril pushed him, causing him to hit his head.
Dmitry, my son and I have wronged you deeply,” Dalena said, her voice trembling, her eyes rimmed with redness. “We took your kindness for granted. We’ve woken up now. Fabio has been punished, and we’ve learned our lesson.”
“Can we start over? Build a new life together?”
en for granted
granted.
The once–arrogant heiress of the Brown Family was now bowing her head to admit her mistakes to the man she had taken
But Dmitry didn’t hesitate for even a second.
“No.”
“Why?”
Dalena’s eyes widened in shock. “Did you never love me? Not even a little?”
“No,” Dmitry replied flatly, his voice devoid of emotion.
“All the things I did for you–everything was part of the contract.”
“I’m just an ordinary man. What right did I have to marry into a wealthy family, to win the love of a high–born heiress, or to compete with your first love?”
someone like me deserves.”
“Love? That’s not something some
His cold words were like daggers, piercing Dalena’s heart.
She stared at the man in front of her, feeling as if the air had been sucked from her hings.
The Dmitry who had once looked at her with endless affection, who had always greeted her with a smile, now wouldn’t even spare her a glance.
She had never seen him like this before
How deeply had she and Cyril hurt him?
“Dmitry, L.”
Dalena tried to say more, but Dmitry turned his back to her, leaving only two final sentences behind
“I never loved you then, now, or ever.”
“The contract has ended. Let’s just treat it all as a farce.”
Dmitry
y took Quinn’s hand and walked back toward their home. The little girl looked back at Dalena and Cyril one last time.
Dalena and Cyril stood there, speechless, their faces pale with despair.
When the door shut behind Dmitry, it felt as though two entirely separate worlds had been created.
Inside, the warm glow of the home enveloped Dmitry and Quinn as they laughed and shared a hearty meal
Outside, Dalena and Cyril were left in the encroaching darkness, their last shred of light extinguished.
From that day on, Dmitry would often find gifts left outside his door, topped with fresh roses,
He would chuckle lightly and toss the flowers into the trash.
Dalena still didn’t understand he didn’t like roses with thorns.
No matter how beautiful they appeared, they were impossible to approach.
The rest of the gifts remained untouched until a week later, when Dalena returned yet again.
All she did was apologize, over and over. Dmitry, now thoroughly annoyed, finally called the police.
“Ma’am, your visa has expired. You must be deported,” the officer informed her.
“Additionally, due to your repeated harassment of Mr. Dauitry, future visa applications will require his explicit consent.”
Dalena had no choice but to return to her country, defeated
Without Dmitry, life for Dalena and Cyril grew increasingly bleak
