“Three years ago, Yan Huo came to Yanfeng and met you. When you were with him, you were completely different,” he recalled. “You were very compatible. Perhaps no one else was truly in your heart, only him…”
“Do you really love him?” he asked, and I began to understand.
“Actually, I’m not quite…”
He seemed not to hear me and continued, “If I hadn’t found a way to make him return to the country early, you might have actually been with him. Moreover, I stopped him from communicating with you, completely cutting off your connection.”
I blinked, anticipating what he would say next. Was he about to say something sweet?
“I knew I couldn’t wait any longer, so even though I knew you had someone else in your heart, I still proposed to the Xiao family.” He pursed his lips, the previous blush fading to a pale complexion. “On our wedding night… I knew you were unwilling, but I still—”
His voice was somewhat obscure.
I had never tried to understand everything from his perspective like I did now. He believed I truly loved Yan Huo and must have struggled internally. Yet, he ultimately decided to intervene. On our wedding night, he thought my heart belonged to another but still went through with the marriage. This became a knot in his heart, brewing into a strong, aged vinegar.
No wonder his expression was strange that wedding night, looking at the bed’s red traces. The emotions swirling in his heart were hard to distinguish—more guilt or more joy.
“You’ll understand eventually,” he lowered his eyelids, his upturned eye corners about to take flight. “Blame me if you want, but I don’t regret doing this.”
After the wedding, he didn’t know how to face me.
He thought I hated him for forcing me to marry, while I believed he resented me for refusing his proposal. Our relationship had been awkwardly tense for over a year.
Just this misunderstanding made us walk on eggshells. What was the point?
He looked at me with a martyr-like expression. “That’s how things are.”
“Mm.” I nodded. “Well said.”
He studied my expression. “That’s it?”
“Uh— I understand.”
“You—understand?” His words seemed forced.
Now should come the sweet talk, right? I looked at him expectantly.
He seemed uncomfortable. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
