A Journey from Bitterness to Truth

Adrian scooped himself a spoonful of pudding, then paused to gaze across the table at Matilda, whose complexion still bore a hint of pallor. “You look like you’re under the weather,” he said with concern.

Matilda hesitated, her lips quivering, struggling to form her words. “My brother… he passed away.”

“My condolences,” Adrian replied, his movements freezing for a moment. He set down his spoon and reached across to gently pat Matilda’s damp hair, then resumed his casual posture. “So, you’re upset because of your brother’s departure?”

“No… it’s not that.”

As warmth returned to Matilda’s body, so did the surge of emotions, overwhelming her as she stared into her cup of coffee. The unfamiliar kindness made her want to cry.

Outside, the rain persisted, sounding like a tidal wave ready to breach the walls and swallow her whole.

Matilda felt as if her heart was still out in the rain, uncollected, bleeding and aching non–stop.

And then, tears dropped into her coffee.

She quickly lifted her head and pulled away from the mug, her body trembling slightly. “It’s okay.”

“I can’t give up… I can’t die… Not yet, not when I still have Logan… It would be too cruel to leave Logan behind” she thought.

Matilda fought back her tears while Adrian had already ceased eating, watching the woman in front of him who was being strong to the point of breaking his heart.

Who had driven her to such a state of forced resilience? Was it reality. Yvan, or herself?

Adrian pulled his thoughts back and pretended not to notice Matilda’s lapse. “I’ve lost someone very important to me as well.

“How important?” Matilda asked instinctively.

Adrian chuckled softly as if it was of no consequence, but his eyes were clearly filled with sorrow. “Important enough that when I lost her, I was so filled with regret that I felt like dying too, just like you. In the end, I did something desperate, and not even five years behind bars could bring things back to the way they were.”

Matilda stared at Adrian, taken aback, and then said softly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories for you.”

“How can you call them painful memories?” Adrian said as he took Matilda’s coffee and stirred

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it with a spoon. “To me, even the loss has become something beautiful.”

There’s a kind of love that seeps into your bones, one where even if you end up with nothing, anything related to her is still something to cherish.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you as the sentimental type.” Matilda tried to lighten the mood with a joke. “It doesn’t quite match your rugged exterior.”

After all, Adrian had the look of a man who was more about living in the moment than dwellingNôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

on the past.

Adrian watched Matilda with an intense gaze for a long while before pushing the cup back towards her. Resting his chin in his hand, he asked, “Ms. Thompson, what does deep love mean to you?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t understand deep love.”

Her capacity to love someone had been shattered by Yvan five years ago..

Matilda didn’t touch the coffee again. She stood up and, feeling a bit sheepish, asked Adrian, “Mr. Simpson, do you have… some spare pants by any chance?”

She wanted to leave, but her clothes were soaked through. She had rushed out earlier wearing only an oversized shirt that fell to her knees, which was hardly appropriate for stepping outside. Adrian noticed Matilda’s attire as she stood up, and a meaningful smirk curled his lips. He

stepped forward, pinning her in place before she could react, and his tongue teasingly grazed

her earlobe.