Josephine wiped away a tear.
She hated herself for being so emotional.
But matters of the heart were out of her control.
She thought she could stay composed.
But seeing that wooden carving broke her.
She could come to terms with Stuart not loving her, but she couldn't reconcile his years of hidden love.
She pushed Stuart away, her face dry but her eyes red.
She shook her head. "There's nothing more to say. I don't want to hear it. I still have work to do. Mr. Haustia, do as you please."
As she turned to leave, Stuart grabbed her again.
His tone was urgent, as if this were his final opportunity.
Stuart took a deep breath and said, "Maybe you'll find it ridiculous, but I've liked you since I can remember. Maybe since I was three, maybe five .
He added, "But back then, you were always with Liam. You'd give him your candy, you'd move your chair to sit next to him. I was so frustrated, not knowing how to approach you, watching you and Liam so close made me seethe with jealousy.
Stuart confessed, "Throughout elementary school, you two were in the same class, always together, inseparable. Back then, I must have been stupid. I liked you but always acted against you, trying to get your attention. Later, Robin started telling me that you and Liam were were an item"
Stuart gave a self-deprecating smile.
He continued, "I never knew that even back then, he was scheming against me. Not only did he say you were with Liam, but he also said he heard you say you hated me. I wanted to ask you why you hated me, but I didn't have the courage. I was afraid if I heard it, I couldn't bear it. I prepared a birthday gift for you every year, but I never dared to give it to you. You asked me before, and I didn't want to talk about it because those memories were humiliating, a failure, a time I wanted to hide. Because it was too embarrassing. Later, in high school, when I was fifteen, Robin told me he saw you and Liam kissing."
Josephine couldn't hold back anymore and turned around. "What did you say?"
Stuart repeated, "He said he saw you and Liam kissing."
"He's lying!" Josephine trembled with anger. "How could he do that? He's spreading rumors and slandering me."
"But I didn't know that at the time," Stuart said, "I believed him. From then on, I reminded myself to steer clear of you. If we happened to cross paths, I made sure not to show you any warmth."
Josephine bit her lip.
She remembered many details she had overlooked back then.
Stuart's gaze was indeed unfriendly.
But behind that so-called "disgust" was hidden love and joy.
But back then, how could Josephine have noticed?
Moreover, Robin had also told her more than once that Stuart hated girls like her the most.
Thinking about it now, Robin was really bad.
He was already plotting against Stuart and Josephine at such a young age.
Josephine lowered her eyes and shook her head. "I never dated Liam."
"I know," Stuart said, "But I realized it too late. Josephine, I'm not trying to make excuses. Forget about the past, just talking about the three years of marriage, I... Well, it's all on me. You can punish me however you see fit. But Josephine, please consider giving me another shot. Let me spend the rest of my days trying to make things right."
"Yeah, we've been married for three years," Josephine said with a bitter smile. "But I've never felt your love."
"That's because," Stuart's face twisted in pain, "I always thought you loved someone else. I thought you married me out of necessity. I struggled with whether to marry you, but I couldn't resist. Even if you didn't love me, I wanted you by my side."
From the start, the only person Stuart ever loved was Josephine.
Even the whole Angela thing was more about gratitude and spite than anything else.
Josephine never liked him, so he figured he could pretend not to like her too.
But in the end, his pride and dignity got in the way.
If he had just been honest with Josephine, maybe after a year, he could have explained everything.
They could have been happy together.
But fate had other plans.
Their three-year marriage left Josephine deeply hurt.
And five years of separation made him suffer from longing.
Now, there seemed to be a chasm between them.
Oh, and there was Jeffery.
Stuart spoke again, "I'll treat Jeffery like my own child."
Josephine looked up at him. "What about Angela? If she comes back and she likes you, what will you do?"
Stuart was stunned and quickly explained, "I don't like her. People think I do because she helped me out big time, and I took care of her a few times, which led to misunderstandings. I thought, since you didn't like me, there was no need to explain. Who knew..."
Josephine asked, "She helped you out?"
"She helped me a lot," Stuart couldn't tell her the whole truth, so he said, "So I owe her a lot. But I understand that gratitude and love are two different things."
Josephine wanted to ask him, "What about me? Didn't I do you a favor?"
But because of the confidentiality agreement she signed, she couldn't directly ask Stuart.
Even so, she found it ironically funny.
Childhood sweethearts turned bitter enemies due to Robin's interference.
In the end, despite marrying and sharing a bed, their bodies were close while their hearts remained distant.
Josephine used to think it was all fate's arrangement.
Now she just felt stifled.
She wanted to kill Robin.
If it weren't for him...
Josephine suddenly gave a self-deprecating smile.
If it weren't for Robin, would she and Stuart have smoothly ended up together?
Not necessarily.
Between her and Stuart, it wasn't just about Robin.
But she had to admit, Stuart's words today made her feel less miserable.
In the past, Stuart's cold treatment of her was something she always cared about.
Now, she knew the truth.
Maybe one day, she would stop caring.
Josephine raised her hand to check the time. "I have to get back to work."
Stuart didn't get an answer, feeling even more anxious. "Josephine."
Josephine said, "I'll think about what you said. Stuart, just because we had misunderstandings in the past doesn't mean that just because you like me, I still like you."