Chapter 148 His Love Is Too Selfish
"Sophie saved my life back then. She took a bullet for me and almost died. She said she didn't want to have any regrets, and I couldn't let her down."
His eyes locked onto hers with urgency, his explanation tinged with a hint of panic at being misunderstood. "Between her and me, there's only a life-saving debt, nothing romantic at all. Aria, the only person I've ever loved is you. It's always been you."
These words were like a stone thrown into stagnant water, yet they failed to create even the slightest ripple in Aria's heart.
Instead, she curved her lips into a smile of utter mockery, so cold it made Arthur's heart clench.
Her arms tightened slightly around Jasper, her fingertips pressing against the child's warm back, her voice soft but every word sharp as thorns. "Love? Arthur, you're talking to me about love?"
She looked up, her gaze crashing straight into his reddened eyes. The urgency and sincerity she saw there seemed nothing more than a belated, meaningless performance.
"We were married for three years. Did you ever once say you loved me? I cooked for you, took care of everything behind the scenes, and you couldn't spare me a single kind word. Now you tell me you love me?"
Aria's smile carried tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. She looked at him, each word clear. "You say you only owe Sophie a life debt, nothing romantic. Then ask yourself honestly—didn't what you did back then go way beyond just gratitude? Arthur, stop making excuses for what you did. It only makes me sick!"
"You say you love me? Then tell me, where is that love? How am I supposed to feel it?"
Her words were like ice-cold blades, stabbing straight into Arthur's heart. He stumbled forward, trying to grab her hand, but she turned her head away. That dodging motion was like a chasm opening between them.
"Aria, I was an asshole back then. I'm not good with words. I didn't know how to say I loved you, but everything I did..."
"Everything you did was sign divorce papers, hold that wedding, make me personally arrange your wedding to another woman, make me watch you marry someone else while still married to me. Is that it?"
Aria cut him off, the mockery in her eyes deepening. "Arthur, if that's your love, then I really can't handle it."
Lance, watching Aria's reddening eyes, felt a pang in his chest. He pulled her more protectively behind him, his gaze toward Arthur cold as frost. "Arthur, this is what you call love? You've got some nerve saying that!"
Arthur stood frozen, seeing the finality in Aria's eyes. His throat felt blocked, even breathing hurt.
He wanted to explain, but when the words reached his lips, he realized how hollow everything sounded.
He had indeed signed the divorce papers, had indeed held that wedding. These were hard facts that left no room for excuses.
Sophie's life-saving debt was like shackles that had bound him for years, and had become an insurmountable barrier between him and Aria.
His belated awakening, his belated "I love you," sounded to Aria like nothing more than the most ridiculous lie.
Aria took a deep breath, suppressing the ache in her eyes. Holding Jasper, she walked past Arthur toward the entrance, her steps firm. Lance followed closely, staying protectively by her side.
Arthur watched her retreating figure, his fingers clenched so tight his knuckles turned white, despair and unwillingness churning in his eyes. He wanted to chase after her, but the words Aria had just said were like nails pinning him in place, making him afraid to move forward.
This reunion spanning five years had ultimately ended in complete rupture.
The door of the Grays mansion closed softly, shutting out the suffocating stillness behind it. The evening breeze, carrying a cool touch, rushed toward them.
Aria's tense spine suddenly relaxed, though her arms around Jasper remained tight.
Lance quickly walked around to the passenger side and opened the door gently, his hand hovering near her arm, his voice as soft as crushed moonlight. "Get in the car first. It's windy out here, don't let the child catch cold."
Jasper nestled in his mother's arms, his small hand still clutching her clothes, his little head resting against her neck. Though scared, he was sensible enough to stay quiet, but his eyes—so much like Arthur's—were now clouded with fear.
Aria bent down and got into the car, her fingertips brushing over the child's soft hair. The ache in her throat surged, but she still held back her tears.
She hadn't expected that her reunion with Arthur would happen under these circumstances, and that such a scene would unfold uncontrollably in front of the child.
Lance closed the door and walked back to the driver's seat. He didn't start the car immediately, just turned on the warm interior light, picked up a bottle of warmed milk and handed it to Jasper first, then gave Aria a cup of water. "Drink some water to calm down. Jasper's pretty shaken up too."
Jasper took the milk, quietly said thank you to Lance, and held the cup, drinking in small sips. The fear in his expression faded a bit.
Aria held the water cup, but her eyes grew hotter. She turned her head toward the window, not wanting Lance to see her reddened eyes.
Lance's gaze fell on Jasper in the rearview mirror, obediently drinking his milk, then turned back to her. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to run into him today under these circumstances. I originally wanted you to come for dinner, but you didn't even get to eat, and Jasper got scared."
Lance's words carried deep guilt. Today's events were truly beyond his expectations. He never imagined that the two people he'd been trying to keep apart would not only meet, but meet at his house.
Aria's fingers rubbed against the cup, her lips curving into a faint, cool smile. "It's okay. When I decided to stay, I was prepared to run into him. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon."
Lance's guilt deepened at her words. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Lance. I should actually thank you."
Thank you for protecting me so thoughtfully!
Aria turned her gaze out the window, laughing self-mockingly. "I thought I'd moved on long ago, but seeing him today, hearing those words, it still feels like swallowing glass shards.
He says he loves me, but in our three years of marriage, I never once heard him say it."
"Not all love needs to be spoken, but Arthur's love is just too selfish."
Lance's voice grew heavier, his position clear. "He was grateful to Sophie, but ignored your feelings. He said he had no choice, but he never truly cared about you. Otherwise, how could he not have even noticed you were pregnant back then?"
Lance paused. "Aria, you were never the one in the wrong. Don't blame yourself because of his belated excuses."