Chapter 636 Breaking Up with Matthew

I stayed by the river until late before heading back to the Seraphic Heights Hotel. When I got to the entrance, I saw Matthew leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He glanced at me when he heard my footsteps but didn't say a word. Instead, he straightened up, clearly waiting for me to open the door.

I frowned, feeling the urge to turn around and leave. But then I thought, why should I be the one to leave? He was the one standing at my door. If anyone should go, it should be him. So, I walked up to the door and unlocked it. I intended to block Matthew from entering, but he was quick and slipped in right behind me.

"What's this about?" Matthew asked coldly.

"What do you mean?" I shot back, matching his tone.

"Can we not do this?" Matthew said, his brow furrowed. He reached out to hug me, but I stepped back, avoiding his embrace. Looking at him seriously, I said, "You're the one who needs to stop, Mr. Taylor. I'm just an ordinary person. I don't have the time or energy to play games with people like you. Please, just leave me alone."

Matthew took a step forward and grabbed my hand, demanding, "Are you breaking up with me?"

Tears welled up in my eyes. Through my blurred vision, I looked at him and asked, "Do we even need to break up?"

My meaning was clear. Matthew had already had a candlelit dinner with someone else and was all smiles with her during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Wasn't that his way of telling me it was over?

"You've got it all wrong," Matthew said, frowning. He hesitated, clearly reluctant to speak, but seeing my tears, he gently wiped them away and explained, "What happened last time isn't what you think. I didn't know Victoria would come to see me. The house wasn't decorated by me; it was my mom."

"If I hadn't seen Victoria getting out of your car at your house, I might have believed you," I said, my voice breaking. I was too hurt. Even now, Matthew was trying to deceive me. He wanted me to think it was all Carol's doing and had nothing to do with him. But I had seen Victoria and Matthew laughing together as they got out of his car. And then there was the thong. Who knew what they had done in that car?

"Her luggage was at my place because my mom sent it there. Emily, you have to believe me," Matthew pleaded, his brow furrowed, his expression saying, "I didn't do anything wrong. You should trust me unconditionally."

I wanted to believe him, but how could I with everything he had done?

"How do you explain the thong? The candlelit dinner? And you asking me to take care of her?" I fired off my questions, each one weighing heavily on my heart for too long, making it hard to breathe.

"What thong?" Matthew asked, genuinely confused. His expression seemed sincere, as if he really didn't know about the thong. But I had seen it with my own eyes.

"As for the candlelit dinner, I just explained. It wasn't my idea; it was my mom's. And I didn't have dinner with her. Victoria just came to pick up her luggage. As for asking you to take care of her, there are things you shouldn't know right now. I have my reasons. I will use Victoria, but I won't cross any lines. You need to trust me on this."

Matthew's explanation felt like no explanation at all. He kept circling back to the same point: everything was Carol's doing, and the real reason he was with Victoria was something he couldn't tell me. Yet, he still expected me to trust him unconditionally.

I wanted to believe him, but I couldn't.

I lowered my head, making a decision. I wanted to break up with Matthew.

I bit my lip and looked up, ready to voice my decision. But as our eyes met again, memories of our past flashed through my mind like a movie.