Chapter 152
Just as I was about to look closer, Leo had already lowered his sleeve imperceptibly.
He gently ruffled my hair, his voice soft. "Don't cry. I'm not angry with you."
My heart suddenly dropped into a warm spring, heat spreading from my chest through my limbs.
Too many upheavals recently had made me paranoid and suspicious.
"Leo, I can't handle any more deception or secrets right now. Even well-intentioned ones. Can you promise you'll never lie to me?"
Leo's gaze deepened as he said gently, "Before I answer that, can you tell me what trouble you're facing?"
Too many emotions weighed on my heart. Even if I wanted to talk, I didn't know where to start.
Seeing my silence, Leo lowered himself to eye level with me. Then he used his other hand to gently lift the corner of my mouth.
"I'm not trying to pry into your privacy or dig at your wounds. I just don't want you to be unhappy. I hope you can trust me more, rely on me more."
His eyes were as gentle as his tone. His body heat transferred bit by bit from his fingertips to my face, carrying a strange sense of comfort that made me want to open up.
"I've been investigating what happened three years ago."
Leo's pupils trembled slightly before he looked down and asked, "Why suddenly look into something from so long ago?"
Once I started, the words flowed more easily.
"Because I've always suspected there's been a misunderstanding between Leopold and me. He's accused me multiple times of betraying him, but I have zero recollection of it. Something's definitely wrong. Plus, Sophia said she and Leopold once had a child together. I want to know if she's lying, or if the betrayal Leopold mentioned is what I think it is."
Leo's eyes turned cold. "You're saying Sophia told you she and Leopold had a child?"
I nodded slightly. "This has been weighing on me for so long. At first, I didn't believe it, but then my senior and the private investigator I hired both found records of her miscarriage."
"If you knew all that, why did you agree to get back together with Leopold?"
Leo's voice was heavy. The hand lifting my chin dropped.
I sighed. "Because... I couldn't let him go."
Leo's head snapped up, his eyes flickering with unidentifiable emotions.
I smiled bitterly. "I know it makes me pathetic, but I just can't control it. I loved him for ten years. He consumed my every thought. Even knowing the person in his heart wasn't me, even knowing he had a child with Sophia, I still couldn't let go."
The wound in my heart tore open again, making my voice fracture.
"I kept telling myself the past didn't matter—what mattered was the present. As long as he genuinely cared for me, I could overlook everything. But I never expected his sincerity to be nothing but a trap set for me. He not only watched my pain with cold indifference, but he also mocked me for being so easy to fool."
"In that moment, I finally understood how catastrophically wrong I'd been."
Suppressed pain came flooding back with the memories, churning through every organ until everything ached.
The next second, I was pulled forcefully into an embrace.
"Lucinda."
Leo's voice pressed heavily against my ear, as if trying to burrow into my flesh.
"None of that was real. You weren't wrong. He was. If he were standing in front of me right now, I'd beat him until he couldn't stand!"
My tears flowed silently. Even closing my eyes couldn't stop them.
Then, a gentle heat touched my eyelids. Like a tender kiss.
My breath caught. I started to open my eyes, but my vision was filled with darkness.
Then Leo's voice came clearly.
"Lucinda, I promise you—from this moment on, I will never deceive you."
My breathing grew heavier. The warmth on my eyelids made my heart skip a beat.
Listening like this, even his voice resembled Leopold's.
I nodded slightly. "Okay. I believe you."
Leo, who'd risked his life twice to save me—I could trust him conditionally.
A sudden brightness flared in Leo's eyes, like a tiny electric current sliding gently into my heart.
My ears burned hot.
His large palm tightened around my waist, pulling me close.
"Cindy." His thumb and forefinger lifted my chin, his voice low and magnetic. "I want to kiss you."
My heartbeat went haywire.
The next second, cool lips descended.
I closed my eyes, my hands unconsciously hooking around his neck.
Just as the kiss was about to deepen, a restrained voice suddenly cut in.
"Cindy, your mother asked me to let you know it's time to head back."
My brain went blank, but my body reflexively pulled back, pushing Leo away.
Leo hadn't fully recovered from that moment of desire. He wiped the corner of his mouth, then looked up at me.
Those eyes were deep as whirlpools, threatening to pull me in completely.
I quickly averted my gaze, looking to the side.
I didn't know when Ethan had arrived, but he stood beneath a tree watching us.
Though he was smiling, there was no smile in his eyes.
"Ethan, when did you get here?"
The curve of Ethan's mouth relaxed slightly, a smile threading into his eyes bit by bit.
"Just now. What were you two doing?"
My heart pounded like a drum. Not daring to recall what just happened, I said hastily, "Nothing. Leo wanted to walk a bit more. Let's head back."
But this time, Ethan refused me.
"You go ahead. I have some business to discuss with Leo privately. I'll be back shortly."
I hesitated.
But Leo said, "Sure, let's talk."
After reaching an agreement, they headed deeper into the garden.
I felt worried, but since Ethan mentioned business, I couldn't interfere. I could only go back first.
Ten minutes later, just as I'd finished helping set the table, they returned.
My parents warmly invited them to sit.
I studied them both—both wore smiles with no signs of discord—so I didn't ask.
"Sit next to me?"
I'd been about to sit with my parents when Leo pulled me down beside him.
"I haven't chatted with Cindy's parents in ages. I'll sit here then."
Ethan smiled and took the seat on my left, positioning himself perfectly between Leo and me, as well as between my parents and us.
My parents were delighted.
Throughout the meal, laughter and conversation flowed. The atmosphere was wonderful.
Midway through, a servant came to serve soup.
"Watch out!"
Ethan's sudden shout startled me.
I instinctively shifted sideways, accidentally bumping the servant's arm.
Whether burned or splashed, she cried out, and the soup bowl slipped from her hands.
"Cindy."
Leo gripped my wrist and pulled me back, then leaned forward to shield me.
All the splashing broth hit him instead.
But with his back to me, I couldn't tell if he'd been burned.
Fanny gasped, "Leo, your neck is turning red!"
My heart clenched. I was about to speak when Ethan grabbed a towel, soaked it in cold water, and pressed it directly to Leo's face.
"Your face is red too. You need to cool it down immediately."
"No need. I'm fine." Leo declined politely.
"Don't worry about being trouble. Cooling the burn is what matters right now." Ethan's eyes flickered as he added, "Unless... you have other concerns?"