Chapter 19
Just like when she’d fallen for Declan years ago–how she’d rushed to his side the moment she heard he was paralyzed in the crash. Even though he was volatile, cruel, and lashed out at her constantly, she never once thought about walking away.
And later, Adrian had treated her the same way. No matter how many times she pushed him away, no matter how hard she tried to draw that line, he stayed–persistent, unwavering–until eventually, his sincerity cracked the walls she’d built.
But it had never been like that with Declan.
Even in the final stages of his recovery, when his attitude toward her softened slightly, that warmth was never real comfort. It wasn’t care–it was just less cruelty.
“What about Celeste?” Marissa asked, her tone calm as she lowered her gaze, burying every last ripple of emotion in her
eyes.
He didn’t seem hurt by her indifference–on the contrary, her question lit a spark of hope in his expression. “Marissa, I swear to you, I don’t love Celeste.”
“The moment I found out she faked the fall–poisoned herself just to frame you–I made sure she
paid for it. Her family’s been blacklisted across Westbridge Heights. You won’t hear the Whitmore
name again.”
“I know I messed up before. I was obsessed with punishing her for abandoning me when I was at rock bottom. She was my first love, and I was so used to winning–school, business, everything. She was the one decision I couldn’t accept being wrong about. I kept trying to prove something…
that she hadn’t really left me. That I hadn’t chosen the wrong person.‘
“But Marissa–after you left, I realized… I didn’t care about that anymore. I only wanted you. I
know I broke your heart, but I’m not that same man anymore. Please… just one more chance?”
His eyes were full of grief and pleading, searching her face for even a flicker of hope–begging her
to nod, or at least not say no.
But Marissa simply looked at him and slowly shook her head.
“I want to tell you a story, Declan,” she said quietly.
“There was a little boy with a bad temper. He used to scream at his friends and lash out at his family. One day, his father gave him a bag of nails and told him: ‘Every time you lose your temper,
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drive a nail into the fence.“”
“The boy did as he was told. Over time, he learned to control himself. And when he finally stopped lashing out, his father took him to the fence and said, ‘Now, pull them all out.‘ So he did.”
“But even when every nail was gone, the holes were still there.”
She turned to him, voice soft but steady. “Declan, you and I–we’re like that boy and the fence. Some things, once done, can’t be undone. The marks stay, no matter how much time passes.”
The story ended, and silence settled between them once again.
Declan knew she was right. Deep down, he knew it all along. But he couldn’t bring himself to give up. Not yet. Not when there was still the tiniest chance she’d change her mind.
“Can I have my phone back?” Marissa broke the silence after a long pause.
Her words made him panic.
He jumped up, hastily clearing the half–eaten dinner from the table. “You’re done eating, yeah? I’ll leave you be. If you’re feeling antsy, head downstairs or take a stroll in the garden. No one’s
stopping you.”
Without waiting for a reply, he gathered the dishes and left–his retreat so clumsy it almost looked
like he was fleeing.
Marissa didn’t stay in the room much longer.
Like he said, after dinner, she wandered around the garden, getting a sense of her surroundings,
testing her boundaries.
It wasn’t hard to guess why the mention of her phone had sent Declan scrambling. He didn’t want to
return it because he was afraid.
He’d hidden it on purpose. Afraid that once she had it, she’d reach out for help and disappear again.
So, he let her feel free within the estate–wandering the halls, lounging in the garden, poking
around the rooms–but made sure she had no way to contact the outside world.
She ended up by the greenhouse, sitting on a bench while the setting sun painted the sky in a wash
of gold and orange. Her eyes occasionally flicked up to the second–floor study.
Declan hadn’t come out once since she left the room.
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