Chapter 35
Daphne froze, her eyes filled with confusion as she stared at Matthew.
“What do you want from me?” she asked, her tone distant, trying to maintain a delicate
boundary.
Matthew’s eyes, brimming with exhaustion and longing, held hers for a moment before he silently stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.
Daphne stiffened immediately, struggling against him.
“Matthew, are you crazy? Let me go!” she protested, her voice laced with resistance.
But Matthew seemed utterly defeated, his weariness palpable. In a hoarse whisper, he
murmured near her ear, “Daphne, just this once. Let me hold you. I… I really need you.”
Something in Daphne’s heart softened unexpectedly. She stopped resisting, letting him embrace her, though the moment felt surreal.
However, her rationality soon returned, and she spoke firmly, “What did you mean by what
you
said last time? I need a clear answer.”
Matthew recalled the pain he had caused Daphne with his words two months ago, how she had collapsed in agony. He had sworn to Jonathan that he wouldn’t bring it up again. Regret
shadowed his face.
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is now,” he said evasively.
Daphne’s frustration flared. She had come downstairs specifically to get answers, yet
Matthew was holding back.
She shoved him away, her emotions surging. “You keep saying cryptic things, and now you refuse to explain! Why?”
Matthew, visibly torn, looked at her helplessly. He wanted to tell her the truth but feared it would push her further away.
“Daphne, some things are better left unknown. All you need to know is that I care about you
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Forsaking the Years of Longing
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Chapter 35
and want you to be happy.”
Daphne found his words both baffling and infuriating. It felt as if he was hiding countless secrets while professing his feelings for her.
“I don’t like you. If you won’t tell me the truth, don’t come looking for me again,” she said
sharply.
Matthew stood there silently, hesitant and pained. Despite his towering stature, he seemed impossibly small at that moment.
Finally, he took a deep breath, as though steeling himself. “Daphne, we… we were once married. But because of my selfishness and mistakes, you lost your memories…”
Shock flashed across Daphne’s face, disbelief clouding her expression.
“What could you have done to force me into such a situation? You must have been a terrible person,” she said, her tone laced with disdain.
Over the past two months, Matthew had quietly dealt with Charlotte’s schemes, ensuring she faced justice and was sent to prison. He had also finalized their divorce through legal proceedings, freeing himself from the past before daring to face Daphne again.
Reflecting on his actions, he realized the scars he had left on Daphne might never heal.
“You’re right. I wasn’t a good man. I made you suffer so much–watching me with someone else, enduring things you never should have. It was all my fault, and I regret it deeply…”
Though Daphne couldn’t remember any of it, her heart inexplicably ached as she listened to his words. A sharp, stabbing pain coursed through her chest.
“Stop it! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she shouted, clutching her chest as tears
welled in her eyes.
Matthew seemed lost in a vortex of memories, oblivious to Daphne’s distress. He dropped to his knees before her, his voice trembling with desperation.
&
“Daphne, I’m truly sorry. I swear I’ll never let you suffer again. Please, give me another
chance…”
Forsaking the Years of Longing
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Chapter 35
For reasons she couldn’t comprehend, Matthew’s pleading and his kneeling figure triggered another excruciating headache.
Her mind felt as though it was being devoured by thousands of ants, and dizziness overwhelmed her. She clasped her head, crying out, “Stop! Just stop talking!”
Matthew’s emotions unraveled further. Tears streamed down his face as he knelt, begging for her forgiveness, his voice breaking with each word.
Daphne could barely hold on, her strength draining as she teetered on the verge of collapse.
In that instant, a shadowed figure appeared in her blurred vision.
A pair of arms caught her gently, pulling her into a steady embrace. With what little clarity she had left, Daphne squinted at the familiar, cool face before her.
Using the last ounce of her strength, she whispered faintly,
“Calvin…”
