Chapter 169
Lirian sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair in frustration.
“The one I gave you for your birthday a long time ago,” he replied, pulling something from his pocket. His hand trembled slightly as he held it out–a small, delicate ring, glinting faintly under the dim light. My eyes widened as recognition dawned. It was the same ring I had thoughtlessly asked. the maid to throw away.
I stared at the object in his hand, confusion clouding my mind. “You said… this was from you?” My voice came out shaky, my chest tightening as guilt began to creep in.
“Yes,” Lirian answered, his tone sharp but broken. I had it customized, Sophia. It has my and your name engraved on the inside.” His gaze softened momentarily as he flipped the ring, showing me the tiny, intricate engraving: “L&S*.
My breath hitched. I looked at the ring again, then back at Lirian, disbelief etched across my face. How had I not known? How could I have been so careless? “I… I didn’t realize…” I stammered, but my words felt feeble, inadequate.
Lirian’s face twisted with a mixture of hurt and anger. “You didn’t even know it was from me?” His oice rose, though it cracked toward the end. “Sophia, is something from me that unimportant to you? Do I mean that little to you?”
Before I knew it, my feet were moving. I closed the gap between us in an instant, stepping forward and throwing my arms around him. My body pressed against his, and I held on tightly, burying my face in his chest. ”
The moment I threw my arms around Lirian, the tears came unbidden, cascading down my cheeks with relentless intensity.
It was as though every suppressed emotion, every unspoken hurt, had been unleashed all at once. My sobs shook my body as I clung to him, burying my face in his che
In that moment, an overwhelming realization hit me like a tidal wave: I had taken so many wrong turns, so many detours in life.
In my previous life, Ryan treated me so poorly. There were countless nights when I considered letting go, when the pain seemed unbearable.
Yet every time, I convinced myself to stay, clinging to the rare moments of kindness he offered like a
feline. I told myself that those fleeting glimpses of warmth justified enduring the coldness that
came with them.
The ring Lirian now held in his hand had been with me for so long. In my past life, it had never left. my finger–not even in death.
Even when my body was battered, my bones broken under torture, the ring remained a stubborn reminder of what I thought was love.
But now… now I knew the truth.
This ring, this small token I had cherished to my grave, wasn’t even from Ryan. It had always been Lirian’s gift. From the beginning, I had been wrong.
I had clung to a memory that was never mine, all because I mistook the source of that kindness.
I couldn’t suppress the flood of emotions. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably as I looked up at Lirian, who seemed caught off guard by my outburst.
His arms tightened around me, and his expression softened, though confusion lingered in his gaze. “Sophia?” he murmured, his voice tentative.
Seeing my tears, he immediately assumed the worst. “Sophia, I… I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said hurriedly, raising a hand to wipe away my tears.
But he hesitated, his fingers hovering near my face as though afraid his touch might make things worse. His hesitation was almost endearing, and it only made my tears flow harder.
“No, Lirian,” I choked out between sobs. “It’s not you. It’s me. I was so blind. Why didn’t you tell me this was from you?”
He blinked, startled by my question. “I tried to,” he admitted, his voice low and uncertain. “But you weren’t home when I first wanted to give it to you. So, I asked someone else to pass it on to you.”
The pieces began to fall into place. I remembered that time vividly. Ryan had been living in my villa then, using every opportunity to assert his superiority.
My heart sank as realization struck. “Ryan,” I whispered, bitterness creeping into my voice. “He must have given it to me without saying it was from you. He probably didn’t want me to know it wasn’t
his.”
Lirian’s face darkened slightly at my words, though he kept his tone calm. “I thought he was just a servant in your house. I never imagined he would…”
J–cut him off, shaking my head vehemently. “Lirian, if I had known–if I had even guessed this was
from you–I would never have thrown it away. Never.”
His eyes softened, but the hurt still lingered in his expression. “You thought it was from him all this time?” he asked quietly, almost to himself.
Jupiter 170
