This was a normal reaction for a man. It wasn’t a matter of distrust, but a sign that he cared too much.

In fact, Leona Grant had been like this in the past, and Aaron Wyatt was the same now.

Regardless of how he saw her now or what would become of them, she had to explain herself clearly.

Annabelle Linton explained through sobs, her voice choked, "I didn’t do anything. He was the one harassing me. I didn’t want to stay at home, so I got a hotel room. Then he came looking for me, we argued, and... the rest was just him overpowering me. Whether you believe me or not, that’s the truth."

As her words ended, they soothed one man’s heart while breaking another’s.

Outside the door, Leona Grant heard this. The corner of his mouth twitched, and a cold, desolate glint appeared in his eyes.

It was the middle of the night, and he was on his way home from a social engagement.

When he passed her apartment, he stopped his car, lit a cigarette, and gazed quietly at her window, wondering what she was doing.

Ever since that incident a week ago, Annabelle Linton had been busy looking for Aaron Wyatt. She was never home; he couldn’t find a trace of her, no matter how hard he looked.

Now, looking at her window, he wondered if she was finally home.

Just as he was about to leave, the lights suddenly switched on. Two minutes later, a frantic Annabelle Linton, her eyes red-rimmed, rushed downstairs, got into her car, and vanished. Surprised, he had followed her all the way here.

But he never expected to walk in on a scene like this.

Even though she was telling the truth, watching her cry in another man’s arms as she desperately tried to sever all ties with him... it felt like a knife carving into his heart.

’Annabelle, since when did I become someone you couldn’t wait to avoid?’

’Why have I become the person you detest the most? The passive one between us? A stranger so insignificant that even a glance from you is too much to ask?’

’The gap between who I was to you and who I am now is just too wide. How am I supposed to find the strength to get over this?’

Hearing Annabelle Linton’s words, Aaron Wyatt hugged her tighter, his own voice choked with emotion. "I believe you, Annabelle. Even if you were really using me, I wouldn’t care. It’s just... my heart hurts so much... so much..."

Annabelle Linton wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said, overwhelmed with guilt, "I’m sorry. I was wrong. I won’t get involved with him again. Something like this will never happen again. Please forgive me, okay?"

"Okay." Aaron Wyatt looked at her tenderly, then pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "Annabelle," he said, his voice laced with sorrow, "I’ve missed you so much this past week. Do you have any idea how many times I came to see you in secret? But I didn’t have the courage to come home. I was afraid you’d break up with me. Please don’t leave me. Don’t abandon me, okay?"

He held her tightly, his voice helpless. "I grew up without any friends or family. I don’t even know how I made it this far. But then I met you, and my life started to have hope. You showed me what it means to be alive. So please, no matter what, don’t abandon me, okay? I can’t live without you..."

Seeing how helpless he looked, Annabelle Linton’s heart clenched painfully.

’Aaron Wyatt... he was acting so... small.’

’To fall for someone like me and still be so racked with anxiety... That fool. He could have clearly chosen someone better...’

"I won’t. How could I ever abandon you?" Annabelle Linton gently ran her fingers through his hair. Looking at the bruises on his face, she asked guiltily, "Does it hurt?"

He tenderly kissed away the tears on her face and said with a smile, "It doesn’t hurt. As long as I have you, nothing else matters. Annabelle, as long as you’re by my side, I wouldn’t be afraid even if the sky were falling."