Annabelle Linton probably hadn’t spoken this much in an entire day, but to avoid unnecessary trouble, some things had to be made crystal clear today.

She lowered her gaze and said indifferently, "If you really love me as much as you claim, you should want to see me happy, not keep pestering me like this. Who does this benefit?"

"Leona Grant, stop bothering me. I’m being honest—this isn’t me being petty, vengeful, or impulsive."

"If you’re only doing this out of guilt, let me be perfectly clear: I don’t hate you anymore. You have absolutely no reason to feel guilty. And if you truly feel bad, then the best thing you can do is stop coming to find me. I don’t want to be disturbed."

The room was silent. Utterly silent.

So silent that neither of them broke the stillness.

Leona Grant still held her tightly. Annabelle Linton kept her gaze lowered, her arms hanging limply at her sides.

She felt them distinctly—one drop, two drops... a steady fall of tears landing on her shoulder.

’He’s crying?’

’Since when did he become the one who cries between us?’

’That’s why... since we can’t be together, I can’t keep holding him back.’

Annabelle Linton pushed him away. Her expressionless face stared into his tear-filled eyes.

She reached out and wiped his tears away. A complex light flickered in her eyes, and she seemed to sigh. "You should go."

Leona Grant gazed at her, his eyes clouded with tears.

Annabelle Linton lowered her gaze to the floor, her eyes unfocused. "Don’t come looking for me anymore. Let’s just treat this as our final goodbye. Aaron Wyatt would be upset if he saw you, and I don’t want to hurt him."

Annabelle Linton knew perfectly well how devastating those words were.

But that was precisely why she had to say them.

’It would be best if these words made him give up for good. It would be for his own good.’

’After all, there was no going back. It was utterly impossible for them to be together again.’

’Aaron Wyatt would be upset... ’

Leona Grant felt as if his heart had been pierced a thousand times over, the pain so intense it was starting to go numb.

The tears welled up in his eyes again as he said in agony, "Annabelle Linton, what on earth do you want? I’ll give you my life. Just come back to me, please?"

Annabelle Linton looked at him, her face a blank mask. "It’s impossible for us."

"Just give me one more chance, and I swear I can make us like we were before. Annabelle Linton, we can still be together," Leona Grant said, grabbing her hands firmly.

"I don’t want to."

’I don’t want to give you a chance, and I don’t want to be with you.’

Leona Grant felt as if a dull knife was carving up his heart, leaving it a bloody, mangled mess. He choked out, "Then how am I supposed to go on? How am I supposed to live in a world without you?"

Annabelle Linton’s heart clenched.

’How did things ever get to this point?’

’They had both just loved someone. Why did it have to be so painful for them both?’

’But they had missed an entire lifetime together.’

’What could possibly fill the void of a lifetime?’

’What could possibly heal a lifetime of wounds?’

Whether it was the thought of her own suffering in a past life or the sight of Leona Grant’s shared misery, Annabelle Linton’s eyes slowly began to film with tears.

’In this world, has love ever spared anyone?’

’If he were the one, why would there be tears?’

The memory of her tragic death and her child from her past life brought with it a heart-wrenching pang of pain.

She closed her eyes, feeling helpless, and forced back the tears that threatened to spill, lowering her head once more.

’Leona Grant, please... find someone who loves you and live a good life. Annabelle Linton no longer has the capacity to love you, nor the strength or will to do so.’