They had already arrived at the hospital by the time he spoke. Leona Grant was placed on a gurney, ready to be wheeled into the operating room.

He gripped her hand, refusing to let go, and asked with determination, "Tell me, do you love me?"

’Why is he still obsessing over this question?’

Annabelle Linton stared into his pleading eyes, her heart aching so intensely she could barely breathe.

If he had asked this before her rebirth, she would have answered that she loved him without a moment’s hesitation.

But she wasn’t that Annabelle Linton anymore.

The woman she was now was as ruthless as she had once been kind, as strong as she had once been weak, and as cold as she had once been gentle.

In her world, love was far from the only thing that mattered. Her faith in love had been so utterly destroyed that not even a ripple remained.

Besides, she had Aaron Wyatt now. Was she supposed to hurt him?

The answer was no. She would not hurt Aaron Wyatt.

The pain sharpened Annabelle Linton’s resolve. ’Since we can’t be together, I can’t give him any false hope.’

But she wouldn’t provoke him right now, either.

She looked at him and said softly, "I’ll give you my answer when you get out."

Leona Grant pressed his lips together, his eyes fixed on her.

Annabelle Linton seemed to get angry. She stared at him, her expression devoid of emotion, before looking away just as impassively. "Dead men don’t deserve to know my answer."

Leona Grant’s gaze was full of longing and pain. He pulled her close for a gentle kiss on the lips, then released her. He said with conviction, "Annabelle Linton... wait for me... I will come out of this alive to hear your answer."

He didn’t want to die anymore. He had to know Annabelle Linton’s answer. Even if there was only a slim chance it would be the one he wanted, he had just seen her cry for him...

Leona Grant was wheeled into the operating room.

Annabelle Linton sat numbly on a chair in the waiting area, staring at Leona Grant’s blood on her hands as tears quietly slipped down her cheeks.

Her past life, her present life... the weight of it all was suffocating her.

If it were possible, she wouldn’t want to hurt either of them.

But no matter who she chose, she would hurt someone. Not choosing anyone was just as hurtful. ’What am I supposed to do?’

She had given everything to Leona Grant. She had loved this man, and she had hated him, but she had never wanted him to die.

Seeing his desperate suicide attempt, something hammered against her heart, causing a sharp, aching pain.

She had been reborn, sent back two years into the past. So, while they had known each other for twenty-three years in this timeline, they had actually spent a total of twenty-five years together.

For twenty-five years, despite the arguments, the unhappiness, and even the pain he caused her, they had always been together. They’d had an immense impact on each other’s lives.

’Twenty-five years. How many of those does a person get in one lifetime?’

That was why she no longer sought revenge, no longer hated him.

She just wanted to be left alone, to live out an ordinary life. And she also wanted Leona Grant to live, and live well.

And yet, the current situation made her heart tremble.

But her remaining rationality told her that there was someone who had quietly stayed by her side for two lifetimes—someone she could not hurt.

Annabelle Linton took a deep breath, and a sense of calm washed over her.

’I have no choice anymore. Since choosing anyone means someone gets hurt, and only one person can be spared, then I’ll choose Aaron Wyatt.’

’There’s no other reason. It’s simply because Leona Grant owes me, and I owe Aaron Wyatt. Therefore, I must choose Aaron Wyatt.’

’The day after tomorrow, I will get engaged to Aaron Wyatt. That’s set in stone.’

’Leona Grant, you asked if I love you. I’ll tell you now.’

’I don’t.’

’The person I am today is incapable of love. I don’t dare to love, and I don’t have the capacity to love.’

’Having your heart broken once is enough.’