Chapter 805
Daniel responded with a bitter smile, his gaze dropping to his plate as he fell silent.
Setting down her utensils, Sienna adopted a serious expression. “Daniel, if you’re considering resigning because of me, please don’t. It wouldn’t bring me any joy, nor would I feel grateful. Frankly, it would only embarrass me.”
“Sisi, I don’t want you to endure any more pain. I made a promise…” Daniel’s voice trailed off suddenly.
Sienna could feel his urge to defend Shelly’s memory once again. He had quickly stopped himself from speaking any further.
Feeling emotionally drained, she continued sadly, “Daniel, I don’t want to be a burden on you. I don’t want you to feel obligated to support me, nor do I want you to leave your job for my sake.
“I refuse to be a liability, and I certainly don’t want to hinder your career. Can’t you see where I’m coming from?”
Despite recognizing her strong sense of pride, Daniel also understood her current feelings of insecurity.
Sienna pressed on, “If you genuinely dislike your job and wish to resign, I won’t stand in your way. I support any decision you make.
“But don’t feel pressured to quit just to ease my mind or fulfill some perceived expectation of what my late mother would want.
“I don’t want you to look back with regret years from now, blaming me with words like, ‘If it wasn’t for you…” Sienna’s voice trembled with emotion as she spoke, her determination unwavering. “I refuse to be the cause of any regrets in your life.”
Daniel’s demeanor grew somber, and he let out a deep sigh.
“Please don’t resign, okay?” she pleaded.
He offered a wry smile in response. “What else did Ryan tell you?” he asked.
“Well, he also revealed why you broke up with me in the first place,” Sienna replied.
Daniel raised an eyebrow, clearly unhappy. “Ryan sure likes to talk,” he muttered.
“Why didn’t you clarify it with me?”
He remained silent before countering, “So, let me understand this correctly, just because you found out why I broke up with you, you decided to sleep with me?”
Sienna felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment as she nervously glanced toward the kitchen, wary of their private conversation being overheard.
Recalling the recent ordeal and her futile attempts to stop Daniel, her anger flared. She countered, “Did I ever consent to it?”
Daniel let out a resigned chuckle; his
lips pressed together in frustration.
After taking a deep breath, he composed himself. “So, are you suggesting that I raped you?”
Having such a calm discussion about intimate matters caused Sienna’s face to flush red, her heart pounding in her chest.
Nevertheless, she refused to back
down. She wanted to provoke
Daniel, hoping to regain some set
of control after feeling so helpless during their recent encounter.
“You’re a police officer, right? So, do you think it counts?” she pressed.
Resting his head on his hand, Daniel sighed deeply as he silently observed Sienna, a heavy feeling weighing on his chest.
After a prolonged pause, he finally spoke up, breaking the silence. “Yes, it does.”
When Daniel sought Sienna’s consent earlier, she neither rejected nor affirmed his advances.
Despite her resistance at one point, he had continued without any intention of stopping.
Sienna’s lips curled into a wry smile as she teased, “So, what’s the usual sentence for marital rape?”
Daniel knew that her remark wasn’t meant to be taken seriously, yet it still struck a chord with him.
Leaning back in his chair, he adopted a calm demeanor. “Does your family really dislike me that much?”
“I don’t hold any hatred toward you,” Sienna clarified.
“We’re married now. Why do you still treat me this way?”
“When you proposed to me, you were the one who suggested that I seek revenge on you,” Sienna reminded him.
Daniel was left momentarily speechless, a weight settling in his chest.
She continued, “I suppose a marriage in name only could be seen as a form of retaliation, wouldn’t you agree?”
Daniel nodded solemnly, whispering, “Sisi, now that you know the truth, there were reasons behind my decision to end things back then.
“I knew that if it came down to
choosing between me and your mother you would undoubtedly choose her. I didn’t want to put you in a tough spot or cause her any further pain.”