Chapter 957
For years, she had been thoroughly convinced that Bianca was his Old Flame.
Only now did it hit her that the woman holding his heart might have been someone else all along.
“It has everything to do with this,” he said, his gaze fixed on her. “It’s directly connected.”
Since he had promised total honesty, he wasn’t going to hold back anymore.
Ever since he found out she and Dylan had never actually dated, he had been desperately searching for the right moment to confess all of this to her.
And today, the perfect moment had finally presented itself.
“Everything tonight happened because of her. Twelve years ago, the only reason I crossed paths with Riley was because I had to save her from him.”
Noreen lowered her head, the shadow of her bangs hiding the stormy emotions brewing in her eyes.
So, he had played the gallant knight rescuing the damsel in distress.
When she spoke, she hated how bitter and jealous she sounded. “If you were so obsessed with her, why didn’t you end up with her?”
“Because I stupidly believed she was in love with someone else,” Seth admitted, his voice dripping with profound regret.
It was a raw, agonizing remorse that seemed to seep from his very bones.
Because of that one colossal misunderstanding, they had lost an entire decade of their lives.
How could he not be consumed by regret?
For the past few days, one question had been relentlessly torturing his mind.
If that misunderstanding had never happened… would his and Noreen’s lives have turned out completely different?
They would have.
He might have let go of all the hatred and vengeance. He might have actually lived the peaceful, quiet life Wade Harcourt had always wanted for him, right by Noreen’s side.
Because truth be told, Noreen had made him reconsider his dark path more times than he could count.
Back then, Wade had deliberately used Noreen to try and force Seth into letting go of his vendetta.
Like trying to set her up with other wealthy heirs.
And viciously forcing Seth to be the one to screen the candidates for her.
It had definitely driven Seth insane with jealousy.
But since he had firmly believed Noreen was desperately in love with Dylan, he felt
like he had absolutely zero right to interfere.
Suddenly, Noreen didn’t want to hear the rest of the story.
She just couldn’t sit there and act indifferent to his grand, tragic love story.
Claire had been absolutely right. Her heart was once again entirely at this man’s mercy.
“I shattered three ribs saving her,” he murmured. “I spent half a month in a hospital bed. The very second was discharged, I went straight to find her. And do you know what I saw?
A wave of irritable panic surged through Noreen. “I only asked why Riley was comi after you. I have my answer ow. I don’t want to hear about your tragic love life.”
She violently snapped the first-aid kit shut and stood up, intent on shoving it back under the desk.
But Seth grabbed her wrist and pulled her right back down onto his lap. “Even if it involves you? You still don’t want to hear it?”
“What could this possibly have to do
with me? Don’t tell me I was the girl
you were secretly pining over,”
Noreen spat, completely oblivious to how desperately jealous
Sounded.
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A soft, incredulous chuckle escaped Seth’s lips. “You guessed it in one try. I’d expect
nothing less from Academician Joyner’s star pupil. So brilliant.”
Noreen’s brain completely short-circuited.
Seeing the dead-serious devotion in his eyes, she blinked in utter disbelief. “It was actually me?”
“Do you really have so little faith in yourself?” Seth laughed. Seeing her so adorably bewildered tugged violently at his heartstrings.
It was an unbearable, intoxicating pull.
“But you said she was a minor when you first met,” Noreen argued, her mind racing. “When we first met, I was already legally an adult.”
“That’s how you remember it,” Seth murmured, his voice thick with a dark, heavy emotion. “What you think was our first meeting wasn’t actually the first time our paths crossed.”
Noreen racked her brain, desperately trying to pull up any suppressed memories,
but drew a complete blank.
As far as she knew, they had first met in the hospital hallway.
He had descended into her crumbling world like a saving angel.
He had told her that he was a perfect match for her mother’s bone marrow
transplant.
And that he was willing to donate completely free of charge.
Before he showed up, Noreen had stood stubbornly in the pouring rain outside the Gilmore family mansion all night, pathetically begging her relatives to at least get tested.