The Wedding That Never Was Chapter 39

The day Leo rescued me, the sky had turned ink-black. A silver-blue glow rose from the cracks in the horizon.

Only then did the reality of regaining freedom settle in.

I supported myself on weak legs. My phone had been swept clean.

I had told Jessica my plans earlier, so the phone was only filled with missed calls from Leo.

I suddenly realized my stomach was empty—I hadn't had a drop of water since leaving the house in the morning.

Leo took me into a small roadside diner. Although the floor was greasy, the food smelled surprisingly good.

Even though Leo, covered in bloody wounds, almost got blocked from entering.

While ordering, I pulled Leo over and scrutinized every wound on his body.

"Tell me the truth... how did you get these?"

Leo looked at my scrunched-up face. After thinking for a moment, he told the truth.

"That bastard Adrian arranged two guards. I had to fight them to find the key..."

He wanted to say, I'm sorry I made you wait so long.

But he saw my eyes shining, my hand gripping his clothes tightening. "You fought two people alone and won?"

Leo scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. "I'm not as cool as you think... I had a weapon."

For two years, I rarely saw Leo shy. Looking at his red ears, I bandaged him while trying not to laugh.

"So you looked for me all day?"

At this, Leo frowned immediately, turning his face away so I wouldn't see his expression.

But I had already noticed his reddened eyes. I stopped teasing him, my voice strained.

"I'm sorry... I made you worry."

"It's not your fault." Leo patted my head. He rarely made such intimate gestures.

I felt a trace of warmth I rarely possessed from that familiar touch.

Someone worried about me, looked for me, and soothed my self-blame.

Whether it was family or a lover of ten years, few had ever given me this feeling...

Because my mother always thought I was useless, and Adrian was always too busy.

Those people who rushed through my life weren't willing to leave a spark of warmth to help me survive another winter.

But Leo said it wasn't my fault.

Yes, this life wasn't caused by my mistakes.

A wave of sourness hit my heart.

In my eyes, Leo had always been like an overgrown child.

He helped me a lot, and I never forgot a single day. So, the other side of this child's identity was labeled only with "gratitude."

But at this moment, with one sentence, one look, he moved me to tears.

"You... don't have to be this good to me, Leo."

Leo frowned, looking confused.

"How am I good to you...?"

He seemed genuinely puzzled about where he had been so good to me that it was worth my tears.

In Leo's eyes, saving me the first time wasn't being good; it was General Peterson's order and his duty as a soldier. He was just faster than the ambulance.

Treating me abroad wasn't being good; my own savings could have covered it. He just paid some money upfront to gain favor, so he felt he took advantage.

Letting me live in his house wasn't being good; he didn't buy me a house. The time spent together was worth more than rent.

Rescuing me again wasn't being good, because he was the one who took me out in the first place.

So, Leo thought for a long time and couldn't figure out why he was good to me.

His family's traditional view was that being good to a girlfriend meant buying her a big house, pearls, diamonds, and never hitting back or talking back.

He should give her everything she wanted.

Oh, Ilara wanted candy apples at the amusement park this morning. He suddenly remembered.

So I watched him rummage through a backpack and pull out a plastic bag wrapped around something.

Leo peeled open the bag. Inside, several skewers of crystal-clear candied fruit were stuck together, the sugar coating slightly melted.

He suddenly felt embarrassed. "This isn't good. I'll buy you fresh ones tomorrow..."

"Leo," I interrupted him, rare for me.

"Hmm?" Leo turned back, raising an eyebrow to show he was listening.

"Let's get married, okay?"

...

After a silence, I heard an unexpected answer.

"No."

I never thought Leo would answer like that.