The Wedding That Never Was Chapter 40

"Ilara, right now you only want to marry me because I saved you and you're too moved."

Leo reached out and separated the sticky candy apples.

He looked calm, but his lips kept moving.

"That's not fair to you."

"If I agree now, taking advantage of your vulnerability to marry you..."

"You will regret it, Ilara."

Hearing this answer, I felt an indescribable ache.

"You idiot..."

I gritted my teeth. My emotions, which had rarely fluctuated much since that tragic thirtieth birthday, soared for the first time.

Leo was about to continue speaking, but a kiss cut him off.

I stood on my tiptoes, eyes tightly closed, my voice trembling with suppressed sobs.

"I'm thirty-two... I've been in love for ten years. I know what a heartbeat is better than you do."

"How could I want to marry someone just because I'm moved..."

Leo's eyes widened. He didn't snap out of it even after the kiss ended.

"So, you're telling me this to get what? My blessing?"

Adrian interrupted Leo's reminiscence. A hint of anger appeared in his eyes, which had been calm all the way here.

The window wasn't closed tight, letting in the salty wind. The thugs of the storm wrapped the bridal shop in their gray-white bodies.

Raindrops, like tears, fell on Adrian's shoulders. He wore all black—black suit, black shirt, black tie.

Standing in front of Leo like an ominous omen.

Leo pulled the corner of his mouth into a mocking smile, his gaze landing on Adrian's legs.

He seemed to have sobered up from those intoxicating memories, retaining enough composure to deal with this visitor whom even the police couldn't easily handle.

"Do I need to remind you to stay away from other people's fiancées? Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up again?"

Adrian was successfully provoked by his gaze but calmed down quickly.

Leo was surprised. Adrian rarely had such a good temper since his legs were broken.

He watched Adrian slowly approach him. Even in a wheelchair, his gaze showed no fear.

In fact, when they got close enough, a provocative smile slowly curled on that cold face.

"Don't you want to know what Ilara and I went through in those ten years?"

Slowly, using a voice laced with ice and snow, he repeated the words Ilara had said to him.

He just changed the subject of the sentences.

"...At that time, she curled up on that sofa in despair. There was a bunch of flowers by her hand. She picked them herself."

"Because I never gave her flowers, but I kept giving them to others. She was sad, so she picked a bunch herself."

"She picked them until her hands were covered in blood..."

"Did I tell you she did the renovation of the house herself? I didn't have time to decorate. When she asked me to look, I always refused..."

"That day, I found a knife in the sofa. Actually, she didn't want to live from that moment on."

"But that day was my birthday. She didn't want my birthday to be her death anniversary. Even though I was downstairs watching fireworks with another woman at that time..."

Adrian recounted the story. He coughed as he spoke.

But his expression remained calm. Word by word, he gouged the flesh from his own heart and fed it to a hawk that had never tasted human meat.

Leo listened calmly, too. But that was only on the surface.

His arms hung by his sides, fists clenched tight. The more Adrian spoke, the more he trembled.

Finally, as if he couldn't listen anymore, he swung his fist, smashing it into the side of Adrian's face.

Man and wheelchair toppled over together.