The forgiveness and surprise Julian expected didn’t show on Shelly’s face. Her three simple words made him completely stop. He couldn’t understand. He had told her his deepest thoughts, so why didn’t she care? Looking at her indifferent face through the window, he felt his breathing become heavy and difficult. Cotton even whimpered sadly in his mind, his eyes filled with tears. They were being rejected by their fated mate.
But he had also cruelly rejected her in the same way back then. Did Shelly feel the same sadness and heartache he felt now?
Time was running out, and he could only keep pouring his heart out, holding nothing back.“Shelly, now you’re the only one I like. Will you give me another chance? I swear to the Moon Goddess that this time, I absolutely won’t be foolish again. I will openly declare our relationship to everyone, and I will treat you as well as I did before. If you’re willing, we can get engaged right away. I will definitely give you a clear and bright future.”
Julian spoke each word with conviction. Looking at his sincere face, Shelly lowered her head, and her eyes cleared. If he had said these words two months ago, she would have believed him. But it’s too late for “if onlys,” And she didn’t want any future with him.
“I don’t think I’m the person you like, and I don’t think we have a future. If that’s all you wanted to say, then I can tell you clearly, you and I have absolutely no possibility.”
Julian’s last bit of hope was gone. His expression dimmed, his body trembled slightly, and the veins on his clenched hand bulged. His eyes, full of sorrow, looked deeply at her, and his voice was choked with sobs. He looked vulnerable and pitiful, like a newborn wolf cub who had been kicked out of the pack. “Why? Shelly, I’ve already realized my mistake. Why can’t you just forgive me? Have you forgotten you once said you only wanted to be with me? Have you forgotten you promised you’d never leave me?”
Of course, Shelly remembered saying those things. She had truly seen Julian and their relationship as the most important and cherished things in her life. But promises have a time limit; they were only valid when she still loved him. And now, she and Julian were practically strangers. What was the point of talking about promises or affection now?
So, she didn’t give him a chance to continue his act. “Then have you forgotten that you said you only saw me as a friend, and that life with me was boring? Have you forgotten that you said you’d never love me, no matter who you loved? Have you forgotten that you said you never wanted to see me again? You remember everything, except for these things, don’t you?”
Julian’s face gradually turned pale at her strong voice. The thoughtless jokes and angry words he had said then now came back like boomerangs, hitting him right in the heart. He shook his head over and over, trying to deny it all.“That’s not it, Shelly, I didn’t know I liked you then, that’s why I said that…”
Then, when you treated our private relationship as a joke, showing off to your Betas and Gammas in the bar, did you ever think about a day like this?”
That one sentence answered the question in Julian’s heart. He finally understood why she had fought with Grace at the bar and why, after that night, they could never go back to the way they were. So she had heard their conversation from outside the private room!
When he realized this, his head buzzed, and the blood in his body seemed to flow backward. His wolf began to roar furiously, wanting to leave him and throw itself into the arms of its former mate. His mind raced, trying to find a reason to explain. He instinctively reached his hand into the window, wanting to grab her hand to make her stay and buy some more time.
But seeing that time was up, Shelly didn’t hesitate and closed the window. His hand was bruised dark purple from being squeezed, yet he still refused to pull it back. Threads of fresh blood seeped down the window, and the air filled with the strong smell of blood. Shelly frowned and glanced at him, then lowered the car window and pushed his weak hand out. After closing the window again, she started the car, leaving only one final sentence, her voice stern.“Keep your hypocritical, selfish love for Grace. I, Shelly, don’t need it.”
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