Chapter 282

Verena's words sparked a flicker of surprise across Isaac's face, disbelief flooding his eyes.

He couldn't wrap his mind around how someone would hurt the family of the person they claimed to love deeply.

To him, such actions were a walking contradiction.

Turning toward Verena, Isaac searched her gaze, confusion written in his eyes. "If Carl truly loved you, why kill Shawna, your closest family? Shawna couIdn't have stood in his way. Even if there were obstacles,surely he didn't need to go to such extremes."

Meeting his eyes, Verena felt a pang of guilt ripple through her.

If he knew it hadn't been just about her grandmother...

She bit her lower lip, self-reproach flickering in her eyes, and her voice turned husky as she began slowly,"At that time, everything happened in a rush. I saved him and another man at the same moment. To me, Carl was just another patient-lheld no special feelings for him. But with the other man, things changed.Spending time together, we grew close. Admiration turned into affection, and affection blossomed into love.Between us, aside from speaking the words outright, we shared all that lovebirds could."

Verena paused, drawing in a shaky breath before she pressed on. "Carl must have noticed the bond between me and that man. When he discovered the man had planned a grand, public profession of love,he realized our union was only a matter of time. In panic, he lost all reason and used Shawna's death to make me leave Clokron. During my absence, that man's company faced a serious crisis that forced him back to Akoitha. Carl seized the chance, weaving his schemes in secret to bring him down, and he caused him..."

Before her words could finish, the plane jolted, tires screeching against the runway before settling into a steady halt.

The courage Verena had summoned to reveal the truth drained like sand through open fingers. Her reddened eyes blinked, and she whispered softly,"Let's go home."

Isaac stayed seated, silent, still trapped within her painful story. It was as though invisible hands were squeezing his heart until it hurt.

Conflicting emotions clouded his face, brows drawn tight, his eyes swirling with unrest.

On one side, he felt relieved that Verena had finally laid bare her past without concealment. It spoke volumes of the trust she placed in him.

On the other, a sharp bitterness gnawed at him.

So the man she once loved had been torn away by Carl's treachery.

Their love hadn't ended through quarrel or coldness, but by death-a curtain call that left no encore.

No wonder Verena could never erase that man from her heart.

Isaac's chest tightened; his eyes grew moist.

Though he felt her love for him now, he couldn't shake the memory of what she had told Miranda on the morning after their wedding, about how she could never forget her first love. That declaration lingered like a wound that refused to closea

Indeed, how could he ever measure up to the ghost of the one she lost?

Coupled with guilt, her heart would always keep a corner reserved for that man.

Isaac sighed silently.

He knew he ought to be generous, not shackled by jealousy or bitterness.

After all, no one was truly to blame.

When love is cut short at its height, it brands itself upon memory forever.

No wonder Verena carried it with her still.

Outside the airport, the crowd bustled in a noisy tide. By the roadside, a black car gleamed faintly under the sun.

Jacob stepped forward, opening the door for them. After they settled inside, he closed it gently and moved to the passenger seat.

The driver pressed the accelerator, and the car slid smoothly onto the road.

Perhaps it was the weight of recounting the past on the plane, or perhaps exhaustion from the past few days finally caught up, but Verena's eyelids grew heavy. Her body leaned unconsciously against Isaac.

"Are you tired?" Isaac shifted slightly, cradling her closer with an arm around her shoulders.

She nodded,resting her head on his chest. "Yeah, a little."

The car grew hushed. Just as she drifted toward sleep, Isaac's hand gently stroked the back of her head,his fingers weaving through her hair in a tender rhythm.

Yet her words still echoed in his mind.

Leaning close to her ear, he murmured, "Verena, let bygones rest. Don't shoulder blame that was never yours. It was Carl who destroyed the man you once loved-not you. You were a victim too. Don't carry his sin as your burden."

His voice, deep and resonant, filled the car like a steady tide. Verena opened her eyes, gazing up at him,realizing he had misunderstood.

Her lips parted, and then closed again. She hesitated, her thoughts tangled.

How desperately she wanted to tell him-the man she loved had always been him, from beginning to end.

But Carl's shadow loomed, heavy as a mountain, for his schemes had cost lsaac his father's life-all because of her.

She knew Isaac's heart: though paralyzed, he might not resent her.

Yet his father had been his most revered figure.

Even if he said he bore no grudge, could he truly strip his soul of bitterness? Verena sighed inwardly, weighed down by helplessness and frustration.

She told herself she would wait a little longer.

She needed time-time to summon the courage to face lsaac and find a way to speak the truth.

Back at Seraphina Villas, Verena headed straight to the hospital after a bit of rest, while lsaac returned to the company to handle affairs.

As she entered the hospital, before reaching her office, Julianna hurried toward her, a troubled look on her face. "Evelyn, while you were away, Mr. Sampson came looking for you several times."

Verena's brows furrowed slightly.

Luis?

What did he want now?

She opened her lips to reply, but before a sound emerged, a young nurse rushed over, flustered. "Evelyn,Mr. Sampson is waiting for you at the nurses' station... He's making it difficult for us to work."