Chapter 67

Committed herself to him...

When lsaac heard those words, his heart tightened suddenly, a sharp pang cutting through his chest as though something inside was being torn apart.

He remembered Verena once telling him, "You're the only one I choose."

Wherever, whenever-she had always given him a clear, unwavering answer, with the kind of certainty that left no room for doubt.

Verena was braver than him, carrying a courage he could only admire from a distance.

Isaac's fingers curled slightly, his Adam's apple rising and falling as he swallowed the bitterness that pressed at his heart.

With a faint push, he rolled his wheelchair forward. Verena caught the sound of wheels moving and knew at once that Isaac was coming to open the door.

She let out a small sigh of relief.

Click!

The door swung open from within.

"Isaac,you-"

"You should leave now." Isaac cut her words short before they could fully form.

Frowning, Verena lowered her gaze to him.

There he sat, in his wheelchair, hands gripping the wheels, head bowed, his back slightly hunched.

Loneliness and desolation clung to him like a shadow.

Staring at his lowered head, Verena spoke with quiet firmness. "If you've got something to say, then look me in the eye when you say it."

Isaac's hands tightened on his lifeless legs. With visible effort, he raised his heavy eyelids. The door stood open, letting the light from the hallway spill in, faintly brightening the darkened room.

At the doorway, Verena stood outlined in that light,her hair shimmering as strands caught a golden glow.

She looked radiant, like the sun breaking through on a winter morning-so dazzling that lsaac longed to draw near and hold on.

His Adam's apple moved again. Forcing calm into his tone, he spoke softly. "Yes, I am retreating. As you said, my condition has made me timid. But the reason I chose to let you go... is because I've come to realize many things."

Verena pressed on, her voice steady, "And what things are those?"

Meeting her gaze, Isaac deliberately said in a distant tone, "You know I'm crippled, unable to father a child. Yet you still insist on marrying me, on loving me. Isn't it because of my family background and power?" With those words, he lost the courage to keep looking at her. He deliberately turned his wheelchair away.

He expected her anger-expected her to flare up, to lash out at such a cruel accusation. But silence followed instead.

Isaac wondered, was she too furious to even speak?

Of course. What girl wouldn't be offended when accused of such motives?

His jaw tightened, a suffocating ache spreading in his chest, as though the very air threatened to choke him.

In truth, he wanted to tell her he loved her, regardless of her intentions.

But deep down, he felt he did not deserve her.

Hearing his words, Verena chuckled lightly, her understanding of him sharp enough to pierce straight through his disguise.

She could tell in an instant when his words were deliberate, not genuine.

Smiling faintly, she said, "You're saying all this just to provoke me, hoping I'll walk away without looking back, and never reach out to you again, isn't that right?"

Isaac froze, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.After all those words, wasn't she supposed to be furious?

Why...was she smiling instead?

She stepped closer with light movements, stopping behind him.

Then she wrapped her arms around his neck,bending down to embrace him.

"Your words cut deep, Isaac. But tell me-are you really willing to let it end like this?"

Her lips nearly brushed his ear, her voice low, tender,yet deliberately stirring. "Do you truly have the heart to wound me, to drive me away, let me belong to someone else-hold another man, kiss him, and be with him as I am with you?"

Her hand glided to his face, fingertips grazing his skin before lingering on his burning earlobe.

Her voice was gentle, yet her words carried the sting of a blade wrapped in silk, slicing him little by little.

Isaac's breath hitched. Each word weighed on him like chains.

Did he have the heart to do such a thing?

No...he did not.

Even the thought alone was enough to drive him to madness.

Verena tilted her head, watching his jaw tremble, his eyes rimmed in red.

Through his lashes, his dark eyes shone with wetness-like he had been holding back tears.

Her heart trembled at the sight, and she tightened her hold on him, her voice now soothing as a lullaby."Then let go of these needless fears, Isaac.Please?" Her lingering voice brushed against his ear, sending warmth coursing into his once-cold limbs.

Being held so tightly from behind-this was a feeling he had never known before.

And though a trace of the night chill still clung to Verena,Isaac felt warmer than ever.

It was as if his restless heart, long wandering,had finally found a harbor where it could rest.