Chapter 1553:

🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙

“Because my parents took away the normal life I should have had.” The confession escaped before she could stop it. “If I’d grown up in a loving, ordinary family, I would have been enough. Barry’s parents would have accepted me. But my family is nothing but chaos.”

Once the words began pouring out, they refused to stop. “Did I ever choose any of this? Was any of it under my control? If I’d been given the choice, I would have chosen not to exist in the first place.”

Feeling utterly defeated, she grabbed the glass from his hand and emptied the remaining wine in one desperate gulp.

Marcus reclined in his chair, lightly drumming his fingers against the tabletop while quietly observing her.

“What?” With the alcohol giving her unexpected courage, Novalee glared back at him. “I only drank a little. There’s no need to look at me like that.”

A slight smile touched Marcus’s lips, though his tone stayed calm. “The bottle you just emptied is part of a collection worth an enormous amount. Even if Barry saved every cent he earned, it would still take him years to afford it.”

Novalee lowered her eyes to the empty glass in her hand. “Does that mean I owe you for it?”

“If you break up with him, then forget about paying me.” Marcus nudged the bottle closer to her. “If you wanted them, I’d hand over every bottle I have, all ten of them.”

His meaning was so unmistakable that even Novalee, consumed by her own heartache, understood it immediately.

𝖳𝗵𝗈𝗎ѕ𝗮𝘯ds o𝖿 𝘳𝗲a𝗱e𝗿𝘴 𝗼n g𝘢𝗅𝘯𝗈𝘃e𝗹s.𝖼о𝘮

“You sound awfully enthusiastic about seeing me on my own,” she remarked in an even tone.

“I’ve said this before. You’ve never belonged to an ordinary life. You and Barry have never truly existed in the same world,” Marcus replied as though it were an undeniable fact.

Novalee gave a bitter laugh. “Then tell me, where do you think I belong?”

“With me,” Marcus answered instantly, meeting her eyes without wavering. “Everything has always come too easily for me. It wasn’t until I lost what mattered that I realized what I truly wanted. Regret has taught me one lesson: I won’t accept losing you again.”

Novalee didn’t respond for quite some time. When she finally spoke, her voice was cold. “You just can’t stand the idea of losing something that entertained you.”

“Things could be much more interesting if our relationship actually had a name,” Marcus replied with maddening composure. “Whether you admit it or not, no one understands you better than I do.”

“What, were you hiding in my closet while I slept with Barry?” Novalee scoffed, laughing in utter disbelief.

“If I’m being truthful,” he answered, his face giving nothing away, “I was furious.”

The laughter vanished from Novalee’s lips. A shiver ran through her as his expression made her realize he might actually have been watching her the entire time.

All color left her face. “You’ve been secretly watching me?”

She couldn’t believe he had actually observed her while she was intimate with another man.

“I only wanted to know whether you were happier without me,” Marcus answered calmly.

.

.

.