Chapter 17
The guests erupted into shocked whispers.
“Isn’t that Dominic Reed?”
“Did he just say ‘don’t marry him‘? Is he trying to stop the wedding?!”
“My God, the Sinclair heir just woke up, and now this drama åt his wedding…”
The murmurs swelled like a rising tide. Ariana dug her nails into her palm, half–convinced she was hallucinating.
Dominic… here? Why?
She watched him approach step by step. His suit was creased as if he’d slept in it, dark circles beneath his bloodshot eyes suggesting he hadn’t properly rested in days.
“Don’t marry him,” he repeated, his voice barely recognizable.
Ariana’s fingers trembled slightly, but she forced herself to remain composed: “Dominic, what are you doing here?”
She could hear the ice in her own voice: “Aren’t you afraid your precious Mia will be jealous?”
Dominic flinched as if she’d struck him, his eyes filled with intense pain.
“I got it wrong,” his voice was rough with emotion. “Ari, three years ago, the person I fell in love with was you, not Mia. All this time I’ve been blind and foolish, loving the wrong person.”
“Do you remember rescuing that bird’s nest at the charity gala three years ago? That day, I fell for you at first sight, but I mistook you for Mia.”
Ariana’s pupils dilated.
Of course she remembered that day–wearing a white dress, climbing a tree to save a precariously balanced nest. When she climbed down, she’d glimpsed a man standing in the distance, but assumed he was just a passerby and hurried away.
That had been… him?
Seeing her stunned silence, Dominic pressed on urgently: “I’ve discovered everything–how Mia has been manipulating me all along. You were the one suffering in the Reeves household, not her. She drugged your mother, causing her and your unborn sibling’s deaths. She’s tormented you since childhood, fabricated false reports to steal your study abroad opportunity. I’m so sorry–I didn’t investigate properly. I failed you…”
Each word he spoke sent another sharp pain through Ariana’s heart.
20:13
Husband’s Secretary Affair Exposed–Then I Fell Into College Underclass’s Arms
19.99
Chapter 17
All the past injustices and suffering, so casually laid bare, as if a simple “I got it wrong” could erase years of
heartache.
She laughed suddenly, though her eyes remained cold: “So that’s it? You say you ‘got it wrong,‘ and that’s supposed to make everything better? To erase all the pain I’ve endured?”
Dominic’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he struggled to speak: “Ari, I’m sorry… I’ll spend my entire life making it up to you.”
“Make it up?” She twisted her lips sardonically. “Dominic, do you remember how you treated me for Mia’s sake?”
He went completely still.
She enumerated each wound precisely, her words like knives carving into his heart:
“At the auction, you had someone bid limitlessly for her, ensuring I couldn’t win a single item.”
“You risked your life climbing Crescent Cliff to pick a flower for her.”
“You tattooed her name above your heart, focused solely on protecting her when that mastiff attacked, then had someone whip me ninety–nine times in retaliation for her receiving a single lash…”
With each accusation, Dominic’s face grew paler.
By the end, he could barely stand, clinging to his composure only by digging his nails deep into his palms.
“I’m sorry…” his voice was shredded, eyes reddened. “Ari, please… give me one chance.”
He spoke rapidly, as if afraid of being interrupted: “I’ve already punished everyone who ever hurt you. Mia and your father–I’ve dealt with them both. Mia is now married to my sixty–year–old great–uncle, and I personally ran your father over, breaking both his legs…”
Ariana’s expression turned to shock, but before she could respond, Christopher coldly stepped in front of her: “Enough! Mr. Reed, show some respect.”
Dominic’s pained expression instantly transformed into something far more dangerous.
He forced himself to regain control, turning to Christopher: “Mr. Sinclair, you’ve only just awakened. How much affection could you possibly have developed for Ari in such a short time?”
“If you’ll step aside, I’m prepared to offer thirty percent of all North Shore–Sinclair collaborative projects‘ profits.”
I’ll translate this missing passage to complete the English adaptation:
20.13
