Anathea looked at Gregory and Theo silently. Each of them was wearing a completely different expression but both were clearly waiting for her answer, while her own face remained expressionless.
Unexpectedly, Anathea didn’t grab Theo’s hand. She simply bent down and picked up the box from the floor, handing it to Gregory.
“It’s been a while since I last saw Mrs. Sinclair Senior. Let’s go visit her together.”
That one sentence stirred up a massive storm in both men’s hearts.
Theo looked at her in shock, surprised by her reaction.
She’d heard their argument. Shouldn’t she be furious? Shouldn’t she be questioning Gregory for everything he’d done?
Why did she still choose Gregory?
The light in Gregory’s eyes flared back to life. Disbelief filled his gaze, but there was also a hint of relief. He was relieved that Anathea hadn’t left him.
He was so overwhelmed he couldn’t even speak. With trembling hands, he took the box from her and reached out to hold her hand cautiously.
Anathea didn’t pull away.
Only then did the color return to Gregory’s pale face.
Theo’s brow furrowed tighter. He looked at Anathea with mixed feelings. “Why?”
Why would she make such a choice after witnessing all that?
Anathea said nothing.
As a military strategist once said, “I don’t dare to be the aggressor I’d rather take a defensive stance. I don’t push forward even an inch; I’d rather retreat a foot.
“This is called advancing without moving, rolling up one’s sleeves without baring one’s arms, wielding weapons without holding them, and confronting enemies without fighting. This is the highest form of power.
“The greatest danger lies in having no boundaries or restraint. When you have no limits, you risk losing what truly matters.
“So, when two sides are evenly matched in battle, the one who grieves–who approaches with humility and sorrow is the one who will emerge victorious.”
She’d chosen Gregory only because Adam was in his hands. She feared that if he lost control, it would ruin everything she’d painstakingly pushed forward for, and all her efforts would go to waste.
She was using his guilt to gain the upper hand so she could win. She had her own mission to complete.
Hence, all she could say to Theo was, “Sorry.”
That word alone created a huge distance between them.
Theo stood frozen in place, watching Anathea and Gregory walk away side by side. For some reason, he felt as if his heart had been ripped out. It was hollow, letting in the cold wind that chilled him to the bone.
Was this what heartbreak felt like?
He’d always been the one who ended relationships. He’d never experienced what it was like to be the one left behind.
Now, he knew what that felt like, and it was maddening.
Chapter 329
+25 BONUS
Theo exhaled deeply and stood there for a long while. Only when Anathea’s figure slowly disappeared from his view did he finally turn and walk away.
On the way to Brisa’s courtyard, Anathea and Gregory walked in silence. She looked straight ahead, while he only looked at her. He held her hand, but it felt as if she could slip away at any moment. That feeling clutched his heart, pulling him apart between guilt and contradiction. It was suffocating him.
The image of Anathea looking at him just now kept flashing through his mind. He couldn’t shake it away.
In truth, what he’d said to Theo earlier wasn’t the full story.
What he’d wanted to say was, “Whether I love her or not is none of your damn business! She’s mine now! If you really want her, then wait until I’m done with her! But I’ll let you know that I’ll never get tired of her. All I know is that if I lose her, I’ll die!”
He didn’t even know what was wrong with him. He only knew that Anathea’s appearance had stirred ripples in his stagnant, dead–end life.
Without her, his already rotten and absurd life would only decay further to the point that only a pile of grim, bare bones would remain.
Like a drowning man clutching at his last straw, he grabbed Anathea’s hand and stopped walking.
“What’s wrong?” Anathea asked.
