Chapter 394
Why did Gregory bother with being so considerate of Anathea when he used to be so distant and apathetic toward her?
He’d been so cold and indifferent that she could set herself on fire and hug him, and it still wouldn’t have melted his icy facade. In the end, she would only end up hurt and frostbitten.
She didn’t want her soul to wither away, leaving behind only a pathetic husk of a body, all for the sake of a so–called one–sided love. It was why she’d chosen to cut things off with Gregory in the first place.
And yet, Gregory’s current behavior baffled her.
He seemed different from the man she remembered. Sure, he was still overbearing, but everything else about him made him a stranger in Anathea’s eyes, and it left her feeling helpless.
He was more gentle and thoughtful now. He’d changed, and much like a wisp of wind or a droplet of water, he crept through the cracks of Anathea’s heart. She couldn’t shut him out even if she tried.
The feeling terrified her, and her already–damaged heart repulsed him on instinct.
Gregory heard Anathea’s question and turned to look at her placid little face, which seemed no bigger than his hand. Despite the rest and food she’d been getting recently, she hadn’t put on much weight. It made his heart ache.
He felt bad for her and wanted to care for her a little more, but for some reason, the words that slipped out of his mouth were, Do you know St. Sophia’s Cathedral, the church in the outskirts of Castenea?”
“I doubt anyone living in Castena doesn’t know about St. Sophia’s Cathedral,” Anathea pointed out, a little bewildered by his question.
11
“There’s a lake behind the cathedral. It looks like a sapphire stone under the sunlight.” Gregory added slowly, “Have you been there?”
Anathea froze.
Gregory studied her face, noting the slightest shifts in her expression, then pressed, “Did you save someone from the lake behind St. Sophia’s Cathedral 18 years ago?”
As Anathea met his assessing gaze, her breath hitched. The bracelet on her wrist shifted a little as she curled her fingers. She pursed her lips, then shook her head nonchalantly.
“I’ve never been there.”
“Then why was your name on the list of attendants from 18 years ago?” Gregory probed.
He’d already found out yesterday that her name was on the list all those years ago, and there was something else.
He grabbed her wrist and revealed the scar under her bracelet. “How did you get this scar?”
He refused to believe there could be so many coincidences–that Amathea had been one of the guests at St. Sophia’s Cathedral 18 years ago and had a scar on her wrist.
Gregory’s tone was edged with desperation, as if urging Anathea to confirm his suspicions. He wanted her to tell him the answer he’d been waiting to hear.
But Anathea’s expression remained the same as she said flatly, “I was horsing around when I was little and climbed on a rock. I cut my wrist when I fell. That’s how I got the scar.”
Brows furrowing, Gregory stared into Anathea’s eyes and demanded, “Are you sure?”
Anathea replied, “Of course.”
His grip tightened, making her frown as she struggled to pull away “Let go. You’re hurting me.”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 394
But Gregory didn’t loosen his hold. Instead, he continued to stare at her as if hoping to hear a different answer. He didn’t snap out of his daze until she grumbled, “Gregory!”
“Sorry.” Gregory exhaled and finally let go of her wrist. He went into the walk–in closet and brought out clean clothes.
Anathea’s gaze roved over his back. Somehow, she felt there was a trace of forlornness in his broad, towering silhouette.、
Her fingers circled her wrist, and as Gregory set the clothes beside her, she asked in a daze, “Is that person important to you?”
She turned to look at him.
Gregory paused. He sounded aggrieved as he answered coldly, “No, it’s just someone irrelevant. No one important.”
With that, he stalked out of the bedroom without a backward glance.
As the door fell shut, Anathea’s frazzled mind finally eased. She lowered her gaze to the scar on her wrist, a relieved, resigned smile tugging on her lips. “No one important, huh? That’s for the best, I suppose.”
At least then she wouldn’t have to worry about getting second thoughts.
