Chapter 542
The moment Theo found out Anathea liked meteor showers, he had Rory rush out to find this meteor–shaped necklace.
“Do you like it?” he asked hopefully.
Anathea looked down at the necklace, a shimmering band like a river of stars, and nodded gently. “Yeah.”
“Let me put it on you…”
But she took a half–step back, smiling as she refused, “No need for that. I don’t usually wear expensive jewelry.”
“Is it that you don’t wear jewelry much, or that you don’t want to accept a gift from me?” Theo asked.
Anathea paused. She didn’t answer, but silence said enough.
But Theo wasn’t about to let go of this hard–won chance again.
“Anathea, I meant every word I said to Mrs. Jacobson earlier. I want to pursue you.”
Theo held her gaze. These were words he had buried in his heart for a long time.
He had wanted to say them before, but Anathea had cut him off. Back then, it wasn’t the right time. She was someone else’s wife. But now, everything was different. She was divorced from Gregory, and more importantly, she was the Lancaster family’s heiress–the very same heiress who was engaged to him.
God knew how hard it had hit him when Grace made that announcement. His heart had nearly jump fate had handed him a golden ticket.
So this time, he didn’t hold back or hesitate. He stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
of his chest. It felt like
He had never confessed his feelings to anyone before, so his voice came out a little rushed and shaky. “Anathea, the reason I gave you such a hard time before was because there was something about you that made me jealous. It wasn’t until later that I realized that I wasn’t jealous of you. I was jealous of Gregory.
“I envied him for having you as his wife. And only then did I realize, far too late, that I might have fallen for you a long time ago.
11
As Theo thought back to every smile and glance Anathea had ever given him, his eyes shimmered.
His voice dropped as he went on, “When you suddenly left Castenea, I couldn’t explain the emptiness I felt. It was like something important had gone missing. Later, I realized that it was you. When you left, you took a piece of my heart with you.
“I used to think I’d never been lucky. I had parents, but it was as if I didn’t. I never enjoyed any of the privileges that came with being the Harrington family’s heir, yet I was still expected to shoulder all the responsibilities. But now, I think maybe I was lucky after all.”
The title of heir to the Harrington family had brought him nothing but pain. But for the first time, he found himself strangely grateful for it.
“Maybe the universe finally took pity on me. Maybe it got tired of watching me miss my chance with you over and over again and finally decided to give me one more shot to pursue you openly. And this time, I won’t run from it. I want to lay it all out for you, completely and honestly.
“Anathea, I love you. I know you’re trying to let go of the past and start fresh. I was just wondering if you could maybe think about including me in it as you start to rebuild your life.”
The night was quiet, and Theo’s voice cut through it, clear as day.
Anathea knew he could be a chatterbox, but she had never heard him talk this much all at once.
Chapter 542
+25 BONUS
“Are you sure you’re not drunk?” she asked, eyeing him with suspicion.
Because honestly, he was acting like he had had one too many.
“I’m sure. I wanted the chance to drive you home tonight, so I didn’t touch a drop,” Theo replied extremely seriously as he looked into her eyes.
“So, I know exactly what I’m saying. I’m confessing to you. I’m laying my heart bare. Can you feel it?”
Anathea pressed her lips together, unsure how to answer. It was all just so sudden.
And her feelings for Theo…
But before she could respond, Theo had already swiftly lifted the necklace and reached around her neck.
The scent of neroli on him curled around her, and his arms hovered just close enough to feel like a half–embrace.
“Theo…”
“Shh. Don’t move,” he murmured in her ear. “It really suits
you.
His breath brushed warm against her cheek.
