Chapter 16
My breath caught.
He stumbled back, his face twisted in shock, in pain. He looked down at the blood soaking his shirt, then back at me.” I blinked. No. No, that wasn’t supposed to happen.
Lothario’s legs buckled. He collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. Pearl froze. For the first time, her face twisted in something close to horror!!
No, no, no. This wasn’t–Strong arms wrapped around me. Taurus.
I thrashed, screaming. “Let me go! Let me go!”
His grip was like iron. Security swarmed in, voices shouting. Hands grabbing me. I didn’t even realize I was laughing until I heard it–high, broken, hysterical.
I looked at Pearl, who was kneeling beside Lothario, pressing her hands against his wound.!
“You love him,” I whispered, my voice shaking with laughter. “You still love him.“!!
Pearl’s gaze snapped to mine, her expression unreadable. Then-
“Taurus,” she said coldly, “get her out of my sight.”
Darkness swallowed me as I was dragged away, my screams echoing through the warehouse. Pearl had won.!!
-PEARL’S POV-
Lothario survived. Of course, he did. A part of me had known from the moment the knife plunged into his side that he wouldn’t die. He was too stubborn, too arrogant, too much of a man who had spent his life thinking he was untouchable.”
But now, lying in that hospital bed, hooked up to machines, pale and weak–he wasn’t untouchable anymore.
I stepped into his room, heels clicking softly against the sterile tile. The scent of antiseptic filled my nose, mingling with the heavy weight of quiet.
Lothario turned his head, and when his dark, tired eyes met mine, something flickered in them–something raw, something I hadn’t seen in years. Regret.
“Pearl,” he rasped, voice hoarse as if he’d been saying my name for hours.”
I stayed near the door, arms crossed. “Lothario ”
He swallowed hard, trying to sit up, wincing at the effort. “You came.”
| tilted my head, unimpressed. “Don’t read too much into it.”
He gave a small, breathless chuckle. “Still sharp–tongued, I see.“I
I wasn’t here to reminisce, and he must have sensed it because the amusement faded. “Pearl…”
A bitter smile curled on my lips. “Funny. You had years to talk. Years to listen. You never cared to before.”
He exhaled, dragging a hand down his face. “I’m sorry.. for everything.”
I let out a small, cold laugh. “That’s an understatement.”
His jaw tightened, “1” He hesitated, then shook his head, eyes burning into mine. “I should’ve never let you go.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Let me go?“%
His throat bobbed. 1-”
“Don’t.” My voice was sharp. “You threw me away, Lothario, Tossed me aside like I was nothing.“”
His hands clenched into fists on the sheets. “I was a fool.“!!
“Yes,” I agreed easily “You were.”
Silence stretched between us.
Then, softer, he whispered, “I loved you.”
A coldness spread in my chest.
“No,” I said, voice devoid of emotion. “You didn’t.”
His eyes snapped to mine. “I did=”
“You needed me,” I corrected, stepping closer, letting him see the ice in my gaze. “You needed me to build you up. To fix your problems. To sacrifice for you. But you never loved me, Lothario. If you had, you wouldn’t have spent those years making me feel invisible after you become millionaire.”
He flinched Good
I tilted my head. “Do you even know when my birthday is?” Silence.I
“Do you remember my favorite flowers?”
More silence.
“Do you remember the time your business almost collapsed? When your biggest investor pulled out? A humorless laugh escaped me. “You were desperate. Thought it was over. And who begged that investor to stay? Who used every ounce of her business skills to bring more investors to your company?”
His face paled
“I did I smiled, slow and sharp “And do you remember when your own employees tried to sabotage you? Who caught them? Who handled them while you were too busy chasing Alessia?”
He looked like he wanted to be sick.
“You never even knew, did you?” I whispered. “Because I wasn’t someone you saw. I was just someone who made your life easier. Until I wasn’t useful to you anymore.”
Lothano’s breaths turned ragged.
I leaned in slightly, voice like a blade. “You made your choice, Lothario. And now, you have to live with it.”
He swallowed hard “Pearl, 1—“:
“I forgive you,” I said, cutting him off.
He froze. “You… do?”
I nodded. “But that doesn’t mean I love you. That doesn’t mean I want y
His entire body went rigid.
you.”
I turned on my heel. “I only came to say thank you for taking the hit that night.”
I reached for the door handle.
“Pearl–please”
I didn’t stop. I didn’t look back.
I walked away, leaving him behind.
Taurus Sullivan was relentless. He didn’t just flirt with me–he pursued me. With unwavering confidence. With steady devotion. With the kind of patience that both amused and terrified me.
- us. “I don’t
“I’m not like him,” he told me one night, as we stood on my penthouse balcony, the city lights glowing below us want to own you, Pearl. I just want to stand beside you.“”
I took a sip of my wine, giving him a sideways glance. “Big words.”
He smirked. “I mean them.“2
I studied him, searching for cracks, for lies, for the usual male ego wrapped in pretty words. I found none.
Instead, I found something warm. Strong. Steady. A man who didn’t need me. But who chose me. And for the first time in a long time, I let my walls crack–just a little.
Lothario’s company was dying. His stock had plummeted. Investors were fleeing. I had the power to destroy him completely One final push, and he’d be ruined
But I didn’t. I let him struggle. Let him feel what it was like to claw his way up alone, with no one to save him. I didn’t crush him But I didn’t save him either.}
It wasn’t kindness. It wasn’t mercy. It was balance. Because I had moved on And now–Lothario would have to learn how to do the same 2
