Chapter 272
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I actually felt sorry for Edward.
What truly satisfied me, however, was the female judge’s deliberate reminder to Edward after delivering the final verdict. “This is the final ruling of the second trial, Mr. Kennedy. You may not file any further appeals.”
Edward immediately shot back, “I would like to file for a retrial!”
My heart sank. Had he lost his mind?
The judge dismissed him without hesitation. “Request denied. The ruling takes effect immediately. Court is adjourned.”
“I object! I’ll take this to a higher court!” Edward had really gone off the deep end. His face twisted with rage, as though he had been cursed–just like the online rumors had described.
But the judge didn’t spare him a glance. She simply gathered her files and walked out without looking back. As Ace wheeled me past the defense table, Edward suddenly turned his wheelchair and grabbed onto mine. “Taylor, we’ve been together for over six years… No, longer than that. You’ve loved me for eight years, maybe more… And now you’re saying you don’t love me anymore? Just like that?”
The fury on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by reddened eyes filled with raw sorrow and desperation. I met his gaze, my voice calm and steady. “Do you know what I’ve come to realize over the past few days?” He froze, then hesitantly asked, “What?”
“For years, I thought I loved you. But now I see that it wasn’t love at all. I had such an awful childhood, such a miserable life, that I clung to even the smallest bit of kindness you showed me. I mistook that warmth for love.
“In return, I gave you everything I had–more than you ever gave me. But now I understand that none of it was love. You were just a shelter from the storm.”
Saying it out loud stung. My throat tightened, and for a moment, I almost lost control of my emotions.
But it wasn’t regret I felt. It was the realization that I had wasted so many years on an illusion.
“You might be angry and think I used you, but you never really lost anything, did you? Ask yourself this, Edward- have you ever truly loved me? Or have you always treated me like a free lifeline?
“If you really loved me, you would never have abandoned me for another woman so heartlessly on the eve of our wedding. There is no way you would have married someone else for such a ridiculous reason.”
His grip on my wheelchair tightened, but his hand trembled as his gaze wavered.
That was when I knew I had struck a nerve.
“So why keep tormenting each other if neither of us truly loves the other?
“A sick person should keep an open mind and seek a doctor’s help for a physical illness. But if it’s a mental iftness, I’m afraid not even the best doctor in the country can help if you refuse to open your heart.”
His head lowered, and his voice came out as a whisper. “That’s not true…”
I didn’t care to ask what he was denying. I simply left him with one final remark.
“Take care of yourself.” With that, Ace pushed my wheelchair forward, and Edward’s grip slipped away.
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Chapter 272
“Taylor…” he called after me, but Ace didn’t stop.
“Taylor, I… I know now that I truly do love you. I know it’s my own fault for realizing this only after losing you…”
I didn’t look back. His words meant nothing to me.
Then suddenly, his voice turned panicked. “Would you give me another chance if Soren wasn’t in the picture? Taylor… Taylor!”
Chapter 273
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