Chapter 23
Stella finally understood what was happening. She frowned, whispering to her supervisor, “I should get back to my research work.”
She turned to leave, but had barely reached the corridor when Alaric caught her arm.
“Stella, why are you running the second you see me?”
Stella pulled her arm free and replied coolly, “I’m not running.”
Alaric’s voice grew more agitated. “That’s bullshit. You saw me and immediately tried to bolt”
“If I truly mean nothing to you anymore, why can’t you even look me in the eye?”
Stella sighed with resignation. She turned and looked directly into his eyes without flinching, her gaze steady and
cold.
“See? I’m not avoiding you.”
“I told you–I don’t want to waste any more time on you. It’s that simple.”
She meant every word. Her entire previous life and the youth of this one had already been wasted on Alaric Gilbert.
She refused to spend another second entangled with him.
Hurt flashed in Alaric’s eyes.
“I’m sorry, Stella. I screwed up. Completely.”
The perpetually arrogant man lowered his head for the first time, his voice raw with emotion.
“Please forgive me. I was awful to you. I swear I’ll make it up to you if you give me another chance. Come back with
me?”
Stella simply regarded him coldly. “Don’t beg. I’ve made myself clear–our engagement is over. We’re strangers now. There’s nothing more to discuss.”
“But I can’t let you go,” Alaric said desperately, grabbing her arm again. “You don’t understand. After you left, I had
this dream… it felt like another lifetime.”
“In that life, we were married, but I treated you like shit. Then I died, and because of me, you were stabbed to death.”
“When I woke up, it felt like my heart was being ripped out. That’s when I knew–I love you. I’ve always loved you. Please, don’t walk away again.”
Alaric mentioned the dream simply to explain his epiphany.
But his words caused Stella’s expression to change dramatically.
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Addio To The Stand In Past, This Time I Chose To Reclaim My Own Life
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Chapter 23
She stared at him for a long moment before speaking. “What if it wasn’t just a dream?”
Alaric froze.
“What are you talking about?”
Stella freed herself from his grip and spoke quietly. “At this point, there’s no reason to hide it from you.”
“Alaric, I’ve lived this life before.”
“That dream you described–that was our previous life.”
“So all the pain and despair you saw me endure… it was real.”
