Chapter 100

He stayed silent, and she was hurt. She understood he didn't love her anymore, so she turned to leave. Then she turned back to him and said, "I did not choose Ethan. I made a mistake in the past, not now. That day he forced a kiss on me, against my will. And I just didn't want to use you for my happiness; that is why I pushed you away. I don't want to be like Ethan; he wants people only when he needs them. I respect you and... I was scared to hurt again, and I can't bear if I get hurt by you. I can't bear to lose you. You are too good for me, and I don't deserve you; that is why I pushed you away." Her tears fell as she spoke, and he looked at her with amazement, his eyes softening.
Lewis's gaze held onto hers, his expression transforming from hardness to something more vulnerable as he took in her words. The raw emotion in her voice and the tears on her face seemed to reach him, and for a moment, the air between them was filled with a fragile understanding.
Lily's words hung in the air, a confession of her fears and reasons for pushing him away. Lewis's softened eyes seemed to hold a new kind of attention, one that was caught between surprise and a dawning realization.