Chapter 411 Unable to Bear Separation
"We're married. I have every right to be here," Sterling muttered, almost as if he was trying to convince himself as much as Bella. He finally got it.
Sterling knew he couldn't go on without her. The emptiness and loneliness were eating him alive.
Before he came here, he thought he was ready for a long fight, planning to win her back slowly with time and patience. He always told himself that love couldn't be rushed; it had to be nurtured.
But reality hit him hard. He realized he couldn't stand being away from Bella, not even for a day, not even for an hour. He knew he had to be direct and firm with her. As long as she came back to him, everything else could be taken slowly. But she had to come back first.
Bella's emotions spiraled out of control. Her voice, sharp with anger and despair, trembled as tears glistened in her eyes, though she stubbornly refused to let them fall. She clenched her fists tightly, her body trembling slightly, as if all her anger and helplessness had gathered at her fingertips.
"What do you want from me?" she nearly screamed, her voice filled with exhaustion and helplessness. "I've already lost so much. What more do you want to take from me? What other means do you have to threaten me? I have nothing left, except this life. What else can you take?"
Her gaze suddenly turned fierce, piercing through Sterling as if trying to see into his soul. "Are you still going after Anna? She's found her happiness, she's with your friend now. What more do you want? Are you going to destroy her happiness just to prove your power? I'm telling you, don't even think about it!"
Bella's emotions reached their peak. She suddenly stopped, gasping for breath, as if speaking had drained all her energy. Her eyes shifted from anger to deep disappointment and pain, her voice becoming low and hoarse. "Sterling, I hate you! I really hate you! I wish you would disappear from this world and never appear in front of me again! I've had enough of your..."
Her voice suddenly trembled and stopped. She felt an unprecedented emptiness and confusion.
Bella's eyes widened as she tried to search her mind for all of Sterling's wrongdoings. But apart from the decade-long deception and the truth she still couldn't face, her mind was blank. She couldn't remember what else he had done wrong.
This realization shocked and terrified her. She couldn't believe she still had such deep emotional entanglements with Sterling. She had thought her hatred for him was enough to get her through any hardship, but now it seemed that hatred wasn't as steadfast as she had imagined.
Sterling watched her sudden silence, a complex emotion rising in his heart. He asked coldly, "Why aren't you continuing? Didn't you have a lot to say to me?"
Bella lifted her head, her gaze meeting Sterling's. She saw the indifference and mockery in his eyes, and her heart ached.
Bella bit her lip, saying nothing, her chest heaving violently, revealing the turmoil inside her. Her eyes were a mix of anger, disappointment, struggle, and a hint of vulnerability.
In the small apartment, the air felt thick, with only the scent of laundry detergent and her faint fragrance mingling in the quiet night.
For Sterling, it was a different kind of tension, making his nerves stand on edge.
Sterling struggled to control the urge to reach out to her, fearing that his actions would only make her more agitated and resentful. He understood that she needed time and space to process her emotions, not his forced intervention.
After a while, Bella finally broke free from the whirlpool of emotions. Her eyes gradually regained clarity and determination. She took a deep breath, as if trying to expel all the pain and confusion, then spoke slowly, "I'm not going back with you, Sterling. This place, this dessert shop, and everyone in it, they mean everything to me. They are my whole life, the place where I found myself again."
Bella paused, her gaze fixed on the spot where Sterling had stood, even though he had already left. Her eyes seemed to still feel his presence. "The only thing left unfinished between us is the divorce papers. Yes, I admit, I can't hate you to the point of wanting you dead. After all, we once knew each other better than anyone. But I can't easily forgive you either, because the hurt you caused me runs too deep, too deep."
Bella's voice trembled slightly, but her tone was unusually firm. "Why can't we just let each other go? I have things I want to protect now. There's no need for us to keep entangling ourselves in the past, letting the pain continue to torment us. Can't we just live our own lives in peace?"
Sterling sat down slowly beside Bella, his voice low and complex, as if he were speaking to Bella and also to himself, expressing his inner struggle. "Let each other go? How can I truly let go? Letting you go, how can I let go of myself? I've tried countless times to break free from the mire of this relationship, but I've failed every time. My heart seems to be firmly tied to you."
Sterling looked up, his deep gaze meeting Bella's, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "Come home with me, please? I know this request might be selfish, but I can't bear this separation any longer. I want to start over with you, no matter how difficult the road ahead may be. I'm willing to face it with you."
"Home..." Bella repeated the word, a surge of complex emotions welling up inside her.
The word was like a sharp blade, piercing deep into Bella's heart, making her eyes instantly red. In the dark night, she tried to steady her breathing, not letting the tears fall, not letting Sterling see her vulnerability. She bit her lower lip tightly, trying to suppress all her emotions, but the memories of the destroyed home surged like a tide, making it impossible to escape.
"That's not my home." Bella's voice was low and firm, each word squeezed out through clenched teeth. "You destroyed my home with your own hands. There's no home left. If it ends like this, I might still remember the good in you, so that when I think of you in the future, my heart won't be filled with only hate. But please don't push me any further. I just want a peaceful life. The life I have now is all I want. Please don't appear in my world again. I can't take another earth-shattering upheaval."
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