Chapter 978 This Is More Romantic Than a Direct Confession!
Brandon replied, "What if I told you, Thessaly, that I really don't care?"
"Impossible! No guy wouldn't care!"
"I really don't," Brandon said. "Because that night, I wasn't exactly innocent either."
Thessaly's expression shifted immediately.
Was he suggesting that he and Penelope had been together too?
Footsteps echoed behind them.
Brandon, still shirtless with his shirt discarded, slowly approached Thessaly from behind.
"Thessaly, since we're already talking about this, let's just get everything out in the open," he said. "It's just us here, no one else."
Thessaly stood still. "What are you trying to say?"
"That night is a thorn in all our sides. Kelvin hates me, Penelope avoids me, and I feel guilty, but nothing can change what happened... I also know you've been hiding at home, trying to heal, not wanting to see anyone, so I haven't bothered you."
"You're a good girl, Thessaly, so you can't accept what Paul did to you. You feel tainted, unworthy of good things, and you've shut yourself off, unwilling to open up."
"But Thessaly, that night, I... I went through something similar. Penelope and I have been friends for years; she's married with kids, yet I did something so foolish. I can't stand myself either."
Thessaly bit her lip hard.
He didn't even get Penelope!
He was just fooling himself!
Lying to himself! She wouldn't believe it, nor would she interrupt Brandon. She wanted to see what other lies he'd come up with!
Brandon gently placed his hand on Thessaly's shoulder.
She shivered slightly.
"Thessaly, do you remember? After that night, when the sun came up, I was the one who took you home."
"...I remember," she replied quietly.
Brandon sighed. "On the way, I kept wondering if we'd have a future, if there was still a chance. Would you despise me while you were closing yourself off?"
"Even though I was engaged and living with my fiancée, I never actually touched her."
Thessaly was surprised.
Engaged, living together, just short of getting married... yet Brandon and his late fiancée had never been intimate? Really?
Brandon was so cunning that Thessaly couldn't tell what was true and what was false.
Truth and lies, lies and truth confused her!
Thessaly bit her lip hard, using the pain to keep herself clear-headed and rational.
She thought for a moment and said, "So... your love life is pretty simple."
"Love is a luxury. It's great if you can have it, but if not, you should let it go."
"But..." Thessaly turned to look into his eyes, "The person you like is Penelope."
She laid it out plainly.
He kept saying he wanted to be honest, right?
So she was being honest, to see how Brandon would respond!
Brandon's face changed slightly, a bit surprised and a bit displeased, but he quickly hid it.
But Thessaly saw it all clearly.
How would he answer?
"...Yes." Brandon nodded, admitting it. "I've always liked Penelope. How did you know?"
Thessaly wanted to say she figured it out.
But she changed her answer. "Penelope mentioned it to me."
"You and her are that close, that she'd tell you something like that?"
"She wanted to set us up," Thessaly said. "You must've noticed. So she brought it up, made it clear, hoping I wouldn't overthink it, and more importantly, hoping I wouldn't just shut you down."
The explanation was solid, so Brandon didn't doubt it.
He paused, thinking it over.
Thessaly watched every little change in his expression.
Knowing someone's true nature while watching them spin tales... it was a weird mix of discomfort and frustration.
Logically, Thessaly should feel triumphant and maybe a bit smug because she was in control.
But... all she felt was this big, empty void inside.
Maybe it was because she had feelings for Brandon.
Because she had feelings, she couldn't just see him as the bad guy.
Love and hate.
Thessaly thought, if only the day she met Brandon had been just another day.
But instead, he showed up like some knight in shining armor, reaching out to save her.
When she fell into his arms and looked up at him... her heart skipped a beat.
The beginning was too perfect, making it hard for her to let go!
Brandon said, "So Penelope told you... that sounds like her."
"She always tells me how great you are, how amazing in every way, always singing your praises."
'So, Brandon, Penelope trusts you so much, holds you in such high regard, yet you did something that hurt her. Don't you feel guilty?'
Maybe... someone who lost their way did not have a conscience anymore.
Without a conscience, where would guilt come from?
"Penelope praised you to me, too," Brandon smiled. "Thessaly, you're truly a wonderful person."
"No, Penelope's better than me. So it's normal for you to like her."
Brandon placed both hands on Thessaly's shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze.
"I used to like her, liked her for a long time, but it's impossible between us now. Thessaly, Penelope is married, has two kids, and she and Kelvin are happy, having weathered countless storms together, now just waiting to grow old together."
"And even after the hotel incident, Kelvin still stands by her, loves her dearly. It proves that Kelvin is a husband she can trust completely. I'm at peace with that."
"What I need to do now is watch her from afar, see her happy and carefree, and that's enough."
"At the same time... I need to look forward, not linger in past memories, unwilling to move on."
With that, Brandon squeezed her shoulders. "Thessaly, Penelope was my past. You are my present."
This was as good as a confession.
Just shy of saying "I love you."
And it was more romantic than a direct confession!
Life is long, filled with countless scenes and passersby, and she was the most beautiful scene in his life to come!
Thessaly and Brandon locked eyes.
His gaze was full of tenderness.
So gentle, so full of love.
If only this affection, this heart, were real... but unfortunately, Thessaly didn't have the luck to find a perfect love!
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