DS
With his eyes glistening with tears, Claudio choked out, ‘Dora, you’re so heartless. You promised me that you’d always be by my side and never leave me.
I replied, “Yes, I said that. But the one I promised was the person who used to look at me with
so much love in his eyes, always following me around. It was him who would rush to shield me
whenever I got bullied or hurt. It’s not you who’s full of calculations and just using me like a pown”
He staggered back, seemingly stricken. He then lunged at me, grasping my shoulders tightly, and tried to explain, “Dora, just give me some time, alright? You gotta understand. Right now, I’ve
gotta rely on the Gallo family’s support to hold onto my position as the president. Even if we end up getting divorced and I marry Alessa, it’s you that I love the most. fve got you in my heart. Can
I you get it?”
I stared at him, who looked somewhat deranged. With a heave, I wrenched myself free from his hold and started to speak, “I get it. But I’m not accepting it. I know you’re the sort of people who’d do anything to get what you want. If not, you wouldn’t have been biding your time for
seven years, lying to me. But to me, after that short spell of something nice, all that’s left is an
even crueler reality. I just can’t accept this kind of love.
“Why? I love you. Isn’t that enough?
“Love me? Your kind of love is just lying to me, using me, kicking me to the curb, and then still
claiming you have me in your heart, asking me to be your mistress? What kind of crap is that?”
He fell silent, and the room was immediately enveloped in a suffocating stillness. In the blink
of an eye, he crumbled, tears streaming down his face. He clung to me tightly. For a fleeting moment, it was as if time had rewound and we were back in the past. Back then, whenever something troubled him, he would break down in tears. I would wrap my arms around him,
patiently offering comfort, telling him stories, or playing games to bring a smile back to his face.
I shoved him aside and claimed in a deadpan voice, “Get out. I need to rest.”
He slowly swiveled around and shuffled away. After that day, I didn’t see him again for quite a long while.
It wasn’t until two months later that I got news from Victor.
Victor: [It worked.]
I had a rough idea of what he had meant. Just as I’d expected, it wasn’t long before Claudio
showed up. The reason he came to me was plain and simple: he wanted a divorce.
On the way to the Civil Affairs Bureau, he remained silent the whole time. It wasn’t until the
car pulled up steadily at the gate and I was getting ready to get out that he abruptly grasped my wrist. I turned my head, looking at him with a puzzled expression. He said in a hoarse voice, “l just want to ask you, in the past seven years, did you ever love me?”
I answered, “Does it matter? What’s the point of this?”
Not getting an answer, he stubbornly refused to let go of me. I let out a weary sigh and replied, “Mr. Falcone, you should know. If it weren’t for your tricks, we wouldn’t have known each other in the first place, let alone these seven years you keep talking about. We were just cooperating. You put in the money. I put in the work. Now that it’s done, we should just go our
12:42 Thu, 10 Apr
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I had a rough idea of what he had meant. Just as I’d expected, it wasn’t long before Claudio
showed up. The reason he came to me was plain and simple: he wanted a divorce.
On the way to the Civil Affairs Bureau, he remained silent the whole time. It wasn’t until the
car pulled up steadily at the gate and I was getting ready to get out that he abruptly grasped my wrist. I turned my head, looking at him with a puzzled expression. He said in a hoarse voice, “I just want to ask you, in the past seven years, did you ever love me?“.
I answered, “Does it matter? What’s the point of this?”
Not getting an answer, he stubbornly refused to let go of me. I let out a weary sigh and replied, “Mr. Falcone, you should know. If it weren’t for your tricks, we wouldn’t have known each other in the first place, let alone these seven years you keep talking about. We were just cooperating. You put in the money. I put in the work. Now that it’s done, we should just go our separate ways peacefully. Mr. Falcone, don’t be too greedy.
“So the answer is no, huh?
“That’s right. Maybe there was a short moment when my heart skipped a beat. But I guess it didn’t quite reach the level of love. Anyway, the hurts you brought me were way more serious
than that empty love you talked about.”
After saying that, I wrenched my hand out of his grip and strode into the Civil Affairs Bureau.
