Stella lowered her unfathomable gaze, staring at Henryâs wrist wrapped in gauze. After a moment, she slowly hooked the corner of her lip and said, âHenry, ever since weâve been together, itâs been nothing but injuries. Maybe we should stop.â
Upon hearing this, Henry felt a fierce tremor in his heart. He didnât know why, but it seemed like he had a premonition that Stella would give this kind of answer. So when Stella said it, Henry wasnât surprised, butâ¦
âStella, Erin is gone. There wonât be anyone else to hurt meâ¦â
Stella looked away and met Henryâs hopeful gaze.
âI have taken a life and been violated in front of you. These two barriers, I can never overcome them in my heartâ¦â
She didnât offer any other reasons, just said it directly.
Who could go through such humiliation and still peacefully marry someone for a lifetime? If it were anyone else, they probably wouldnât even want to see each other again. Stella was considered strong, at least she could help treat Henry as if nothing happened.
âI donât mind.â
When Henry looked at Stella, his eyes were filled with a pained âStella, youâre just forced to do this. Itâs not your fault, including shooting and killing Erin. You were forced to do it, you didnât really want to kill him. I see all of this, and I understand you. So I donât mind at all, why do youâ¦â
Stella smiled, her eyes curved like the brightest moon in the night sky.
âHenry, I do mind.â
After interrupting Henry with a smile, Stella turned to look at the middle-aged couple standing outside the hospital room. When she saw their tired faces and graying hair, she sighed deeply.
âHenry, your parents are getting older, they canât handle any more turmoil. They love you so much, and theyâre so open-minded. You should think about them moreâ¦â
âHenry, in addition to the reasons mentioned above, I also have to tell you that I still havenât completely fallen in love with youâ¦â
This sentence made Henry swallow the words he was about to say. He lowered his head, staring at his own wrist for a while, and then, unwillingly, he raised his head again.
âStella, I know you havenât fallen in love with me yet. Itâs always been just me, wishful thinking. But what can I do? As long as I love you, itâs enough.â
Itâs not enough.
After rejecting Henry, Stella raised her eyebrows and gave him a faint smile.
âBeing with you before, you made me feel loved. I thought that would be enough for a lifetime, but I never thought that what Iâm doing is unfair to youâ¦â
He loved her purely and passionately, and she should reciprocate with the same love, but she couldnât.
Regardless of whether Henry minds or not, itâs unfair to him.
âHenry, youâre such a kind and outstanding person. You deserve a better woman. And as a murderer like me, I am destined to be lonely until the end.â
Even if the law doesnât punish her, she will face consequences in other ways. Her life will never be peaceful again. So why drag Henry down to hell with her?