Hugh looked so restless. He wouldn't be able to calm down until he could ensure Serena's safety. Continuing to drive his car swiftly, Hugh hoped he wouldn't lose track of Serena. Occasionally, he shifted his attention to the hologram display on his car's dashboard, clearly showing Serena's constantly moving location.
What were they really planning? Hugh gripped the steering wheel in front of him tightly. While he was busy following the moving point on the map, Hugh's attention suddenly shifted when he heard an alarm he had installed.
Hugh glanced briefly. The notification that appeared on his alarm was a reminder that Shawn would be coming home soon. Seeing the notification only made Hugh feel more uncomfortable. He became even more panicked.
"Darn it! Why do the timings have to overlap?" Hugh muttered with a frustrated expression. Now he didn't know what to do. On one side, Serena needed him, but at the same time, he couldn't afford to be late to pick up Shawn. Hugh didn't want any other unwanted incidents to happen to Shawn while he tried to catch up with Serena.
*
"Arghh..." Serena groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Her head felt slightly dizzy due to the sleeping drug in her drink.
The first thing Serena saw when she opened her eyes was a room that looked unfamiliar, with the figure of a man sitting vaguely in front of her. Serena blinks several times until her vision becomes clear.
Serena's facial expression changed 180 degrees as soon as she saw who was now sitting in front of her.
Rhys sat there, staring at her. The man smiled as he saw Serena finally open her eyes. "Finally, you're awake," he murmured softly.
"Rhys! What are you doing? Where am I? Why am I here?" Serena panicked intensely. She tried to recall what had just happened. Until then, she remembered that the last thing she did was talk to Romeo before fainting after drinking the beverage he gave her.
"You! You must be the one behind all this, right? You're the one who asked Romeo to slip the sleeping drug into my drink!" Serena rose abruptly. She was genuinely angry at Rhys for daring to do all this to her.
"Serena, I beg you to calm down first." Rhys stood up and tried to reassure her. "I had to do all this because I wanted to talk to you. If I asked Romeo to invite you for a peaceful conversation, I know you wouldn't agree to talk to me, right?"
"What else is there to talk about? Haven't I said it already? Our relationship is over, and there's nothing more for us to discuss, Rhys."
"I just want to know why you left me back then. I just want to know why you left me and disappeared from my life. Don't you know that I almost went crazy from losing you?" Rhys looked at Serena with teary eyes.
"I have nothing to explain to you, Rhys." Serena made a move towards the door she saw, but Rhys quickly pulled her hand away to stop her.
"I won't let you go until you explain what happened back then. I need to know the reason why you left and disappeared from my life like that." Rhys looked at Serena expectantly. All he wanted was to know the events behind the past. He just wanted to know why Serena left him, and disappeared until she was nowhere to be found.
Serena fell silent. Her heart ached when she saw Rhys so adamantly asking her to explain all the events that happened back then. The only reason Serena didn't want to explain everything was because she didn't want the person who had been chasing her to know that she had met Rhys. If that happened, then she would be caught in a bigger danger than what she was currently in.
"If you leave me again without explaining anything like this, I could go insane, Serena. So please, explain everything to me. Don't keep me wondering about what happened in the past. Don't keep me curious." Rhys' eyes became even more teary.
Serena fell silent. She had to think of a way to get out of there and avoid having to explain everything. As much as possible, Serena tried to remain calm and not get carried away by Rhys' emotions.
"If I explain everything, will you let me live in peace and stop looking for me?" Serena muttered after a brief pause, contemplating. She turned to lock eyes with Rhys, who was now looking back at her with teary eyes.
This time, it was Rhys who was silenced by Serena's words. After some thought, Serena's statement made him realize that, from the beginning, she had asked him to stop searching for her. Deep down, Rhys didn't want to do all of this.
Having lost Serena for five long years was already more than enough for him. The various treatments and psychiatric guidance he underwent due to losing Serena were also more than enough. Serena's question now echoed in his mind. Was he ready to lose Serena again after getting the answers he sought?
Rhys wanted to stay with Serena. He wanted their relationship to return to how it used to be. However, he feared that his curiosity might drive Serena away from his life once again.
Serena brushed off Rhys' hand, then turned around to face him. "I asked, after I explain everything, will you leave my life and let me live in peace? Will you stop looking for me?"
"I-I..." Rhys lowered his head. Now, his emotions were filled with uncertainty.
"Why are you hesitating? Didn't you say you wanted to know why I left you? But why do you seem unsure now?"
"I do want to know why you left me because I intend to fix our relationship. I want to be with you again, Serena. I can't bear to be far from you, and I can't lose you for the second time." Rhys locked eyes with Serena, observing her beautiful brown irises.
Serena turned her face away. She didn't want to lock eyes with Rhys like this. "You're so selfish, Rhys. How long will you keep behaving like this?"
"What?"
"How many times do I have to say it for you to stop looking for me? I have my own life now, Rhys. I'm married, and I'm with another man. Furthermore, I'm no longer yours, so you have to let me go."
"I'm married too, but I can't stop thinking about you, Serena. You're the only woman I love. I just want to live with you, Serena."
"Enough! Your feelings are misplaced. How can you love another woman when you're already married?"
"I never loved her, Serena. It was my mother who forced me to marry her."
"I don't need to explain anything to you because we no longer have any relationship. All I want now is to please stop thinking about me, and remove me from your life forever." Serena clenched her hands into fists. Her eyes were stinging, and tears were almost falling out. But luckily, Serena managed to hold it all in. She didn't want Rhys to know that she was still very much in love with him. She wanted to be with him, but Serena couldn't do that.
Rhys fell silent again. His heart felt incredibly painful as Serena spoke in such a way. Rhys felt as if there were thousands of knives stabbing his chest right now.
"Now, I ask you again. Do you still want me to explain everything to you? If you want me to explain everything, then after this, please let me live in peace. Stay away from my life and stop looking for me."
Rhys clenched his hands tightly. He struggled hard to steady his emotions. "Okay. I'll follow your wish as long as you're willing to explain everything to me," Rhys muttered finally.
Serena then moved towards a nearby chair and sat down, with Rhys in front of her. I can't possibly explain everything to Rhys. If he knows the truth, he could be hurt. I don't want Rhys to go through that.
"So, what's the reason you left me?" Rhys asked again after both of them remained silent for a while without saying a word. Serena took a deep breath before finally starting to explain everything.
"I left you because I felt that I wasn't worthy of you, Rhys," Serena murmured with her head bowed.
"What?"
"Back then, when we were still in a relationship, I thought that our relationship would go smoothly forever. But the longer it goes on, the more I think that I don't deserve you. After all, we live in a different world, Rhys. Our castes are different. You are the son of a rich man who has many things. I, on the other hand, am just a poor woman who even does things to earn money and survive. I was even willing to sell my own body just for money. Besides, I also thought that, if we continued our relationship, then it would tarnish your family's reputation. That's why I left you."
"How could you think that?" Rhys looked at Serena with a disappointed face. Serena's words just now sounded painful in his heart. He really didn't expect Serena to leave him just because she had such thoughts.
"Didn't I tell you a long time ago that I loved you so much? Why would you do this to me? Why would you leave me after you had such thoughts? Did you think I was joking when I said I loved you? Just so you know, Serena. Because you left me, I almost went crazy from losing you!" Rhys could no longer hold back his tears. His face was now wet with tears. He was angry, but at the same time, he was also disappointed that Serena could have such thoughts.
"I'm sorry. But, I think we do live in different worlds, Rhys. Being with you feels like a dream to me. It's too beautiful to be true. After all, I'm not Cinderella, who can live happily with a prince like you even though we live in different castes."
Rhys was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to respond to Serena's sentence just now. One thing was clear: Serena's words really surprised him.
"After realizing all of that, I decided to start a new life, far from everyone I knew. Until eventually, I met Hugh. The man who is now my husband. We fell in love with each other and eventually got married." Serena smiled faintly while looking at Rhys.
The man's face seemed to change slightly, with a hint of jealousy, when Serena mentioned Hugh. "You're lying to me, right? Everything you've been saying is a lie, isn't it?"
"I'm not lying. I've told you everything, Rhys."
"Do you think I'm stupid? I can tell when you're lying to me." Rhys stared intensely at Serena. He truly couldn't accept all the realities before him.
I have to stay calm and make Rhys believe every word I say. Don't waver, Serena! Serena reassured herself.
"It's up to you whether you believe it or not. But one thing's for sure: I've explained everything to you. That means I can go now, right?" Serena stood up from her chair, preparing to leave. As much as possible, she tried not to look at Rhys sitting there.
"Since I've explained everything, now keep your promise, Rhys. Never disturb my life again!"
***