Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown

Chapter 293

William tilted his head back ever so slightly, as if invisible hands were strumming the strings of his heart, coaxing out a chaotic, tangled melody.

"So... you're saying you don't love me now?"

Serena let out a bitter laugh. Her striking features, half-hidden behind the rim of her glass, seemed even more beautiful in their sadness. Her eyes shimmered with resignation. "Didn't you once say I'd never make the same mistake twice?"

She paused, her lips tugged into a wry smile. "The truth is, I've already fallen into the same trap twice."

"That's why I've sworn off love for the rest of my life."

William's hands tightened on the armrests. "Are you saying you've fallen for someone other than Aaron?"

Serena took a sip of her wine, the sweet flavor lingering on her tongue, warming her from the inside out.

"If only I had," she murmured. "Maybe then, I could finally let go of the pain from my last relationship."

William sighed in relief.

He watched Serena, her cheeks flushed, somewhere between tipsy and sober. His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he held back.

to lay his feelings

still wasn't sure how

peered at him over the rim

a beat, though he kept his

in, closing the distance between them. A

furrowed her brow, a soft, troubled sound escaping her lips. "Can

felt his heart leap into his throat.

it was wrong of us to

her eyes wide

exhaled in relief, easing back just a

them before replying, "First off, I think you've got it wrong. We didn't pick a fight on purpose. At most, you could call it... entrapment. But if the other person had any decency, none of

"It's like your father's accident. Sure, he got in that crash coming home for your birthday, to bring you a cake. But you never wanted anything bad to happen to him. You weren't to blame,

eyes shimmered, and she

brought

person in your life there, celebrating your birthday together. That's not something to feel guilty

at

tracing silent

the couch, her face ashen