Chapter 622:
Shaun was wounded by Tracy’s words. He raised his voice. “I’m offering to take care of you for life. Isn’t that love? I can give you everything you desire. How is that not love?”
Tracy remained composed. “Have you ever really paid attention to me? Have you ever sat down and listened to my past, my struggles, my regrets, and my dissatisfaction? You haven’t. How can you call that love? It’s more like keeping a pet. I’m supposed to be good, stay at home, and wait for you. When you’re pleased, you lavish me with expensive gifts. When you’re upset, I bear the brunt of your frustrations. I become nothing more than an object to satisfy your needs.”
After delivering her thoughts, Tracy paused, her gaze fixed on Shaun. “Am I right?” she asked softly.
Shaun fell silent.
Elyse glanced at Jayden with a complex expression, noting the similarities between him and Shaun, though both seemed unaware of what true love meant. Turning back to Tracy, Elyse sensed she was near her breaking point. “You should go, Shaun,” she said firmly. “Tracy needs rest, and your presence isn’t helping.”
Shaun remained motionless, reluctant to leave.
Elyse continued, exasperated. “What good does staying here do? Can you reverse the harm you’ve caused by simply being here? She doesn’t want to see you right now. Just leave her alone.”
At Elyse’s insistence, Shaun finally agreed to leave. As he moved toward the exit, he shot a look at Jayden, who had been quietly observing. With a steely gaze, Shaun commanded, “Come and walk me out.”
Jayden, pointing to himself, replied with a wry smile. “You want me to walk you out?”
Shaun’s expression darkened. “Then perhaps your wife should do it?”
Jayden’s expression hardened. Without a word, he strode over and forcefully shoved Shaun.
Caught off guard, Shaun stumbled but recovered before falling. With a final look at Tracy, he left the villa with evident reluctance.
Elyse breathed a sigh of relief as Shaun departed. She linked arms with Tracy and they returned to her room. Once inside, Elyse softly closed the door and sat beside Tracy. “Do you still have feelings for Shaun? It seems like you can’t completely let him go.”
Tracy looked down at her clasped hands. “What makes you think that? I don’t feel anything for him anymore.”
Elyse leaned against Tracy, her gaze distant. “I just have a feeling,” she murmured.
“That’s not a reason. You’re mistaken,” Tracy countered quickly.
Elyse smiled slightly. “If you truly had no feelings left for Shaun, why do his words still sting? It’s because you care. You don’t want to be seen as unpleasant in his eyes.”
Tracy’s tone was somber. “That’s not a good enough reason. I felt humiliated, that’s all. It wasn’t about how he looked at me.”
Elyse paused. “Yet you still try to teach him about love. You know he doesn’t understand it, but you want him to learn what true love is. If you didn’t care at all, why bother? Why not find someone who already knows how to love and understand you? It’s clear that you want him to understand because you still love him.”
Tracy remained silent. After a long pause, frustration tinged her voice. “I still hold hope for someone like him. Maybe I’m more foolish than he is.”
Surprised, Elyse asked, “Why would you say that?”
With a sad, raised voice, Tracy lamented, “I’m trying to reform a jerk. I must be the most foolish woman alive.”
Elyse blinked, slowly grasping Tracy’s turmoil. “You think Shaun isn’t worthy of love, yet you can’t let him go. You fell for someone who’s hurt you, and that makes you feel ashamed, right?”
Tracy responded sharply, “Isn’t it shameful? Who loves someone who causes them pain?”
Elyse reached out and gently patted Tracy’s back. “But you fell for Shaun long before all of this, right? You pursued him throughout college for four years.”
Tracy paused, taken aback as memories she had long ignored began to resurface.
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