Chapter 1094: Wedding (5) Happy Wedding Day

"Hannah!" Oscar's grip on her arm was tight, painful. Hannah frowned but didn't cry out or resist. "Oscar," she said, "after all these years, you're still so selfish."

Oscar's lips tightened. After all this time, she still hated him.

"Have you considered the consequences of taking me against Doyle's will?" Hannah asked.

Oscar remained silent, knowing the answer: death.

"Yes, you would die," Hannah stated frankly. "What then? Your responsibilities would be left unfulfilled, causing chaos. Northfield would be leaderless, Doyle would be blamed for your death, potentially sparking war. Salem and Una would lose their father. Oscar, I'm disappointed, even embarrassed by your actions."

He endured her accusations silently. This was their first face-to-face encounter in nearly five years, both revealing their true identities. Her impression of him remained unchanged: repulsive.

"I knew you recognized me when I left Northfield," Hannah said coldly. "I believed letting me go then meant something. I thought time had changed you, that you'd stopped hurting others for your desires. But today, you proved me wrong."

He'd come to disrupt her wedding.

"I overestimated your goodness and selflessness," Hannah continued bitterly. "You're still terrible!"

"Oscar, any grievances between us ended when Lillian and I died five years ago. I repaid your family's debt," Hannah said emotionlessly, making her point clear. "I'm alive, while your brother is not, but my survival has nothing to do with you. It was either God's mercy or luck. My life is my own."

She recalled Lillian's last act: detonating a bomb, but before the explosion, urging, "Jump in the sea."

Hannah stared in surprise.

"Three seconds before the explosion. This is the last of my conscience! For letting Una live, my heart softened. Three seconds... jump or die with me."

Hannah hesitated, then plunged into the sea. A deafening explosion rocked the yacht. She suffered a severe impact and lost consciousness. She awoke in an unfamiliar place—Queen Carol had rescued her during her Northfield excursion.

The explosion had disfigured her. Carol didn't recognize her. Hannah had lost her memory. Carol brought her to Jolencami. The real Besse, a vegetable after a car accident, had left Doyle despondent. Carol surgically altered Hannah's face to resemble Besse's, helping her son cope. Hannah, amnesiac, believed it all.

This was her fate, orchestrated by Queen Carol. Regardless, it had nothing to do with Oscar. She owed him nothing.

"Your life has always been yours," Oscar said, his voice husky with emotion. The discomfort in his heart made speech difficult. He'd never claimed her life, only blamed himself for failing to protect her. He'd hoped time had healed the rift, that she'd forgotten, that he could rebuild their relationship with a lie. He was selfish. He'd always do anything to get what he wanted.

Silently, he released her. He had to let her go.

Hannah had long since given up on him, five years ago, or perhaps even longer. After so much pain, he didn't deserve a second chance.

It was all self-deception.

Hannah watched coldly, feeling no pain. She'd given up on him the moment he'd left with Una in his arms. It wasn't hate; she’d always known her feelings belonged to Cian Wells. She was indifferent. She left, speaking her truth as if he were inconsequential.

He couldn't bear to watch her endure further storms.

"Hannah," he called out, seeing impatience and disgust on her face. Had she not said enough?

He simply watched her back, feeling the depth of her aversion. He needed to say one last thing.

"Happy wedding day."

Hannah paused, then continued walking, offering no response. Perhaps she was too contemptuous.