Chapter 608: I Will Never Leave You Again

Hannah found Oscar's words a bit exaggerated. All these years, she'd been unaware of the depth of his love. He must have exerted immense effort to conceal his feelings, struggling greatly, she thought. For so long, she had loved Charles wholeheartedly, and Oscar had simply watched. What were his feelings then? What kind of will had made him so outwardly cold and indifferent?

She suddenly recalled something—in her past life, just before her wedding, Oscar had called, planning to whisk her away. It must have taken immense courage to make that call. Back then, she'd dismissed it as a prank. Now, she desperately wondered why he hadn't appeared, why he hadn't come to her wedding. Was it heartbreak at her lack of response? The more she considered it, the worse she felt. How had he endured all this? And how had he felt when she died?

Hannah impulsively hugged him tightly. Oscar was surprised. He'd expected last night's events to leave her feeling negatively toward him, even fearing that a request for her to stay would traumatize her. Yet, he'd never wanted to let her go. Like any man, once he possessed her, he wanted to keep her. So, he held her close. The warm room seemed to overflow with their intense, enduring love.

"Oscar, I will never leave you again," Hannah declared, her voice firm. "Never." She would never let him suffer like that again.

"I never thought you'd leave me either," Oscar replied. "From the moment you approached me, I'd considered it." Considered what? Loving her for the rest of his life? "Unless you die, I won't let you leave me again. Even if you regret it, I won't let you go!"

Sometimes he had a dark side, Hannah mused.

"What if you die before me?" she asked.

"I will take you with me," he answered.

Why was this man so domineering? But she didn't resent it at all. She knew he was capable of it. He had killed many people; adding one more wouldn't be difficult. Instead of fear, his answer filled her with happiness. Had she become a hopeless romantic?

"You're not leaving me for the rest of your life," Oscar added definitively.

Since she'd chosen to cooperate with him, she was already under his sway. She'd always considered them merely business partners. Now, accepting him completely—his brutality, his feelings, his obsessiveness—she knew what mattered. She buried herself in his arms, savoring his presence and the strength of his love.

Minutes ticked by. Hannah anticipated their embrace would lead to intimacy. As expected, Oscar released her, gazing at her face. He lifted her chin and bent to kiss her soft lips. With her eyes closed, Hannah parted her lips to meet his.

Suddenly, an untimely cough broke the moment. They separated immediately. Hannah felt intensely embarrassed, having completely lost herself in the kiss, oblivious to her surroundings. Caught in this situation, she wanted to flee.

Oscar turned his gaze coldly to the intruder.

"Laird wants to see you," Cian said calmly. "I didn't mean to interrupt." Yet, he showed no genuine remorse.

"Is he here?" Oscar asked.

"Yes. He's waiting in the drawing room."

"I'll be there in a minute."

"No need to hurry," Cian said as he departed. "Laird won't leave without seeing you. But rushing wouldn't be pleasant."

Hannah flushed; Cian was clearly teasing them. Oscar looked back at her. He adored her shy expression, prompting another kiss.

Hannah pushed him away. "Stop. Isn't someone waiting for you?"

"He can wait," Oscar smiled. "Theodore, Manuel, and I have suffered greatly because of him. There was a time when the three of us wanted him dead."

"..."

"Since that's impossible, it's satisfying to annoy him," Oscar said nonchalantly, moving closer again.

"Don't..." Hannah pushed him away again, too embarrassed by the thought of someone waiting. Taking a deep breath, she said, "If you don't want to see him now, tell me about your relationship with your brother. I don't even know his name." She was trying to distract him. This man could act on impulse anytime, anywhere; she'd learned that.

"So now my wife wants to know my family?" Oscar chuckled. Hannah had brought up the topic casually.

"Cian Wells," Oscar stated. "The heir to the Wells family."

She started to speak but stopped.

"You wanted to ask why I'm the eldest son, yet not the heir, right?"

Hannah nodded. She assumed the heir was always the firstborn.

"It's simple," he explained. "They believed the best way to protect the heir was to train a killer first, then the heir. If the killer is incompetent, the heir is extremely vulnerable. From the start, I was destined to be his killer."

"Did you ever resent that?" Hannah felt sympathy for him. Oscar's life had been far bloodier than his brother's sheltered upbringing.

"Of course, I'm not a saint. But then I saw Cian wasn't faring so well, so I let it go."

"Why?" she asked.

"Do you think being an heir is easy? Physical torture is bad, but mental torture is worse," Oscar said slowly. "Actually, he endured more pain than I did."