CHAPTER 358: I’M ABSOLUTELY CRAZY FOR YOU, ISIAH DUNCAN (MASS RELEASE CH 4)

"I didn’t mean to manipulate you," Lexie whispered, her voice barely audible amidst the tension. Tears welled up again in her eyes, blurring her vision.

Isiah scoffed, pacing away from her with clenched fists. "You’re unbelievable, Lexie. Always pushing boundaries you have no right to cross."

Her shoulders slumped, feeling the weight of his words like a physical blow. "I just... I thought..."

"You thought what?" he snapped, spinning around to face her with a fierce glare. "That a kiss could fix everything? That I’d suddenly forget all the pain you’ve caused?"

Lexie bit her lip, tasting blood once more, a bitter reminder of her own recklessness. "No," she admitted, her voice trembling. "I just wanted to feel close to you, even if just for a moment."

Isiah’s eyes flashed with a mix of anger and something else she couldn’t quite decipher. "Closeness? You think that’s what this is about?"

She nodded, tears spilling over her cheeks. "Yes, Isiah. Despite everything, despite how much you hate me, I still care about you. I can’t help it..I am so sorry ."

"Sorry?" Isiah’s laugh was harsh and bitter. "Sorry doesn’t undo the damage. Sorry doesn’t change the past."

Lexie nodded, understanding the truth in his words. "I know it doesn’t. But I want to try and make things right, if you’ll let me."

He shook his head, frustration etched across his features. " There’s nothing left to make right, Lexie."

For a moment, silence hung heavy in the room, the weight of their shared pain almost unbearable.

Lexie grabbed his hand again, her grip trembling but firm. She rested her forehead against his hand, tears streaming down her face.

"Kill me, Isiah," she pleaded, her voice raw with desperation. "I’m losing my mind because of you. I can’t take it anymore... I can’t take it, Isiah. Please... You being around and not coming to see me, you talking to everyone but me, you just existing without letting me shower you with kisses all day and night... Isiah, this is torture."

Her words hung heavy in the air, the depth of her torment palpable.

Isiah had never known affection; love was a foreign concept to him. In both his lives, his parents had never shown him any warmth or care....

This emotional neglect had hardened him, shaping a man who lived only on his own terms, driven by a relentless quest for revenge.

He couldn’t fathom why anyone would love him. The very notion of love was bewildering, a mystery he had never felt and couldn’t understand.

It left him feeling empty and disconnected, unable to grasp what Lexie felt for him.

Lexie grasped Isiah’s hand, her grip tightening as she brought it close to her lips.

She began to kiss his hand feverishly, her lips pressing against his skin with a desperate intensity. Each kiss was filled with a mixture of longing and sorrow, her tears mingling with the warmth of her breath.

She moved from his knuckles to his fingers, her kisses becoming more frantic as she poured all her pent-up emotions into this one act.

Her body shook with the effort, her forehead occasionally brushing against his hand as she continued, each kiss a silent plea for the connection she so desperately craved.

"Are you willing to keep degrading yourself?" he said, his voice cold and unyielding.

Lexie’s desperation surged. She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face, her grip on his hand tightening.

Without a word, she continued kissing his hand for a shred of affection from the man who seemed immune to her pain.

Her lips pressed against his skin with increasing fervor, her heartache palpable in every motion as she sought some sign of acceptance, some warmth in his cold demeanor.

Isiah watched her silently for a moment, his expression unmoved. Finally, he pulled his hand away sharply, leaving her trembling.

"You’re pitiful, Lexie," he said, his tone cutting like a knife. "This won’t change anything. You can’t make me feel what you want me to feel."

Lexie recoiled as if struck, her tears falling freely now. His words pierced her already wounded heart, a stark reminder of the vast chasm between them.

"Isiah, please," she pleaded, her voice cracking with emotion. "I can’t bear this distance between us. I can’t bear the thought of you hating me. Just tell me what I need to do to make you see... to make you feel something for me."

As Isiah turned to leave, Lexie stood before him, her body trembling with effort due to her sickness. Tears continued to flow down her cheeks, her voice wavering but determined.

"If you leave me here... if you walk away without me, Isiah..." Her words came out in a desperate rush, each syllable laced with emotion.

"I will understand. It would destroy me, but I’ll understand... But if you take me with you..." She paused, trying to steady her voice, her eyes pleading with his.

"Then I won’t ever lie to you or myself again. I will love you openly and fully, Isiah. I will claim you for myself. Yes, I’m crazy for you... I’m absolutely crazy. Hate me if you must, but I can’t deny what I feel any longer."

She reached out, her hand trembling as she waited for his response, hoping against hope that he would understand the depth of her feelings.

Unable to stand any longer, Lexie collapsed to the ground. Isiah turned around to face her, his expression unreadable as he looked down at her.

She looked up at him, tears still streaming down her face, her voice barely above a whisper but filled with unwavering sincerity.

"Let me just love you... unconditionally," she pleaded, her words carrying the weight of her heart’s deepest desire.

With a surge of desperate determination, she reached out and grasped his leg, her fingers clinging tightly as she pleaded with all the sincerity in her heart.

"Give me an answer," Lexie implored, her voice trembling with urgency and desperation.

"Are you going to take me... or leave me here to die?"