CHAPTER 152: CHAPTER 152- REASON

At that very moment, Charles was standing just a short distance away—

his back turned to the old pavilion where Janet was seated.

He hadn’t seen her yet.

But his heart—

it suddenly clenched.

That wild, erratic heartbeat.

As if some invisible thread had snapped taut between them—

pulling him.

Like fate had just tapped him on the shoulder.

Charles spun around.

And there she was.

The silhouette that haunted his dreams.

The figure he’d longed for, mourned, cursed, and cherished—

was right there, just a breath away.

In that instant, time shattered.

The one month of separation didn’t feel like thirty days.

It felt like oceans.

Like lifetimes.

She was so close.

But he hurt so much.

His heart pounded against his ribs,

slamming into his throat.

The kind of ache that lifted him to the clouds—

only to let him fall.

"Boss? Boss?"

The engineer beside him was still talking.

"Do you think a theme park here would be—"

But Charles didn’t hear a word.

All he could see...

was her.

Amos noticed too.

His eyes flicked toward the pavilion and widened.

He raised a hand to quietly signal the others.

"Let’s take a short break."

Three shadows silently melted away—

leaving Charles alone.

His feet felt like lead.

Every step forward was a battle.

As if the air itself had thickened around him.

He climbed the stone steps.

The wind whispered her name for him.

But he still said it aloud.

"...Janet..."

That name—

just two syllables.

But it drifted through the air like sacred dust,

soft and tremulous,

slipping straight into Janet’s ears.

Her entire body froze.

She didn’t move.

She didn’t breathe.

The voice she’d dreamed of,

the voice she’d dreaded and longed to hear...

It had come to her now like some impossible miracle.

Her hands flew to her mouth.

Tears welled up in her eyes, blinding and hot.

She’d been thinking of him just moments ago—

and now, he stood behind her.

Real. Present. Unavoidable.

Was she hallucinating?

"Why won’t you turn around?"

His voice was low, aching with restrained anger.

"Janet, don’t you think you owe me an explanation?"

Charles’s voice cracked at the edges.

Of course it was her.

He could recognize her with just a glimpse of her shadow.

He never imagined she’d hide here.

But of course she had—

clever as always,

knowing exactly where he wouldn’t think to look.

And yet somehow, destiny had brought them together.

Right here.

Right now.

When she still didn’t answer,

Charles couldn’t take it anymore.

He stepped forward—

each footfall heavy with emotion—

and finally stood before her.

His Janet.

She looked up—

and the sight nearly shattered him.

She was thinner.

Paler.

Her chin looked sharp, her face void of color.

And her eyes...

God.

Her eyes.

Empty.

Unfocused.

They weren’t looking at him.

Why wasn’t she looking at him?

Charles’s throat constricted.

And then she spoke.

"I thought I made it clear," Janet said, her voice trembling.

"There’s nothing between us anymore."

She said it with such calm.

But inside, she was breaking.

He had caught her off guard.

She’d had no time to brace herself.

He had walked right into her quiet world—

like a god crashing through clouds.

And still,

she forced herself to look composed.

To push those words out—

words that stabbed her as deeply as they would stab him.

"No," Charles’s voice was cold and sharp like a blade.

"Janet, give me a reason."

His eyes scanned her figure, tracing the soft sky-blue knit sweater draped over her body.

It covered her belly perfectly.

Even if she stood up, the baby bump wouldn’t be obvious.

Janet stared blankly ahead, as if proving something to him.

She relied only on his voice to judge his distance.

When she finally stood, Charles’s heart skipped—

he feared he had been wrong.

But no.

Four months pregnant, and yet her belly was flat.

The child... was really gone.

"I’m already with Manfred," Janet said softly, voice trembling but firm.

"He came with me to the place where I grew up. We’ll leave the country soon. Charles, wake up. I don’t love you anymore. Manfred is the man I want. That’s the reason."

She wasn’t sure if her words convinced him, but instinct pushed her forward.

She just wanted Manfred to come now—because she was about to break.

Charles’s heavy breathing filled her ears.

She searched his eyes, but found nothing—no focus, no warmth.

She could no longer see him clearly.

"Look into my eyes and say that again," Charles said suddenly, grabbing her sharp chin.

He forced her confused, watery gaze to meet his furious black ones.

He once said her eyes never lied.

But now, even his last shred of faith was gone.

Her eyes held no trace of love, no lingering attachment.

Did she really not love him anymore?

"Let go.

I got everything I wanted from you.

I’ve successfully taken revenge on the Louis family.

From now on, we have nothing to do with each other.

I... don’t... love... you."

The last four words spilled coldly from Janet’s cherry lips,

devoid of any emotion.

Her gaze lost its former sparkle as she stared blankly into his dark eyes.

Charles’s grip tightened painfully on her chin,

but finally, he let go slowly.

If before, he could force himself to believe she had thousands of reasons—

now, at this moment,

he could find none to convince himself she was lying.

"Go," Janet whispered, voice breaking.

"Manfred will be here soon."

Her heart was bleeding.

The courage to say those words drained her.

She no longer had the strength to think.

A wound had opened deep inside her chest—

bleeding red.

Even the baby seemed to sense the sorrow, kicking wildly.

She bit her lip, struggling to endure.

"Charles, please... just leave.

Let the rest of our days be memories.

No regrets."

Twenty-eight years of power, control, and triumph—

shattered by one woman.

Charles sneered bitterly at the impassive beauty before him.

When had she learned to hide, to lie, to use?

To her, he was nothing more than a pawn in her revenge against the Louis family.

She didn’t love him.

She had the heart to abort his child.

She truly didn’t love him.

Charles turned away with tears in his eyes.

He said nothing to stop her.

He had tried—tried so hard to catch up to her—

but she had already gone too far.

If we ever lose each other,

remember to wait for me at the place we first met.

I will come back for you. —Charles

This is the only time I’ll chase you, Charles.

Next time, you chase me. —Janet

Her words echoed in his ears—

words she spoke when chasing him in Australia.

Charles looked up to the sky.

The clouds were heavy with rain.

He touched his face.

It wasn’t rain.

It was tears.

Janet listened to his footsteps fade.

She didn’t dare cry out loud.

She crouched down, hugging herself tightly.

This time... they were truly apart.

After walking a distance, Charles reached into his pocket and pulled out a shining ring.

The wedding band she’d lost.

He had always carried it with him.

Seeing her had made him forget to return it.

Whether she belonged to him or not—

he didn’t want to keep anything that belonged to her.

Charles suddenly stopped.

Turned.

Looked back...