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Chapter 741
Joanna could tell from his attitude that he cared a lot about his first love.
This was unacceptable to her.
To her, love must be complete.
If she were to share a man with another woman, she would rather quit voluntarily.
Five minutes later.
Bruce came back, and as he pushed the door open, there was a slight look of guilt and eagerness on his face.
Seeing his expression, she felt even more disgusted. She coldly turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
He approached the bedside cautiously, using a soft and gentle tone to coax her. “Darling, what’s wrong? Why are
you ignoring me?”
Observing her silence, he came to the realization that she was angry.
He put a pleasing smile on his handsome face as he gently shook her arm, “Honey, are you overthinking again? I
swear to the heavens, Aria and I are just friends. Honey, don’t get angry with me. We said that we should be
understanding and accommodating to each other, don’t you remember?”
Silence.
No matter what he said, it seemed as if she had not heard anything.
She liked to sulk, keeping her thoughts bottled up inside.
She especially enjoyed giving him the cold shoulder.
If he did not take the initiative to talk to her, she would genuinely consider giving up on this relationship. In other
words, she would rather be in agonizing pain than easily give in.
After a while…
His brows furrowed, and his face was shrouded with a layer of gloominess and weariness.
There were things he did not know how to explain to her, after all.
Also, there were other things he could not tell her at all.
Perhaps, until the day of his death, all his secrets would remain completely unrevealed.
“Honey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I said earlier. I shouldn’t have mentioned postpartum syndrome. I
apologize to you. This trip to Antlen is for business reasons. It’s definitely not what
you think…”
Silence.
“Joanna, my love, please talk to me!” He helplessly shook her arm.
She closed her eyes, remaining indifferent to his words. No matter what he said, she refused to open her eyes or
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtspeak to
him.
This drove him
crazy.
He would rather have her argue and quarrel with him.
What he dreaded the most was her giving him the cold shoulder.
Every time she gave him the cold shoulder, he had never come out as the winner. She was headstrong, after all.
Sometimes, he felt as though she was like a flexible knife, which might seem harmless but was capable of lasting
damage. Each time, he would surrender first as he could never overpower her.
Though he had been comforting her for a long time, it was in vain.
His patience was wearing thin, and he was about to be overwhelmed with frustration.”
“Joanna, can you stop doing this? What do you want? Tell me what’s on your mind, okay? You can tell me. Can you
please stop giving me the silent treatment? Between me and… Aria, it’s not what you imagine at all. Joanna, open
your eyes and
look at me!”
He could not bear it anymore. He pulled back the blanket, cupping her face and shaking her a few times.
She was like a soulless puppet, allowing him to exploit her.
“Joanna, I’m upset. You know exactly how to deal with me. Besides you, I’ve never surrendered to anyone. I’m
begging you, can you say something to me? Can you stop making me feel so miserable? I’m really helpless. Do you
know that I can’t bear
to be harsh with you because I love you?”
Still, silence.
She completely ignored him. At that point, she was like an object, treating him as if he were invisible no matter how
he acted.
Yet…
Her actions pushed him further into madness with each passing moment.
“Joanna, what do you want? Look at me!”
He shook her face again.
He felt so helpless.
Whether in the business world or during missions, he had always been invincible, swift, and decisive, achieving
whatever he set out to do.
There was nothing he could not handle, and he always managed to achieve his goals.
Yet it was a different story in front of her.
He felt helpless, hitting a wall all the time.
“Joanna, I’m fed up with the cold war. Just tell me what you want!” He had exhausted all the kind words, but they
produced no effects whatsoever.
He could only retreat in order to advance.
She opened her eyes slightly and said calmly, “Bruce, let’s break up!”
Boom!
Though her voice was not loud, it hit him like a thunderstorm, leaving a profound impact.
He stared at her.
“Do you know what you’re talking about?”
Her eyelids flickered, and her gaze revealed a hint of desolation and hollowness.
“I said… let’s break up!”
She disliked this feeling.
Bruce had a multitude of admirers, and even though he did not actively seek out women, there were always some
trying their best to approach him.
But he was not to blame.
It was simply the truth. With his wealth, handsome looks, charisma, and youthful demeanor, it was only natural that
he drew the attention of women around him.
Of course, the cleaning lady would not have any feelings for him because she knew he was out of her league.
Even if he had no connection with Aria, there might be other women appearing in the future.
He inhaled deeply as his voice choked up a bit. “Joanna, I’m giving you a chance to change your mind.”
Her
gaze shifted, and she looked at him with her heart in turmoil. “I’m serious. Let’s break up. We are better off as
friends! Don’t worry, I won’t fight for custody of the children. I don’t want anything, you know. I just want to leave
once and for all.”
She knew that once she had a falling out with him, he would not give her the children. Besides, she could not
compete with him at all.
Therefore, she decided to give everything to him.
His eyes narrowed as his lips twitched slightly.
The atmosphere became stern instantly.
The two fell into silence for almost five minutes.
He took a deep breath, raised an eyebrow, and then made a funny face at her. “Haha, Joann, you are joking, right?
Honey, stop messing around. I know I said the wrong things today. If I ever say anything wrong again, I’ll cut my
tongue off. Aria? Who? You are my wife and you can do whatever you want. Listen I had a loose tongue earlier, and
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmI shouldn’t have mentioned postpartum syndrome, let alone said you were agitated. I’ll punish myself now. My
tongue shall rot if I ever speak to other women again.”
As Bruce spoke, he slapped himself twice on the face.
Slap, slap…
He slapped himself fiercely, demonstrating his seriousness about the matter. His left and right cheeks now bore
four distinct palm prints.
Seeing this, her heart ached, and she turned her gaze away, not wanting to look at him anymore.
He was accustomed to using this tactic of self-inflicted pain.
Every time he got hurt, she could not help but give in.
Every time he tortured himself, she could not help but give in.
But this time, she did not want to give in anymore.
“Bruce, stop. I’ve thought about it seriously, and we really aren’t suitable for each other. You’re back to normal
now, and the company’s affairs have been resolved. You’re still young and can live the kind of life you want.”
His eyes welled up with tears, and his voice became even more choked. “The life I want is to be with you and the
children.”
She became emotional as tears welled up in her eyes as well. “Bruce, stop lying to yourself. You can’t let go of the
fun, and you won’t give up the entire garden for just one flower. I don’t want to wait until we remarry, only for you
to get entangled with other women again. I’m exhausted and I don’t want to be hurt anymore. I don’t feel secure
being with you.”
Hearing this, he moved close to her. He was just a few centimeters away from her face as he stared into her eyes
intensely. “Then what do you want me to do to make you feel secure?”
She fell silent again.
A sense of security.
A sense of security was something difficult to explain, and even harder to put into words.
Of course, everyone had different standards and requirements, meaning it could not be generalized.
All she wanted was a devoted husband, someone who would never betray her or cheat on her.
Yet he always gave her a sense of insecurity.
She was afraid of entrusting her heart to him again, only to be ruthlessly trampled upon. She feared the day she
would catch him with another woman.
When that time came, she might take her own life as she would find it unbearable.
So, she decided to step on the brakes in tirne before she completely let go of her guard against him, or before she
fully entrusted herself.
It was not that she did not love him; she just did not trust him and feared being hurt.