Chapter 20

Unexpectedly, Brandon laughed sardonically. He didn't believe Roxanne's words. As he slowly approached her, rainwater dripped from his soaked body onto the carpet, leaving dark patches behind. They seemed to mirror his state of mind. "You can't possibly not love me," Brandon stated. He scanned Roxanne's expression, searching for any sign that she was lying. "You've given up so much for me and pursued me for six whole years. So, how could you possibly stop loving me just like that?" he argued. Roxanne laughed bitterly. Lifting her chin defiantly, she enunciated her words. "So you do know how much I gave up for you?" Her tone was so sarcastic that it made Brandon feel as though his heart had been squeezed. It felt suffocatingly painful. "Yes, that's why I came to bring you back," he admitted. Then, with a pleading expression, Brandon begged, "I know I've done you wrong, Roxanne, and I know I've done many forgivable things to you in the past. But I'm here now, trying to make it right. So please, Roxanne, give me another chance. Let me make it up to you. Give me another chance to love you, please…" However, Roxanne's expression remained indifferent, as though she were looking at a stranger who was unimportant to her. She exuded a chilly air as she began recounting all his crimes against her over the years. "What can you offer me in the name of love? Do you even deserve to say that word?" Her sharp questions were like knives to Brandon's heart. Then, Roxanne stalked toward him. And with every step she took, he instinctively took one back. All he could hear were her harsh, condemning words. "You knew I loved you, and you used it to manipulate me into marrying you in secret. You made me live in the shadows and used me as a cover for you and Nicole. Is that what I can expect when you make things right to me? "And after we married, you never touched me. Every day, all you did was give me the cold shoulder. You would even look disgusted when I hugged you briefly. Is that what love is?" she questioned. Her expression was still eerily composed as she continued toward him. "And during the auction, you left me behind for her. You don't drink. Yet, you downed glass after glass on her behalf. And when you were leaving with her, you didn't even notice me at the entrance. That's love? "When there was a fire at Coastal Club, you only thought about rescuing Nicole. My safety never crossed your mind. And at the hospital, all you did was fuss over her. You didn't even spare me a glance. Then, when she repeatedly had my head shoved into the toilet bowl, you just turned a blind eye to it. Was that love, too?" Not once did Roxanne's voice waver. Her tone was completely even as she laid out Brandon's sins. "On top of all that, you held a press conference and forced me to take the fall for Nicole's scandal. And when someone splashed us with sulfuric acid during it, your immediate thought was to protect her. I suffered terrible burns on my left arm because you didn't consider me. And still, you didn't care." Presenting her scarred left arm to Brandon, she spat, "Tell me, Brandon—what part of me did you love? Is this what it means to be loved by you?" Each word Roxanne spoke cut deeper than the last and carved out a piece of his heart. Brandon felt a chill run down his spine, and his breathing became uneven. Right then, he wished there was a hole he could crawl into. "I've wronged you, Roxanne…" Brandon whimpered. His eyes reddened with unshed tears as he clenched his fists tightly from anguish. His voice shook when he continued, "I admit it. In the beginning, I did hurt you because of Nicole. I just didn't want to betray her. She and I had been together for so long, and I firmly believed she loved me. "So, I couldn't be the one to abandon her. But then, I learned Nicole's love was a lie, and it was only recently that I came to realize she had been deceiving me all this time. "I've already stripped her of the Slewman name, Roxanne, so she won't ever appear in the upper-class circle again. And she will never again come between us. So please, give me one more chance—I'm begging you. I swear I'll never treat you the way I did before. Just come back to me…" Brandon sounded utterly humble. Not an ounce of his usual pride remained. In fact, he looked ready to drop to his knees and beg Roxanne for forgiveness. Truthfully, she had never seen him in this state before. If Brandon had shown such humility to her in the past, she would've been over the moon. But not now—not anymore. Roxanne's face was an emotionless mask as she picked up a mirror on the table and chucked it to the floor. The mirror made a loud shattering sound, and glass shards flew in all directions. A piece even cut Brandon across his cheek, creating a thin line of blood. Then, in a calm tone, Roxanne said, "Look. What has been broken can't be fixed. A shattered mirror can never be made whole again." With that, she turned to the guards outside the door and ordered, "Escort Mr. Slewman out." Her family, who had been waiting for her outside the door, apathetically said to Brandon, "Leave, Mr. Slewman. We Lesterfields do not welcome you." Brandon dazedly glanced back at Roxanne, but she had already resolutely and nonchalantly turned away from him.