Chapter 18
The housekeeper had quietly prepared a fresh dinner, and Nestor ate in silence, methodically working through each bite as if it were penance.
When the meal was done, Daphne watched him for a long moment, then finally spoke the question that had hovered unspoken between them since the beginning–the one he clearly dreaded most.%
“Well? What is it you wanted to tell me, Nestor?“%
He avoided her gaze, mouth opening as if to speak, then closing again. After several aborted attempts, he finally lowered his head. When he spoke at last, his voice was thick with emotion.%
“Daphne, I’m sorry. I know I was wrong–truly, I do.“%
“I used to think that I really loved Josephine, that I’d love her for a long time. I thought what I felt for you was just settling, just comfort and routine, nothing more. 1 convinced myself I’d never really love you.“%
“It wasn’t until you left that I realized how horribly wrong I was. Daphne, I love you. I can’t live without you…”
His confession, raw and trembling, was almost enough to draw tears. When he finally raised his head, his eyes were rimmed red, the heartbreak plain on his face. But Daphne looked at him, unmoved, suddenly baffled by her own lack of response.%
Once, his words might have shaken her to the core. Once, she might have been swept away by this desperate honesty. But now, as she listened, she felt nothing. “I don’t believe you,” she said quietly, her expression unreadable. “Nestor, how am I supposed to trust you?“!
Sixteen years earlier, he’d stood before her much the same way–full of feeling, pouring his heart out. “Daphne, I like you. Be with me, he’d pleaded.%
Back then, she’d believed every word, unable to see the shadows behind his eyes. She’d let herself be swept up in his story, and that lie had lasted eleven years How could she trust him now?%
She couldn’t say for certain whether she’d recognize sincerity even if it stood in front of her today. Maybe the Nestor who had once, or pretended to, love her had died in that shipwreck long ago. The man before her now was just Nestor–nothing more%
Nestor, for his part, seemed lost. He looked as if he might swear an oath on the spot, desperate to make her believe%
“I only learned the truth later,” he said, voice trembling. “I thought Josephine was your sister by blood, I thought she already had everything she wanted. I never imagined she’d do something so crazy. But I promise you, I’ve already avenged you. If that’s not enough, you can punish her yourself!*%
“When you disappeared five years ago, I searched everywhere for you, I even asked Grandfather, but he said all he knew was that you were leaving the Bridges family–he had no idea where you’d go. I looked for you across the whole country, even in every country you’d ever said you wanted to visit. But I never found you.% “Daphne, I know I was wrong. Faking my death–that was unforgivable. Hit me, yell at me, do whatever you want. Just don’t leave me. Please.“%
His plea was raw, almost childlike, so unlike anything she’d ever seen from him before. Anyone else might have been startled to see the cold, calculating Nestor reduced to begging.
Anyone else might have softened. But Daphne did not.%
She shook her head, her refusal absolute. “You don’t have to do this. I never said you couldn’t be with Josephine. Who you choose is none of my business.“% “But Nestor, I’ll never trust you again.”%
The words hit him like a thunderclap. He stood abruptly, lips trembling, tears breaking free at last. He shook his head in disbelief, desperate to reach her with memories, with anything that could make her stay.%
“No, you don’t understand–1 don’t want to be with anyone else. Daphne, please, let me explain. I was blind before. I couldn’t see what Josephine really was. All I want is you. Don’t you remember, Daphne? We had so many good times together…“%
He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, opening it to reveal a ruby ring. Inside the band, tiny letters were engraved: N&DZ
“Look,” he said, voice breaking. “This is our wedding ring. I kept it all this time. I remember when we picked it out together–you said you loved rubies because they stood for love, for eternity, for devotion. You knew right away it was the one. So I bought it, and we had our initials engraved inside, just the way you wanted The ruby caught the light, its facets sparkling. For a split second, even Daphne’s resolve faltered as she stared at it, memories flickering at the edge of her mind
