your guardian, I told myself it was my duty to guide you, to stop you from making a mistake.
“That’s why I paid Evangeline to pretend to be my girlfriend, to make you give up. But it was all fake. She’s just a makeup artist. The marks you saw on her body were created with makeup and props. I never even touched her.
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Chapter 20
+25 Bonus
“The wedding? It was fake too. I didn’t participate at all. I just provided the money and let Evangeline handle the rest however she wanted. The wedding might have looked grand, but I didn’t care about any of it.
“My mind was entirely on ending that farce as quickly as possible so that I could celebrate your birthday with you.”
Murphy let out a bitter laugh as he spoke, his eyes reddening. For someone who rarely shed tears, this moment overwhelmed him.
“Gemma, I’m sorry. I promised to celebrate your birthday with you, but in the end, I broke my promise,” he said, his heart aching as if it were being torn apart.
“The company’s project in Arupe ran into some issues, and the person in charge said it was urgent and needed my personal attention. At the time, I thought there would be countless opportunities to celebrate your birthdays in the future, so missing one wouldn’t matter.
“But, Gemma, why… Why did this have to be the last one? If I had known, I wouldn’t have left you for anything–not even the end of the world.”
Through the icy barrier of the cryo–casket, Murphy could neither touch her face nor reach her. He knew that no matter how heartfelt his confession was now, Gemma
could not hear him.
Yet he still needed to tell her, “Gemma, please forgive me, alright? I promise that from now on, I’ll celebrate every single one of your birthdays with you until death do us part.”
With those words, Murphy bent down and kissed the surface of the cryo–casket. His lips touched the place where hers would be, though the barrier of the casket kept them apart.
Even so, it did not matter. He believed that when he woke up, he would be able to kiss her without hesitation.
This kiss might take a thousand years to fulfill, but that did not matter. He was willing to wait.
Florence is a passionate reader who finds joy in long drives on rainy days. She’s also a fan of Italian makeup tutorials, blending beauty and elegance into her everyday life.
