Chapter 174: Walking down the same path ... after ruining oneself twice.
Adelyn suddenly paused and looked at him.
The strength to go through it all—
All over again?
No, she didn’t have that.
And that was exactly why she had been trying her best to keep as much distance as possible.
Yet—
Somehow, she still kept getting closer ... and sinking deeper into her own lies.
"You think you haven’t suffered enough?" Nigel asked, his expression turning serious, his gaze carrying a concern he no longer tried to hide. "Or is it that just because you don’t remember it at all, you think you should walk down that same path again?"
Adelyn pursed her lips at that, staring at him as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing.
"Cub, do you realize you’re taunting me?"
Nigel shook his head.
"I’m not taunting you," he said. "I’m reminding you of a past you seem to have conveniently forgotten."
"What’s such a big deal in forgetting an ex who didn’t even care to show up when I needed him?" she huffed, brushing past him before dropping onto the sofa.
Nigel’s gaze followed her, but he didn’t speak.
He simply pressed his lips together, watching her as though he was slowly running out of ways to deal with her.
"He didn’t care enough to come back then —why should I think about him now?" she continued, her tone edged with bitterness. "He was just one rotten tree I stumbled upon when I went out to play and have fun. Do I need to label the entire forest after him?"
That man was forgotten for good.
Apart from remembering his vague presence in her life before the accident that had left her in a comatose state for four long years —she didn’t remember anything about him at all.
Nor did she care to remember him.
Why should she?
By not appearing, hadn’t he already made his stance very clear?
Why should she go through the trouble of remembering him —just to find ways to forget him all over again?
She didn’t have that much time —nor did she crave it.
Nigel frowned.
His fingers clenched into fists. "And what if he is the same rotten tree?"
Adelyn lifted her eyes to him at that, her gaze narrowing —catching something subtle flicker in his eyes.
And just when she was about to decode it—
Nigel spoke again, almost huffing in exasperation. "You barely know him, and you’re already with him —don’t you think you are moving too fast? What if you repeat yourself? What if he is the same—"
"He isn’t."
Adelyn cut him off firmly, not allowing him to finish.
When she saw his brows furrow deeper, she nodded, as if reassuring him.
"He couldn’t be the same."
"How are you so sure? Just how long have you even known him?"
Adelyn hadn’t known Dylan for long —nor did she understand why she sounded so certain about him when there wasn’t even anything real between them except carefully constructed lies.
And yet—
Something in her resisted the idea of doubting him.
Something pushed her to defend him.
Looking at Nigel, she couldn’t quite find the right words to explain it.
So instead, she simply said,
"I might not know him the best yet. But I know myself."
She rose to her feet and added, her voice carrying more certainty,
"I’ve never had a habit of repeating my mistakes."
She gave a casual shrug, as if that should have been enough to end the discussion right there.
But when Nigel’s expression didn’t change even after that—
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Don’t tell me you expect me to stay single my entire life just because I once chose the wrong person?"
"What’s wrong with staying single?" Nigel shot back instantly. "Isn’t that better than walking straight into another disaster?"
If asked sincerely—
Adelyn would have agreed without hesitation.
But right now?
That wasn’t an option.
So, stopping herself midway from nodding, she shook her head instead.
"Definitely not," she said. "Without the sweet chaos of love, life would be unbearably boring."
Then, tilting her head slightly, she added with a hint of mischief,
"Of course, you wouldn’t understand that ... given your impressive track record of zero experience."
She stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder, patting it with exaggerated sympathy.
"Life must be very hard for single people. I truly hope you’re coping well."
Nigel’s expression darkened instantly.
Shrugging her hand off, he stepped back and pointed a finger at her.
"You—"
Adelyn tilted her head, meeting his glare without a hint of remorse.
"What?" she asked innocently. "Did I hit a sore spot?"
"You really have a death wish, don’t you?" Nigel snapped. "Mocking me like that —who do you think you are?"
Adelyn folded her arms, leaning slightly back on her heels, completely unfazed.
"Someone who just exposed your tragic love life," she replied calmly. "Or rather ... the lack of one."
She pressed her lips into a faint smile, and Nigel let out a disbelieving scoff.
"Tragic? Heh! My life is peaceful."
"Oh, is it?" she asked. "Then how come you’re trying every possible way to stand out in the crowd just so you can attract someone?"
Her eyes darted toward his red hair.
He noticed her gaze and quickly ran a hand through it. "Who is doing it to attract someone?" he huffed. "I dyed it because I like it. And you know nothing. The last thing I lack is women. With my looks, do you think I can’t have one if I want to?"
He asked it seriously—
Only to see Adelyn giving him a long, scrutinizing look.
"What? You don’t believe it?"
She shook her head. "No, it’s not that I don’t believe it. I was just thinking —who are those unfortunate women running crazy after such an... elegant and graceful shade of red?"
"You—"
Before he could continue, Adelyn raised her hand to stop him.
"It’s alright, I don’t want to know," she said, her voice still teasing. "After all, the world has never lacked unique species. I believe you."
Nigel nearly lost every trace of patience after that.
Pointing a finger at her, he said,
"You—you ... you really learned everything it takes to get on my nerves."
"Trust me, I never needed to learn," Adelyn replied with another taunting smile. "Your words and actions already give me enough material to use against you. I just don’t waste it every time."
"Fine..." he huffed, losing it completely. "I’ll wait for you. Given how eager you are to collect rotten trees as souvenirs, I can already see you coming back crying again."
"Haha..." Adelyn laughed. "Then wait for it until the end of eternity. I might come crying to you by then."
And with that, she turned away, saying—
"Eternity is still far away. How about until then, you go back to improving your cooking skills?"
She pointed toward the kitchen without even looking back.
"I’ve already stocked the ingredients. Go and prepare something nice for Grandma’s dinner. I’ll come after freshening up."
"There’s no need," Nigel shot back immediately. "I’m not cooking for you anymore."
But Adelyn didn’t stop to argue.
She simply walked away, heading straight to her room —shutting the door behind her.
Nigel stomped his foot hard enough for her to hear.
But the moment the door clicked shut—
His expression changed.
The edge from their banter disappeared —replaced by something far more serious.
"You’re not just repeating your mistakes anymore," he muttered under his breath. "You’re walking down the same path for the third time ... after ruining yourself twice."
His fingers clenched tightly again.
He stared at her bedroom door for a long moment before finally turning toward the kitchen to prepare the dinner she had asked for.
—————
Meanwhile—
Back at the luxe apartment—
Clara was slumped on the floor, looking utterly disheveled.
Tears had rolled down her cheeks, leaving ugly streaks behind.
There wasn’t much scattered around, but there was still enough to reveal the anger she had vented earlier.
The air remained silent for a long time—
Until a ringtone pierced through it, making her turn toward her phone.
Charlotte’s name flashed on the screen.
But Clara made no move to answer it.
The call rang once ...
Then again.
Twice.
And then thrice.
Before finally going silent.
Clara stared at it for a long moment—
Until something flashed in her eyes.
A decision.
Her gaze slowly shifted to the photo frame resting on the table within arm’s reach.
A picture of her —with the family she had finally gained after suffering through most of her childhood alone.
She reached for it, grabbing it and pulling it closer.
In the picture, they were all smiling—
But only her smile had been genuine.
Because only she had truly had a reason to be happy.
As for the rest—
They had never been satisfied with her.
Her fingers clenched tightly around the frame —so tight it seemed she was restraining the urge to shatter it, despite once cherishing it more than anything.
"Liam ... Bryer ... Mom—" she called softly, yet there was no softness in her gaze.
"I tried so hard to be the good daughter and sister you wanted."
Her grip tightened further.
"But since you’re not willing to cherish me like that ..."
Her lips curved slightly —cold, determined, almost malicious.
"I’ll become someone you will willingly ... and desperately cherish."
