Chapter 1408: Chapter 1408: Willingly
"Stop thinking about it. From the moment you saw me in that room, you should have understood the outcome. This is also why I haven’t appeared until now. I didn’t want to make things difficult for you, nor did I want you to witness my pain. I caused your father’s death, yet you can’t take revenge. My presence will only deepen your guilt, and you’ll never find happiness."
Third Young Master Jun had always believed she was a woman of loyalty and sentiment, so he understood the anguish and conflict in her heart even more.
The death of her father was a devastating blow—a wound that couldn’t simply be brushed aside. Even if her love for him was profound, it couldn’t outweigh the morality embedded deep within her, and she was rational enough to acknowledge this.
"Rest well. If one day you make up your mind and decide to avenge him, you can come find me anytime."
He kissed her forehead, stood up, and turned to leave.
"No..."
A frail, mournful cry, like a wounded animal, echoed behind him.
A delicate, trembling hand grasped at him. Though the grip was weak, it was resolute beyond measure.
Third Young Master Jun stiffened and turned his head.
She remained bowed with anguish, but her right hand clung tightly to his wrist.
"Lu’er, have you forgotten? I killed your father." He spoke directly, brutally, without mercy.
Ye Lu’s fingers quivered, yet her grasp did not loosen.
"I haven’t forgotten. I wouldn’t dare forget, not ever."
Third Young Master Jun froze, only to see her lift her head with a forlorn determination. Her face bore equal parts despair and a kind of reckless, obsessive resolve born from that despair.
"I am insane, shameless, deserving of contempt, even divine punishment. Lightning strikes from heaven should obliterate me. Because I know you killed my father—my enemy whom I should avenge—yet I still shamelessly want to be with you, forever. I’ve gone mad."
Third Young Master Jun’s heart trembled violently as he listened to the crazed confession he could scarcely believe.
"You didn’t truly want to kill him, did you? You only did it to obey the Godfather’s orders; you had no choice. The real mastermind was the Godfather, wasn’t he? If you’d known he was my father, you wouldn’t have done it, right?"
Third Young Master Jun exhaled deeply. "You can comfort yourself like this, but it doesn’t absolve me of my sins. What’s done is done. Whether I was the mastermind or a co-conspirator, guilt remains."
Ye Lu was distressed—this, she knew all too well.
She lifted Third Young Master Jun’s hand and softly rubbed it against her cheek.
"Then let me bear all the guilt. It’s my choice to be with you. If my father knows in the afterlife, he can hate me. When I die, I’ll go to hell and seek forgiveness from him. Let me carry all the sin."
She was mad, yet she simply couldn’t bear to lose him. She’d already lost her father—how could she lose him too?
After struggling so hard to find a home, she couldn’t face the prospect of being left with nothing again.
She had failed her father, disgraced herself as his daughter.
"I am not afraid of retribution. I accept it all willingly, without regrets, even if I’m struck by heaven’s wrath..."
Third Young Master Jun’s hand pressed urgently over her lips, his breath heavy and agitated.
"You’re truly insane. You stubborn fool."
He was livid.
He thought that the hatred would be enough to make her let go. Yet he hadn’t expected her to be so obstinate, willing to shoulder a lifetime of guilt if it meant staying with him.
He felt he could stand against anyone—but not her. She always defied his expectations, leaving him helpless and at a loss.
"I’d rather be a stubborn fool. Didn’t they say foolish women are more likely to find happiness?" Ye Lu looked at him with unwavering determination, her eyes glistening with tears. "So, don’t leave. Stay. Let me stay with you through the treatment. Dr. K is incredibly skilled. He will cure you, won’t he?"
