Chapter 71.2

Chapter 71.2

After popping the bottle open and draining it, Risha cut to the chase.

“Honestly, that’s the deciding factor—when you’re the one who loses from the very beginning to the end. As a woman, your pride could be hurt, so she had to have the last word. Even I would be sh!tty and annoyed enough to beat the crap out of you.”

“Oh, that too. I understand you were desperate, but why did you do that? No, don’t tell me. I haven’t seen you in a year or two, but I think I understand the thought process that went through your head.”

Nysa frowned and threw her hands in the air. Richard’s proposal to Jasmine had been the crucial conflict that ended their relationship.

It was reasonable on the surface, but it had pushed the already half-exhausted woman over the edge. Without realizing it, Richard tried to take her back under his control and manipulate her.

If she had been less attached to him, if she had been less self-conscious, if Jasmine Liovanni was less of a noblewoman than he was, if she had not had the wisdom to see through her turbulent emotions—Richard might have gotten exactly what he wanted.

Certainly, his words were not wrong, and he was a very attractive person who was worth marrying.

The problem was that the moment the other person realized Richard was using marriage as a weapon to manipulate the situation, she became acutely aware that her feelings were on the line, and it created a very intense sense of rejection.

Unfortunately, Jasmine knew Richard more than he thought. Maybe even more than Richard himself.

Ironically, that fact only fueled his regret.

Who else could know him so intimately and still love him despite all his flaws? Someone who could fit in and understand him, someone who respected him without trying to change him, someone who made him feel complete and happy to be around.

His heart tightened again.

Ah.

Suddenly, as if in a flash, Richard realized.

Even at this moment he was being selfish, thinking only of what he had lost.

Would Jasmine be tired of this selfishness? Has he ever thought more about her than himself? Whether the result would be beneficial to her or not? Has the direction ever started in a way that was purely for her benefit and respect, not drunk on his own feelings?

Had he ever focused on conversation and trust-building over se!x? Was he considerate of her confusion, being new to male companionship and !ntercourse?

Had he ever had the courage to act and speak solely for her, to reassure her that he cared about her anxiety rather than his own?

Had he ever truly acted and spoken only for her?

He honestly didn’t know. Richard finally realized with a sudden embarrassment.

Perhaps Jasmine had noticed this, too. His self-centeredness was so deeply rooted that he didn’t even realize it.

So, of course, Jasmine didn’t trust him.

With that assumption, he felt like a spineless child.

He regretted a lot, but his regret was not about understanding her. Perhaps this was her way of punishing him. For all he knew, she had moved on.

For the first time, he felt his obsession to make amends with her waver somehow.

“Who am I to tell her to start over?”

Her heart was very deep, Richard would come to realize over time. The affection that seemed so pleasant and warm at first glance was only possible because of the layers of time that had built up over the years.

Much patience, suffering, and courage have accumulated like a sediment. The heaviness was different from Richard, who had only just awakened and set up for the first time.

What in the world made Jasmine reach out to him again and again—so bravely after so many rejections

“I like you.”

“But I know you don’t, which is why….”

“Why don’t you just sleep with me so I can move on?”

Richard sighed.

He realized now that what had been an exciting beginning for him had been the end for her. A beginning with an end, a final act of courage for an epilogue. It had started with such determination, and he had made her…

He was furious with himself.

“I’m really the biggest as.shole.”