06

Kieran came back by dusk with a dish of plain meals.

"Haley," he asked placing it on the bedside table and standing with his back to her for a little before turning around, "did you really push Riley?"

His voice was clearly irritated.

Haley lowered her gaze. "Yes."

His voice became harsher. "She is only a young girl. "How could you—"

Haley raised her chin. "She advised me against having kids with you. that she desires to have you all to herself,” Her voice trembled a little. "Kieran, no three-year-old would think of it on her own. She learned how to say it from someone.”

Kieran tensed up almost imperceptibly.

He averted his gaze, and by the time he responded, his tone had softened. "She is only a young child. Youngsters don't comprehend what they're saying. Please don't take it personally. Be kind with her.”

Haley was slapped across the face by the way he leaped to protect her right away.

How many times had she previously failed to see this? How could she have been so blind?

She wanted to punish herself now for not realizing it sooner.

"Kieran, tell me the truth," she said, her voice scarcely audible above a whisper. “Are you still in love with me?”

Kieran felt his heart skip a beat. His chin pressed into the top of her head as he drew her firmly into his arms.

"I love you, of course. What are you thinking, Haley? How am I not in love with you? I will adore you forever.”

Haley felt her stomach churn violently, sickness rising suddenly as she was trapped against his chest and enveloped by a perfume she had previously found consoling.

A quiet but frantic voice came through the door just as she was going to shove him away.

“Could you please come here for a little while, Kieran? Riley refuses to take a bath and is having a tantrum in the restroom. I can't manage her by myself."

In an instant, Kieran’s arms relaxed like if he had been startled awake.

He virtually shoved Haley away. "I'm coming."

His eyes barely met hers as he stopped and looked back over his shoulder, already at the door.

"Haley, I... I need to go check on her, okay?"

Riley started sobbing loudly down the corridor before Haley could respond. The door thudded shut behind Kieran as he abruptly exited.

Haley smiled little, bitterly. The coldness in her chest grew as her fingers tightened.

Her strength recovered just enough to allow her to move after she finished the lunch Kieran had given her.

Determined to get rid of everything superfluous, she went back to sifting and tossing.

It would facilitate departure.

She threw away everything in the bedroom that made her uncomfortable, including her veil and bridal gown.

She had the housekeeper remove them along with the trash after stuffing them into rubbish bags.

Kieran arrived in time to witness it.

"Haley, you're throwing away the wedding dress?" he exclaimed, feeling uneasy as a strip of white fabric peeked through the black trash bag.

She met his eyes with a serene gaze. "I'm sick of staring at them. I require the room." It's not that you prevented me from becoming your wife, Kieran. It's because I no longer desire you.

His heart tightened in bewilderment as he gazed at her. “You expressed a desire to hold onto those indefinitely. You even mentioned that we would take another wedding picture and wear them when we were older. Why would you want to discard them all of a sudden?”

Haley gave a slight smile. "In the future, there will be more. These are outdated. They are out of date.”

She thought she was the only woman who had ever worn a wedding gown for him, thus they had previously been important.

Both his life and his heart were now full.

She was just as needless and obtrusive as those outfits.

Riley and Lydia had both moved in, and a baby was on the way. Haley didn't see the need to make room for them.

Stephanie, the housekeeper, began removing the trash. With a wounded gaze, Kieran reached out to stop her. "Hold on, don't discard those. For now, just store them in the storage area."

"No," Haley firmly said. "They're trash now."

Kieran stopped talking.

She faced the bedroom door once more. It wasn't until then that Kieran realized he had forgotten all about their fourth anniversary.

"I apologize for missing our anniversary," he said, running after her and encircling her from behind. “Lydia and I had to work through the night to resolve the project because it was at a crucial point."

Haley made an effort to ignore it and avoid picturing the two of them spending the entire night by themselves. However, she was powerless to resist.

"It's okay," she said, pulling away from his grip as her nails drove into her hand as if his touch had burnt. “Don't bring it up.”

Kieran’s face twitched with guilt. He noticed the bite mark on her arm when he lifted her sleeve.

Angry, he scowled. "How did this happen?"

"Riley bit me," Haley whispered in response.

Kieran’s chest twisted, but the words came out of his mouth. "Youngsters that age don't get it. Her mouth is probably hurting because she is currently loosing teeth.”

Haley gave a single nod. "Hmm."

"The doctor said your anemia is much worse this time," Kieran said after taking a closer look at the mark. “You must get enough sleep at home. Don't go anyplace, and don't stress yourself too much.”

Haley stated, "About five days should be sufficient."

She spoke in an impartial, complaint-free tone.

Kieran scowled. “Five days is far from sufficient. Get enough sleep. In any case, Lydia will remain here. After work, she can assist with cooking.”

Haley briefly believed that he was at last demonstrating concern.

But with his final words, that hope vanished.

Her heart ached as she gazed up at him.

She had once loved him unconditionally, confident that they would start a life together.

In order to be with him when he was beginning over, she had disobeyed her grandfather, left someone he had approved of, and given up her inheritance.

She had never noticed the presence of another lady, even though she had envisaged a lifetime spent together.

Haley suppressed the pain by remaining silent for a considerable amount of time. "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for Lydia?"

Kieran’s throat constricted as he avoided her gaze. "It's not difficult. She is almost like family.”

Her body trembled as a sharp pain shot through her chest.

Kieran swiftly caught her, took her to the bed, and carefully laid her down.

"Kieran," she murmured quietly, "I want to have dinner with you." Her chest ached horribly as she met his loving eyes. “Only the two of us. It's been a while.”

It really had.

He had last eaten by himself with her on Christmas Day, almost a year ago, and even then he had departed halfway through.

He had received a call from Lydia, ostensibly regarding work. However, it was only because Riley had urged him to join her in watching the fireworks.

Haley had never held him responsible for these things; she had always been understanding.

Kieran therefore struggled to let her down.

His voice was heavy with shame as he swallowed hard. "All right. I'll make the arrangements."

She gave a nod. "Okay."

‘Let that dinner be our parting, Kieran. We part ways after that’ she thought.