?Chapter 1177:


    “The drones and fireworks were Freya’s proposal to Ellis,” Kristian murmured, his voice hoarse and thick with emotion. “The meteor shower was Ellis proposing back to her.”


    “What?” Gerard was stunned.


    Kristian dropped his gaze, his expression unreadable. “Maybe I shouldn’t have rushed into marriage back then.”


    At the time, he thought Freya was smart,posed, someone he could talk to with ease. They clicked in many ways, and he had a strong first impression of her. So after a few days of thought, he made a snap decision and married her. In their world, most marriages were nothing but business deals. Since he had to settle down anyway, he decided to choose someone he actually liked.


    But now… he wondered if that decision had been a mistake.


    “There’s no absolute right or wrong in things like this,” Gerard said, trying to sound reasonable. “If both people feel it’s right, a quick marriage can work. In this day and age,”


    Folks are constantly feeling the pressure from their families to start dating and tie the knot as soon as possible.”


    Many couples ended up married after just a few dates. As long as they were sincere about building a life together, it wasn’t necessarily wrong. Kristian’s heart felt impossibly heavy, his thoughts a jumbled mess.


    Gerard pressed his lips together, hesitating, then asked carefully, “Mind if I ask you something?”


    “Go ahead.”


    “When you had that quick marriage with Ms. Briggs, was it partly because she reminded you of Ashley?” Gerard asked, boldly but respectfully. He’d asked this once before, but this time, he needed a real answer.


    “No.” Kristian’s voice was firm, honest. “I married her because I felt we were well-matched. She seemed right for me.”


    “Then…” Gerard hesitated.


    Kristian understood what he was trying to ask and answered inly, “When Freya asked me that back then, I said yes just to spite her. Truth is, she doesn’t resemble Ashley at all.”


    Reflecting on it now, Kristian realized how impulsive he had been.


    Freya wasn’t anyone’s shadow—she was her own person. She was candid, unyielding, and carried a kind of purity he didn’t often find.


    Gerard sat silently, a knot forming in his chest, deciding not to press further.


    That night, Kristian couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned, dreaming of the past—of Freya looking at him with eyespletely devoid of warmth.


    In that moment, he hated his old self—his arrogance, his stubborn pride, the way he always had to be in control.


    But no matter how deep the regret ran, the past was still his. He couldn’t just escape it.


    From that day on, Kristian’s moods became even more erratic. He slept less and ate less. Even Lawrence’s hypnosis started losing its effect.


    By the timete June arrived, in Jeucwell, Kristian was sitting in the living room with Lawrence and Gerard.


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