?Chapter 622:


    “I know you’ll find a cure, Elliana. You’re Milena, the only person who can save me. I’ll manage to stay somber while you work on a cure, no matter how long it takes.”


    The words were as much for himself as they were for her—a mantra he’d repeated countless times to encourage himself. Every time he held her close, it felt like clinging to thest fragments of everything that ever mattered: hopes, memories, the future he wanted.


    Elliana’s answer was shortened.


    “I can heal you, sure. But don’t even think I’ll marry you again. You don’t get a second chance, not after you threw me away. Now let me go, or I swear you’ll regret it.”


    Desperation colored Cole’s gaze as he held her tighter.


    “Just tell me what you want, Elliana. Is there any way you could forgive me? Name it. My money, my time, my very life—I’d give it all for a second chance.”


    A scoff escaped her lips.


    “I don’t want anything from you. You never understood me, not once. I was nothing to you, easily thrown away, and now you think those gifts will make it right? Wake up, Cole.”


    Hurt shed in his eyes.


    “You didn’t like any of those gifts?”


    While she did love the candies he sent, she refused to let him see any softness from her.


    “Not a single one. I told you, I don’t want anypensation for the pain you caused me. You shattered my heart, and no amount of money will ever patch it together.”


    Her fingers dug through her small purse, searching for something, until she found the cold, heavy ring tucked away inside.


    That diamond ring had once symbolized everything—wealth and status as the bride of the Evans family head. He’d slipped it onto her finger at their wedding. In the whirlwind of the divorce, she’dpletely forgotten to return it.


    Without a hint of sentiment, she pressed it into his palm.


    “Take it. The marriage, the dress, this ring—it was all for Paige from the start. I was just a stand-in. While this rock could be priceless, it means nothing to me.”


    “You’re right,” Cole said quietly.


    Your adventure awaits at gα?ησν????s?c〇m


    Without hesitation, he rolled down the window and tossed the sparkling ring into the night as though it were nothing but a bit of dust. His movement was fluid and casual, as if he were flicking away a piece of lint, not a multi-million-dor diamond.


    For a few long seconds, Elliana could only stare, speechless.


    Cole didn’t say another word. He raised the window, sealing off the past behind ss.


    “I’m so sorry, Elliana. I put you through too much with that wedding,” Cole said gently, his eyes filled with regret. “I never should’ve made you a stand-in bride, dressed you in a gown meant for someone else, or ced a ring on your finger that wasn’t even yours. It was all on me.”


    He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, his voice soft with promise.


    “This time, I’ll n a wedding for us. A dress made only for you. Rings that belong to no one but us. Everything about it will be ours, and ours alone.”


    His words wrapped around Elliana like warm sunlight, spreading a slow, sweet heat through her chest. But she pouted, pretending to be unimpressed.


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