Chapter 1829


    “I can''t stand the thought of losing sight of you. It''s strange, but right now I want to be with you every


    single moment. Sweetheart, just be good. Stop giving me a hard time.” Morrison held her tightly,


    each word punctuated with a kiss that he pressed upon her over and over again.


    Rose ducked her head, trying to dodge the constant barrage of kisses that hevished upon her


    without warning. Yet her heart fluttered uncontrobly because of the words he whispered so close


    to her ear.


    That pleading tone, mixed with a seductive coaxing, didn''t seem like something Morrison would ever


    utter.


    But she was certain that it was definitely him.


    Morrison had been acting out of character for the past few days, but considering her past


    interactions with him, it didn''t seem so unusual after all.


    After all, she believed that during their school days, he often shed with her, and considering their


    many years of conflict, his sudden change in demeanor seemed to reveal his true nature.


    She thought that she knew a little bit about his subtle and dark quirks. Still, this felt like aplete


    turnaround.


    She never thought that one day he would truly act like a brat, being unreasonable and domineering


    one moment, only to transform into this clingy person the next. He was like a stubborn child, who


    wouldnt let her leave when he caught her.


    Compared to his handsome and aloof exterior, their situation waspletely out of the norm.


    Her lips were taken captive by his. He was holding her so tightly she couldn''t struggle, and she


    could only lift her chin, beingpletely trapped by him.


    She was eventually pushed back onto the hospital bed again. Considering the baby in her belly, she


    ced both hands behind her to support her body, not letting herself sink too deeply into the bed.


    "That''s enough...” In the end, Rose whimpered and turned her head away, avoiding Morrison''s kiss.


    Her face was flushed and her ears were red.


    Morrison did not continue to kiss her either, but chose to hold her firmly in his arms instead. Despite


    the awkward position, he held on to her, clearly intending not to let her have the slightest chance of


    leaving. He was acting just like a child on his first day of kindergarten, clinging to his mother''s leg,


    refusing to let her go.


    The more she thought about it, the harder she found it to resistughing at the absurdity of it all.


    She certainly didn''t recall having such a giant baby son.


    At the sound of herughter, Morrison looked up, his dark gazes shimmering with a mix of


    bewilderment and relief. “What''s so funny?"


    Rose nced down at him, “I’mughing at how childish you''re being."


    Morrison frowned, tightening his hold on her. “It’s all your fault. Here I am,id up in the hospital,


    and you''re still giving me grief"


    Rose fell silent for a few seconds, then said, “Morrison, did I ever tell you just how awful you really


    are?"


    He paused for a moment before replying, “You might have mentioned it. You used to talk smack


    about me behind my back in school. I''ve heard those kinds of things about myself too many times."


    Rose was taken aback. Back then, she onlyined about him because he was always so


    confrontational, and it infuriated her.


    “And you were just as bad, always scowling at me. You could manage to be warm and kind with


    everyone else, so why was it that with me, you were either sarcastic or as cold as an ice sculpture?"


    Morrison''s eyes hardened.


    Rose pressed on, “And now, all of a sudden, you are telling me that I’m the one you''ve always loved


    —how am I supposed to believe that? Is that how you love someone? By flirting with other women


    while you ‘love'' me?"


    Her voice carried a serious undertone. The memories of their school days were still vivid in her


    mind. Many years had passed; those were among the few memories she had with Morrison.


    However, they had always been her memories alone.


    Her treasured memories, which always brought her joy and heartache.


    “Back then...” Morrison began, the atmosphere turning heavy with his suppressed voice. “You were


    the defiant rich girl, looking down on everyone, too proud for your own good. Dressed to the nines


    every single day, drawing the gaze of all the boys. Always ready to pick a fight with me, arguing until


    we were blue in the face. If I actually admitted to liking you, wouldn''t I have been a madman?"


    Rose bit her lip, frustrated by the way his narrative twisted her past. “What do you mean I dressed


    to the nines? And when did I ever seduce the boys?"


    Morrison scoffed, as if the memory of her in those days was vivid in his mind, his expression


    mirroring the way he used to look at her.


    “Then why did you always dress up so shy? Wasn''t there always a flock of foolish boys trailing


    you whenever you showed up? You always got the best seat at the basketball games, and half your


    electives were filled with guys.


    Every weekend, a crowd waited to ask you out, and—don''t tell me you didn''t ept tampons from a


    guy during your period."


    Morrison was getting more and more infuriated as he spoke, his face bing increasingly


    unpleasant, and his voice growing heavier.


    Rose blinked in surprise, lost in the distant memories he was dredging up.


    And then, the mention of tampons... She did recall such an incident.


    Her period hade early once, and a male ssmate had offered his jacket with a small pack of


    tampons and tissues in the pockets. It had certainly saved her from an embarrassing situation.


    Looking back, she realized she never properly thanked him. But she was young then, too


    embarrassed to express her gratitude properly.


    As for the rest, she could only recall fragments of those days. Her memories were mostly filled with


    Morrison—and she certainly didn''t have the capacity to remember all those scattered incidents.


    “I got my period early, and I was in a tight spot. I was grateful for any help I could get. Who cared


    who it was from? How did you even find out about that?"


    Morrison didn''t say anything to that.


    Rose raised an eyebrow, her beautiful eyes narrowing as she gazed at him.


    “If you knew about it then, why didn’t you help me? Someone else did a good deed and I


    appreciated it. Why are you mad about it?"


    Rose propped herself up with her hands behind her, her body leaning sideways as she looked at


    him. Her protruding belly was right in front of Morrison, and the scene unexpectedly exuded a sense


    of warmth.


    “You sure have a good memory about all these things, Morrison, when exactly did you start taking


    an interest in me?"


    Morrison frowned, his voice slightly gruff, "Heck knows."


    Rose smirked, "The more I know now, the more I''m convinced you''re not up to snuff. If you''ve been


    taking an interest in me from way back when, why on earth did you have to go and pick a fight with


    me? If you had been straightforward, none of what followed would''ve ever happened."


    He pursed his lips, "Do you think you are straightforward? You clearly love me, but you don''t say it"


    A scoff escaped Rose, "You expected me to confess to a guy who already had a girlfriend? I may


    have feelings, but I also have pride and dignity."


    She paused, her voice trailing off, “You''re quite something, you know. You managed to bend my


    backbone, made me willing to toss aside my pride. I gambled everything, and yet, in the end,


    beneath the abyss you offered was only a deeper abyss."


    Morrison''s face stiffened, a hint of embarrassment clouding his features. “I admit that was my


    mistake"


    He could never quite pinpoint those bizarre, indescribable feelings he had for her. Had it not been


    for someone else''s nudge, he might have spent his whole life unable to acknowledge his true


    feelings for her.


    How could he? From the start, everything about her rubbed him the wrong way.


    Seeing her irritated him, not seeing her even more so. She was like a thorn in his side, and he had


    a masochistic streak to even admit he loved this infuriating woman.


    Rose remained silent, merely gazing at him. So much she wanted to say, yet so much she couldn''t.


    To speak them out would seem melodramatic. To stay silent felt like all the years of quiet endurance


    were for naught.


    N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    They could have been together from the start, and all the missed opportunities and their bittersweet


    experiences could have been reced by happiness and joy. That would have been a hundredfold


    the bliss.


    But a miss was as good as a mile...


    She loved him, but he was also the culprit who had ruined years of her love life.


    “Morrison, everyone pays a price for their mistakes."


    Morrison remained silent, the atmosphere growing heavy.


    Rose exhaled a heavy sigh. Before she could act, Morrison suddenly pulled her close, burying his


    face against her belly. “Fine, I''ll pay the price. Any cost is eptable, except losing you: Rose''s


    heart jolted at his words. Anything but losing her? Did that mean, to him, she was more important


    than anything else?


    She looked down at the man with his head against her belly, both childish and obnoxious. Yet she


    was at a loss for what to do.


    He was acting like a petnt child. Backing down, trying to please, admitting faults, apologizing,


    even being unabashedly needy... He was doing everything that seemed impossible for him.


    If she continued to dwell on the past that couldn''t be changed, it would be overly petty and


    pointless. Morrison was right. It was all just a hassle.


    Her hand lifted to touch his head but paused halfway. Her fingers curled slightly and instead, she


    pushed him away. “Get up. I''m not feeling well right now."


    Morrison looked up, concern etching his features momentarily before he awkwardly got to his feet.


    Rose stood up, looking up at him. “The productunch ising up in a couple of days. I need to


    swing by the office."


    Morrison''s mood soured instantly. "Can''t yourpany run without you there? What, are you


    paying a bunch ofyabouts?"


    Rose frowned, "It''s mypany, and I''ve worked hard to get it here. Of course, I have to be


    cautious with every step I take."


    Sensing her annoyance, Morrison softened his tone, "I just mean you don''t need to be there every


    single day. The ns are all set. They can consult you if there''s an issue."


    “I''m notfortable with that."


    Morrison pursed his lips. A chill seemed to settle between his brows. "When''s theunch exactly?"


    “December 22nd."


    His face turned dark in an instant. "Rose, you''re doing this on purpose, aren''t you?"


    Rose pressed her lips together, feigning ignorance, "I don''t know what you''re talking about"


    Morrison clenched his jaw, "You manage to pick the exact date by ident?"


    “What''s wrong with the date? Did I interfere with something else for you?"


    Rose stubbornly avoided mentioning the other significance of that day.


    “You... you really don''t know?"


    “Should 1?"


    Morrison''s anger seemed to dete as he tossed his phone onto the bed.


    “Never mind"


    Rose watched him for a few seconds, "If there''s nothing else, I''m heading to the office. I''lle


    back tonight."


    This time, Morrison didn''t stop her. He sat there, deted, an image of pity.


    Rose made a hard decision and determinedly headed for the door.


    Just as she opened the door, Morrison''s voice,ced with an indefinable sense of grievance,


    reached her.


    “You said you love me, but it''s all lies.


    “id my heart out for you, and yet you don''t love me.


    “Women are natural liars.


    "You did it on purpose..."


    The words sounded like he was speaking to himself, but Rose heard them loud and clear. Her hand


    on the doorknob hesitated, the grip loosening and then tightening. Finally, in Morrison''s murmurs,


    she turned around."What are you muttering about over there?"


    Morrison bit his lip and rolled onto the bed, showing her his back. "It''s nothing."


    Rose let out an exasperatedugh and hesitated before stepping out and closing the door behind


    her.


    The room was silent for a long moment until Morrison sat up abruptly, the sheets falling away. When


    he saw that there was really no one else in the room, his expression grew even more unpleasant.


    He grabbed his phone and dialed Riley''s number. Riley had just stepped out of the elevator when


    he came face to face with Rose.


    “Mrs. Witt.


    Rose gave him a faint smile and nodded politely before continuing on her way. The smile on her lips


    was barely noticable, but it was a vast improvement over the stiff formality and pretense of the past


    few days.


    Well, Mr. Witt did perform so wellst night. It was indeed time to let go of past grievances.


    Even though she was wrapped in a coat, it was pretty obvious she was sporting Mr. Witt''s threads


    underneath. Given the vibest night, it seemed like they''d finally turned a corner.


    Just as Riley reached the door, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Seeing it was a call from Morrison,


    he quickly swung the hospital room door open.


    With a grin spreading across his face, he breezed in, "Mr. Witt"