MTLNOVEL Chapter 356: Swear his love, his devotion …
Ryan's heart pounded in his chest as the weight of her words sank in.
It had never been about the pictures.
She believed him over the evidence that Delyth provided her of his betrayal.
She hadn't left him because of some petty misunderstanding, as he had assumed ….
Rather, she had left because of him.
Because he never gave her enough reasons for her to stay. Because he never made her believe in the feeling he had for her in his heart.
He should have … but he didn't.
And that was his fault.
"Arwen, I —" he struggled, not knowing how he could confess the emotions that had taken root in his heart. After a moment of hesitation, he finally said, "Delyth and I never had anything like what was shown in that picture. Even if we went out that evening, it was just a dinner. I don't know what happened after … but when I woke up, I was there on the bed with her. But believe me, nothing happened between us. If it had, I would have known and —"
Before he could say more, Arwen interrupted to ask him.
"It was Delyth who did it?" her voice calm, almost indifferent. Though she was certain of it, she phrased it as a question —not to start a debate but to see if Ryan had any other conclusions.
But when she noticed him avoiding her gaze, his silence speaking volumes, she knew.
He was already aware of the truth.
Delyth's truth.
A sharp incredulous smile tugged at her lips as she shook her head in disbelief.
"So, you knew it was her." she exhaled a quiet humorless laugh. "Yet you … Wait, I am not even surprised. No matter what she does, Ryan Foster is going to support her anyway, isn't he?"
Ryan shook his head. "No, it's not that," he tried to explain, but faltered miserably. "Arwen, you are getting it wrong. Delyth is not what you think she is to me. She is nothing —just a responsibility. I only take care of her because of the promise I made to her brother. She is not the woman I love; it's you."
He paused, suddenly realizing what he had just said.
Amid his explanations, he had confessed his feelings.
He stared at her, his chest tightening as he nodded.
"Arwen, if there is a woman I truly love, that's you. I love you. Not Delyth, not anyone —just you."
He inhaled sharply, his voice raw with sincerity. "I didn't realize this before, but the day you walked away, I realized I have already fallen for you a long time ago. If you ask me when, I might not be able to tell you. Because I don't know when exactly those emotions seeped into my heart. I only know that I felt it the moment you stopped looking at me the way you used to."
His confession himg in the air between them.
And yet, in front of his words, Arwen stood unmoved, unfazed.
"You say you have feelings for me," she asked calmly, watching him closely.
Ryan nodded, conviction in his gaze.
"How are you going to prove it?"
She asked and that question immediately caught Ryan off-guard.
She asked him how was he going to prove it … prove his love for her.
Doesn't that mean … she was willing to give him a chance?
As long as he proved his sincerity and love to her, would she … come back?
Hope flickered in his eyes. His heart, which had been weighed down by despair, lifted. He hadn't even realized how much he had wanted this silver of hope until it was there.
"I love you, Arwen," he said, his voice urgent. "Will you believe it if I swear it to you?"
He moved to raise three fingers, ready to swear his love, his devotion —
But Arwen shook her head.
"We aren't living in the era where mere words from one person can make someone believe or trust," she said, chuckling humorlessly. "And Ryan … you are not a saint. Why would I believe you just because you say so?"
Ryan's brows knitted. "Then how else can I make you believe?" he asked, desperation creeping into his tone. He was willing to do anything —to go to the ends of the Earth if that was what it took.
Arwen stared at him for a long moment.
And then, after what felt like an eternity, she finally said, "To be honest, there is no way I would ever believe it."
Her voice steady and unshaken.
"Because there is nothing to believe in the first place."
Ryan's breath caught.
"You only realized your love for me the day I left you. That doesn't mean it was love," she continued. "It only means that it's an obsession —an obsession you developed for me after I left. You don't love me, Ryan. You just miss having someone to humiliate. To embarrass. To use as your personal entertainment."
Her words were like daggers, sharp and precise.
And Ryan knew —he couldn't refute them.
Because they were true.
All he had ever done was humiliate her. He didn't even know why he used to find satisfaction in it, but now…
Now, all it did was haunt him.
His silence stretched between them, think with the weight of his guilt.
"What should I do, Arwen?" he finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He felt like he was losing again —losing her.
It was true. He had never given her a reason to believe in his love.
Arwen's expression remained unreadable. "I don't know," she admitted, because truly didn't know what can make her believe Ryan.
Maybe, nothing. Because she didn't want to believe him at all. It seemed of no use. However, there was something that she that could prove one thing for sure.
Her gaze flickered with a thought and without thinking about it twice, she spoke, "But there is something that I do want to ask you. If you can give me the answer, I might —"
Ryan immediately agreed. "Ask me," he said with conviction laced in his tone. "As long as it can make you believe me and my love for you, I will answer it all."