MTLNOVEL Chapter 360: What exactly is the truth?
Emyr had just returned to Aiden's study to put some files back when his steps suddenly halted. A shiver ran down his spine as the temperature in the room seemed to drop drastically.
Instinctively, his gaze darted to look at Aiden.
One look at his boss was enough to tell him that it was New York that was freezing —it was Aiden himself, exuding an air as cold as Antarctica.
What happened all of a sudden?
Hadn't he been fine after the dinner?
Slowly, Emyr placed the files on the desk, but his focus remained on Aiden, quietly observing him.
Aiden was still on the call, waiting for Arwen's response. However, when she didn't speak right away, his patience thinned.
"Moon —"
"If there exists any such motive that made you approach me intentionally, then I would truly thank the heavens," Arwen finally replied, her voice soft yet unwavering in confidence.
Aiden stilled.
"Because that one motive led me to meet you," she continued, "and I don't regret even a second of it. So, even if it started with an intention, I don't mind —because I know that intention has never been to put me at a disadvantage."
His expression grew unreadable. Neither of them spoke for a long moment, as if time itself had frozen between them.
The air around them turned gentle. Reassuring.
"Have I answered your question desirably, Mr. Winslow?" Arwen asked after a long pause.
Her voice carried a playful lilt, but Aiden could hear the sincerity beneath it.
"Don't take it as a perfunctory answer. When I said that I was serious, I meant it. Though I would really like to know what exactly that motive is …" she trailed off. "But it's fine if you are not ready to tell me now. Neither of us needs to force ourselves to share everything just yet."
Aiden exhaled quietly.
"How long more will it take for you to reach home?" he asked, smoothly shifting the subject.
And Arwen didn't mind.
With ease, she allowed him to deflect, replying, "Umm … probably another half an hour. We are almost there. You don't have to worry. Go, rest. I will drop you a text when I reach home."
"Okay," he said, and after that, both of them hung up the call.
Aiden remained seated, his fingers idly tapping against the armrest of his chair. His mind lingered on Arwen's words, replaying them over and over.
Then —
"Emyr!" he called. His voice was as cold as Emyr had expected, given the frost in his expression.
"Yes, Sir," Emyr responded with a small bow. "Is there any order?"
***
Meanwhile, Ryan returned to his apartment, his steps steady, but his entire being looked … defeated.
As if a single gust of wind could shatter him into irreparable pieces.
His apartment was dark except for the faint glow of city lights filtering through the windows. He didn't bother turning on the lights.
Instead, he walked to the living room and sank to the floor, leaning his back against the sofa. Tilting his head back, he stared up at the dimply lit ceiling.
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips.
"Arwen … how could you believe a stranger so easily?" he muttered under his breath. His fingers curled into fists against his lap. "How can you promise to trust him blindly while ignoring all my concerns? Did I truly mean nothing to you?"
Hi gaze blurred as he thought back to her unwavering words —her confidence in that stranger whom she called her husband, her complete dismissal of warnings.
It was unbearable, yet he could not bring himself to forget it at all. He wanted to, but he couldn't …
Her words and her indifferent attitude towards him were reeling back and back to him, making him realize that it wasn't his imagination but the reality of today.
His hands moved instinctively, pulling out the diary he had kept with him all this while.
"If I don't mean anything …" Ryan whispered, his voice cracking. "Then why?"
His eyes flickered as he stared at her journal —the same one that Catrin had handed him earlier, filled with her handwriting, her words. Her words that got him to believe he was irreplaceable in her life.
"Why did you write like I once meant everything to you … like you wanted me in your life?" His voice dropped to a whisper, almost fragile. "Why did you say that you were scared of losing me, forgetting me? Scared of not finding me in your memories? Why?"
His breathing grew heavier.
"What exactly is the truth, Arwen?"
Was it the side of her that had once clung to him so desperately in her writing?
Or was it the indifferent woman who had looked him dead in the eyes today —unwavering, unmoved, gone?
Ryan let out a shaky breath, pressing his fingers against his temple. Closing his eyes, he tried to calm himself, ease his aching head when —
"If I really loved you, I wouldn't have moved on as easily as I did. And since I did … it means I was never in love with you."
Arwen's words rang again in his ears … and his eyes shot open, terror gripping him.
His hand reached out, grabbing the first thing he could find on the table, and hurled it to the floor.
A loud shattering sound filled the silence, making the air around him go still.
"No," he exhaled harshly. "That can't the truth. There is no way she never loved me. She must have just … forgotten her feelings under the influence of that man."
His breathing quickened as he tried to rationalize it.
"Yes, that has to be it," he muttered to himself, nodding as if convincing his own mind. "He must have manipulated her into thinking that she didn't love me."
As he was mumbling, his phone rang.
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At first, he didn't even register the sound, too lost in his thoughts. But soon, the ringtone became more persistent, dragging him back to reality.
A frown appeared between his brows. When he took the phone in hand to check, he saw Officer Davis's name flashing on the screen.