He Misunderstood Her Sacrifice, And Lost Her to AnotherChapter 1
“Ms.Crawford,your brain tumor surgery has been canceled….”
Aurelia Crawford ended the call,then quietly booked a ticket to Iceland,planning to leave in a week.
While packing,her eyes landed on a photo of Santino Gardner holding her in his arms,smiling as if she were his whole world.But that same smile later became nothing but coldness and disgust in her memory.
She gave a bitter smile and set the frame aside,yet her mind pulled her back to what had happened half a year ago.
That was when she first found out she had a malignant brain tumor.The surgery was risky,and her time was already running short.
The moment she stepped inside the house,Santino rushed at her,his eyes red as he grabbed her by the throat,his voice rough with anger.“Where were you last night?”
She couldn’t bring herself to tell him the truth,that she had gone to check on the tumor.Her lips trembled,but no sound came out.
At that moment,Santino threw a photo at her face,the edge cutting her cheek and leaving a faint sting.
In the photo,Santino’s mother lay dying in a wrecked car,and on the hit-and-run vehicle was the clear mark of the Crawford family.
While Aurelia stood frozen,Santino struggled to hold back his emotions,his fingers digging into his palms as he forced his voice to stay calm.
“As long as you explain,I’ll believe you.”
His weak tone made Aurelia’s heart pound,her temples throbbing with pain.She saw the tear stains on Santino’s face,and her chest ached as if it were being torn apart.
She wanted to explain,but she couldn’t.Rather than letting Santino know her time was running out,she chose to let him hate her.
“There’s no need to explain,”her own voice came out frighteningly calm.“It was me.”
“Because I wanted to control you,I had to keep all your weaknesses in my hands.”Her heart felt like it was being ripped apart.“Those rumors about me keeping you,those were also started by me.”
Santino’s body froze,and the shock and hurt in his eyes made it hard for her to breathe.
After a long silence,he let out a laugh,the sound carrying both bitterness and pain.“I really am a fool,to have loved a cruel woman like you…”
Aurelia’s fingers,hidden behind her back,trembled slightly.She had once imagined many times how Santino might confess his love to her,but she never thought the word“love”would only appear when he despised her most.