A Journey from Bitterness to Truth (Matilda and Yvan) novel Chapter 368

Matilda turned her back in Yvan's dream, coldly refusing him without a second glance. When he woke to find her side of the bed empty, panic gripped him like a vice.

Her sudden vulnerability startled Matilda, prompting a forced, uneasy smile. "Oh, Mr. Boyd, you've got it all wrong. I just went to use the bathroom..."

Yvan's voice, thick with barely concealed anguish, questioned, "Why not use the one in here?"

"Because... you were here, and it just felt... awkward," she admitted.

At her words, a sharp pang of hurt coursed through Yvan, freezing him in place.

He let her go, staring into her unfamiliar gaze. The Matilda he knew blazed with love, her passion igniting him as much as it consumed her. Yet, when her feelings turned to hate, her eyes were like daggers, wounding him deeply, even as she hurt herself.

This complexity, this shift in her demeanor left Yvan feeling unnerved time and again.

"I... Next time, just tell me. If you're uncomfortable, I can step out," he stammered, willing to distance himself rather than have her leave again.

Matilda remained silent, and so did Yvan, as they returned to the hospital room. She sat at the edge of the bed, lost in thought, while Yvan distracted himself with his laptop.

Eventually, Matilda's voice broke the silence. "Mr. Boyd... did I... did I ever love you?"

Yvan's heart skipped a beat, his fingers pausing on the keyboard as he struggled to face her.

Her gaze was clear, reflecting her inner strength and decisiveness, her capacity for both love and hate.

How did she come to question their past so?

There had been no love between them.

Time, merciless and relentless, seemed to widen the chasm between them. Matilda stared at him, speechless for a moment before nodding quietly.

The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken words.

Yvan, losing interest in his browsing, noticed an email from Carl popping up. As he opened it, a sense of foreboding washed over him. Abruptly, he closed his laptop and left without a word. Matilda watched his retreating figure, lost in thought, her mind haunted by past turmoil.

When Logan came in from school, he was startled by Matilda's somber expression. "Mom, what's on your mind?"

Matilda gently touched his shoulder, whispering, "Logan, Mr. Boyd, the man who's been helping us... what do you think he means to us?"