Ferdinand didn’t return until late that evening.
By the time he came home, Mary had already retreated to her own room.
Briony was sitting alone in the first-floor living room.
When Ferdinand walked in, he spotted her on the sofa, crossed the room to her, gave her a quick once-over, and asked, “Were you waiting for me?”
Briony met his eyes. “Ferdinand, I want to talk.”
He smirked. “If you want to talk about marriage, fine. Anything else isn’t necessary.”
“Fine.” Briony’s voice was cool. “I’ll marry you. But only on two conditions: the ceremony has to take place back home, and before we marry, we sign a prenup and have all our assets certified.”
He stared at her, surprised by her sudden shift in attitude.
But then he understood.
“What did Mary say to you?”
Briony let out a cold laugh. “What could she possibly say? She’s completely lovesick—pregnant with your child and trying to convince me to marry you. I have to admit, you’ve brainwashed her pretty thoroughly.”
“Bryn, you’ve got me all wrong.” Ferdinand stepped closer, gently pinching her chin between his fingers. “Everyone defines love differently. For me, love means possession, having what I want. But Mary thinks love is about sacrifice and letting go.”
“Sounds like you and she are a match made in heaven,” Briony replied, staring at him. “Maybe you two should tie the knot and be done with it.”
“Too bad I don’t love her.”
He brushed his thumb across her lips. “Bryn, I know you hate me right now. But have you ever considered that I don’t want to be this way? I just can’t control how I feel.”
Briony pushed his hand away and stepped back. “I agreed to marry you, but until then, I expect you to respect me.”
Ferdinand shook his head, gaze fixed on her. “Look at you—treating me like I’m poison. You don’t really want to marry me. You’re just trying to trick me into taking you back home with me. Bryn, you’re still so naïve.”
Her patience snapped. “Ferdinand, what will it take for you to let me go?” she shouted, her voice raw. “Why won’t you just leave me alone?”
He shrugged, voice cold. “Blame fate. If you hadn’t walked down that road that night, if you’d just kept going and pretended you didn’t hear or see anything, I’d be dead. If I were dead, I wouldn’t be here now, making your life miserable.”
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