Can’t Win Me Back novel (Alyssa and Jasper) novel Chapter 1702

Silas tightened his arms around her as he spoke as if fearing she might escape him.

A warm blush crept up Rose's chest, a pleasant tingle settling in her heart. Her voice dipped to a playful whisper, more of a tease than a scold. "Well, at least you know you're being sneaky."

"Rosie." Silas couldn't tear his gaze away. A captivating blush painted Rose's pale face as he murmured, "Well, you're just as cunning. You're the sneak who's stolen my heart."

Rose found herself at a loss for words.

She remembered listening to Alyssa chatter about her family and Silas. He had such a handsome face. Yet, he was so dense and cheesy that it raised concerns for him.

It seemed Alyssa was right.

Silas noticed her sudden silence and fell into a surge of panic. He turned her to face him. "Are you still upset with me?"

"Silas Taylor."

Silas' panic intensified at the sound of Rose addressing him by his full name. Unconsciously, he swallowed hard.

"I am an illegitimate daughter of the Emerson family. I am a disgrace. Even the Emersons would come to me and cause trouble. I have no peace. I don't deserve you. It'll only be harder for you if you stay by my side."

It felt as though she was tearing a piece of her heart away with each word uttered. "You deserve better."

Rose continued, "There are plenty of reasons why you might feel this way about me, and perhaps one of them is because your emotions stem from a desire to protect me—a misplaced sense of sympathy.

"But once the initial rush fades, you'll see what I see—love is fleeting and nothing but trouble. You come from a good place, and even if you don't need someone of equal standing, you deserve a well-educated woman with a respectable family background.

"My life... it's forever marked. Today was just a glimpse, a mere whisper of the darkness I carry."

Beneath the icy veneer of a renowned designer, Rose harbored a wellspring of bitterness and insecurity. Her extravagant creations were a carefully crafted façade, a shield to deflect from the vulnerability beneath.

Despite her prestigious Emerson name, Rose felt adrift, a life without roots. She could never bring herself to proclaim her lineage.