Exposing the Charade of Deep Affection (PDF) novel Chapter 181

Chapter 181 Then Let’s Be Friends 

Taking a slight breath, I managed a smile and continued, “I’m only in my mid-twenties, still in the prime of my life. There are things I want to do, people I want to meet, sceneries I want to see, and dreams I want to fulfill. So, I’ve come to realize, I won’t let resentment entangle me for a lifetime. I want to live a good life, Walter, I’ve let go a long time ago, you don’t owe me anything.” 

He looked at me, his dark eyes deep and restrained, as profound as the vast sea. I couldn’t discern the emotions in his dark eyes, I was just calmly waiting for him to speak. 

After a long while, his voice turned somewhat hoarse as he said, “So, even I have been let go?” 

The action in my hand unconsciously stiffened slightly, then I laughed, looked up at him, and nodded with a calm gaze, “Kind of, but not entirely. I once thought I loved you, or at least liked you. But after thinking it over, maybe those feelings weren’t like or love. I’ve seen the- affection between my parents, and the love of others, but none of them were like ours. So, I thought about it, my feelings for you in the past, might not have been love, but just…dependence from spending a long time together.” 

He raised his eyebrows, “Dependence?” 

I nodded, my gaze still calm, “Yes, I unintentionally read in a book that if a woman truly loves a man, there is no room for sand in her eyes. She won’t allow the existence of any so-called close female friends or life-saving benefactors, nor will she act too understanding in his life, or keep everything from him, not considering his feelings. Walter, I don’t understand why you are suddenly so persistent about 

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you want to repay my kindness, or perhaps to make it up to me. But I can tell you very clearly that it’s not necessary, and I don’t need it. Between you and me, if possible, let’s just be ordinary friends, or better yet, I wish we could become strangers.” 

There was a long silence in the air. I didn’t know if I had made myself clear with all the words I had spoken, or if he had understood them. But after all, I had said everything I wanted to say from my heart. 

After a long while, he spoke, his voice still very low, “What if my persistence was not due to gratitude, not because I wanted to make amends?” 

I furrowed my brows, feeling bewildered, my mind unable to catch up for a moment, “Not because of these?” 

After a moment of contemplation, I fell silent. Although the Conner family had some wealth, it was just the tip of the iceberg compared to the assets of the Hinton family. He might not have been interested in the insignificant wealth of the Conner family. 

It wasn’t out of gratitude, nor was it to make up for his past debts to me, that he still clung to our relationship. The only thing that could be said, the only possible explanation, was that he liked me… 

Thinking of this, I looked up at him, my expression becoming serious, “Do you like me?” 

He looked at me, his thin lips tightly pressed together, not answering. Instead, after a moment, he abruptly changed the subject, “What kind of ‘ordinary friends’ are you referring to?” 

I was stunned, my mind struggling to keep up with his. After a few seconds of hesitation, I said, “It was just a normal greeting, getting to know each other, nothing more.” 

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He nodded, inexplicably falling silent. 

The waiter began to serve the dishes, all of which were my favorites. At this, I couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the person in front of me, unable to figure out his thoughts. 

A pair of chopsticks appeared in front of her, and the man said, “Let’s be friends from now on.” 

I took the chopsticks, feeling puzzled in my heart as well. 

After finishing the meal, he indeed didn’t say anything else, he just chatted with me about the project of the Conner Group, talked to me about the future development of the Conner Group, but he never mentioned anything about him and Ashley, or anything between him and me. 

After leaving the restaurant and parting ways with Walter, it was already two in the afternoon. My mother and Alexander had gone to Dracview, and there was no one at home. There was nothing for me to do if I went back, so I simply called Rachel. I had been busy these days and hadn’t had time to spend with her. 

The phone rang for quite a while before it was finally answered. A man’s deep, slightly familiar voice came from the other end, “Tabatha, it’s me.”