Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 957

For years, she had been thoroughly convinced that Bianca was his Old Flame.

Only now did it hit her that the woman holding his heart might have been someone else all along.

"It has everything to do with this," he said, his gaze fixed on her. "It's directly connected."

Since he had promised total honesty, he wasn't going to hold back anymore.

Ever since he found out she and Dylan had never actually dated, he had been desperately searching for the right moment to confess all of this to her.

And today, the perfect moment had finally presented itself.

"Everything tonight happened because of her. Twelve years ago, the only reason I crossed paths with Riley was because I had to save her from him."

Noreen lowered her head, the shadow of her bangs hiding the stormy emotions brewing in her eyes.

So, he had played the gallant knight rescuing the damsel in distress.

When she spoke, she hated how bitter and jealous she sounded. "If you were so obsessed with her, why didn't you end up with her?"

"Because I stupidly believed she was in love with someone else," Seth admitted, his voice dripping with profound regret.

It was a raw, agonizing remorse that seemed to seep from his very bones.

Because of that one colossal misunderstanding, they had lost an entire decade of their lives.

How could he not be consumed by regret?

For the past few days, one question had been relentlessly torturing his mind.

If that misunderstanding had never happened... would his and Noreen's lives have turned out completely different?

They would have.

He might have let go of all the hatred and vengeance. He might have actually lived the peaceful, quiet life Wade Harcourt had always wanted for him, right by Noreen's side.

Because truth be told, Noreen had made him reconsider his dark path more times than he could count.

Back then, Wade had deliberately used Noreen to try and force Seth into letting go of his vendetta.

Like trying to set her up with other wealthy heirs.

And viciously forcing Seth to be the one to screen the candidates for her.

Seeing the dead-serious devotion in his eyes, she blinked in utter disbelief. "It was actually me?"

"Do you really have so little faith in yourself?" Seth laughed. Seeing her so adorably bewildered tugged violently at his heartstrings.

It was an unbearable, intoxicating pull.

"But you said she was a minor when you first met," Noreen argued, her mind racing. "When we first met, I was already legally an adult."

"That's how you remember it," Seth murmured, his voice thick with a dark, heavy emotion. "What you think was our first meeting wasn't actually the first time our paths crossed."

Noreen racked her brain, desperately trying to pull up any suppressed memories, but drew a complete blank.

As far as she knew, they had first met in the hospital hallway.

He had descended into her crumbling world like a saving angel.

He had told her that he was a perfect match for her mother's bone marrow transplant.

And that he was willing to donate completely free of charge.

Before he showed up, Noreen had stood stubbornly in the pouring rain outside the Gilmore family mansion all night, pathetically begging her relatives to at least get tested.