Separate Weddings, Separate Lives novel Chapter 25

"Do you remember when Louisa first brought you home?" Jake asked beside Thaddeus.

Thaddeus didn't look up, so Jake continued, "Let me put it another way. You should at least remember the year, right? Do you know what Louisa went through that year?"

Thaddeus lifted his head at last, his face streaked with blood. His eyes were red, raw with fury. He didn't know and had never asked. Louisa never told him either.

Jake had known Thaddeus for many years, but this was the first time he had ever seen him in such a wrecked state. "Do you want to go to the hospital first?"

"What exactly happened?" Thaddeus' voice was hoarse.

Jake met Thaddeus' gaze for a few seconds before speaking. "You knew she was an Elite Games champion.

"What you did not know was that it was also the end of her athletic career. When you met her, she was at the darkest point of her life."

Jake's magnetic voice from years of hosting weddings carried an unexpected weight that struck hard.

Thaddeus' pupils contracted. He grabbed Jake by the collar. "Stop beating around the bush. Tell me exactly what happened."

Jake pushed his hand away. "Thaddeus, if you had truly loved her, I wouldn't need to tell you any of this. You should've known."

Did he not love her? Had he not been true to her?

"You have no right to judge me. What did she go through?" The image of Louisa staring at the screen, stunned when the Holten family revealed her Elite Games achievements, flashed through his mind.

He had thought she was simply attached to that honor. Now he realized her shock came from something he had never known.

Thaddeus recalled his encounter with Louisa and the details in the early days. She had been reckless, so reckless that he once thought she was not a good woman. Then he discovered she was a virgin and noticed she cried alone at night.

Yet he had never asked why. Feeling lonely, all he knew was that she was his lifeline back then.

"Thaddeus, you never truly put your heart into understanding her. So this ending was bound to happen," Jake said while glancing at his watch.

"It is almost 11:00 pm. Are you still getting married or not? If not, tell the guests to leave. They are all waiting."

Thaddeus looked up at the sky. It was a vivid blue. However, in his eyes, it had already turned gray. Maybe his life had turned gray as well.

"We will proceed. Since the Watson family wants this marriage, I'll grant them that." A cold, bloodthirsty glint flashed through his eyes.