The Transactional Marriage That Imploded novel Chapter 317

Bianca's admission of her past love made Mathis bold enough to finally ask the question that had tormented him for years.

She decided there was no point in hiding it anymore: "That date is my parents' wedding anniversary, which just happens to be Jax's birthday. I've only ever seen him as a brother.

I have barely any family left. I can count my living relatives on one hand. When he was in trouble back then, was I supposed to just stand by and watch him die?"

Mathis's brow furrowed, a crushing wave of regret washing over him. He had misunderstood her for years, wasting the best days of their lives.

Why did he cling so desperately to his ridiculous pride instead of just asking her directly?

He looked at her, his heart in his throat. "So you don't love me anymore?"

Bianca nodded. "No, I don't. After I decided to divorce you, I was heartbroken for a long time. But I had to force myself to be strong.

You flaunted your new love in front of me and tried to ruin my career. Nothing you did left any room for me to keep loving you.

I was pregnant with Aveline, and you were constantly showing off Cynthia. It disgusted me so much I was throwing up bile.

You stood by and watched your family and outsiders tear me apart, and you did absolutely nothing. That was the moment I realized I meant nothing to you.

I registered my patents using your name and birthday, and you framed me for plagiarism.

You are the one who personally drove me away."

Mathis had no defense for any of it. His chest tightened with a suffocating mix of emotions. Looking back, he really had brought all of this upon himself.

"Out of the ashes," Bianca continued smoothly, "I rebuilt myself inch by inch. I used my career to numb the pain.

I slowly found my footing again, and I promised myself that in this lifetime, I would never have anything to do with you again."

Mathis felt as if his soul was being ripped in half. His eyes grew bloodshot. In the end, it was his own blind stubbornness that had pushed her away forever.

The two of them stared at each other in total silence for a long time.

The room was so quiet they could hear each other breathe. They had truly loved each other once, but his blinding prejudice had left her with scars too deep to heal.

It had driven them down completely different paths.

It was only after she had left, amidst the endless, agonizing days of missing her, that he finally realized her love didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was keeping her by his side.

Mathis had been so utterly convinced that once he revealed the truth, she would forgive him. He thought that because she didn't love him, she wouldn't care too much about the horrible things he had done.

But she *had* loved him. So how could she possibly just let all of that go?

"Bianca, I..." He couldn't even formulate an excuse. He really had broken her beyond repair.

"Honestly, the only time we were genuinely happy was for about a month," Bianca said calmly. "I can let it go, so you should be able to move forward too.

I won't treat you like an enemy anymore, and you stop harassing me. Let's just live our separate lives."

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