Chapter 89: What Happened One Night VII (part 2)

‘Now, it hurts—knowing that you would never treat me the way you used to.’

Looking at him, knowing he would never look back at her again, and finding herself in a position where she had no choice but to beg for his love—love that might never be returned—was unbearable.

‘You once looked at me with the same feelings I have now.  

How on earth did you endure it?  

My heart aches like it’s breaking. It hurts so much I can barely breathe.

How could you have carried this pain for so many years?

…Why didn’t I see your feelings?  

Why did I turn away from your heart?  

Why didn’t I ever once consider your emotions properly?

Without realizing it, I laughed, I cooked, and I went on with life as if everything was fine. I even convinced myself that you were okay.  

What a horrible woman I must have been—to trample on someone’s heart so carelessly.

…Yes. If that’s the case, is it not only natural that I’m hurting now?’

Strangely, the thought that she might be receiving punishment made Sarah’s heart settle. 

‘Yes… after hurting you for so many years, perhaps it’s only fair that I feel this much pain in return.’

Unrequited love was such a sad, bitter thing…

Kurrrruuung—  

Dark clouds gathered in the sky.

Shua—  

Soon, rain came pouring down. Perhaps it was just a passing shower.

“……”

Sarah had no umbrella. 

She didn’t even know where she was anymore, and it wasn’t like she had the presence of mind to bring one in the first place.

The raindrops fell onto her body. In an instant, she was drenched, yet she continued to stare blankly at the ground, as if none of it mattered.

It was cold. 

Her fragile body trembled from the chill of the rain, but she didn’t move. She didn’t want to run away anymore—not from this place, not from her feelings, not from anything.

Sarah softly closed her eyes.  

If only she could disappear here.  

If that could end the pain, how wonderful it would be.

“…Ah.”

But then she realized something—the rain had stopped.

Shua—

No. It hadn’t stopped. 

The rain still poured down all around her. But something had changed.

“Sarah.”

Someone was holding an umbrella above her, shielding her from the rain.

“…Young Lord Cain?”

Sarah looked up at him, stunned.  

Why was he here?

He had been with Lady Decaraznan just moments ago—strolling through the garden, enjoying time together. He should have been with her.

Why…?

“I’ve been looking everywhere. It’s raining this hard—why on earth are you out here without an umbrella?”

Why did he come looking for her?

“…Why?”  

After much hesitation, that was all she could say.

“Why?”

Cain answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Because I was worried. It’s pouring outside—how could I stay put after hearing you’d suddenly disappeared?”

His reason was so simple. He had come because he was worried about her.  

And yet, that simple reason made her heart swell painfully.

“…Ah.”

Would this aching heart ever find peace?

Only then did Sarah Cernard finally understand.  

No matter how much she tried to deny it, she couldn’t hate him. No matter how miserable she became, no matter how deeply she regretted everything, she couldn’t cast him aside.

Her emotions weren’t guided by logic—they were led purely by her heart.  

And at the end of those feelings stood one person: Cain.

Because of him, she was in pain.  

Because of him, she had become so small and pitiful.

Yet even now—she still loved him.

If that’s how it was, then she had to endure it.  

She had to forgive him.  

Even if he hurt her like this, she would still love him.

Until the day he turned around and forgave her, she would wait.  

Even if she grew old and gray, even if she was never forgiven until her dying breath…

She would keep waiting, until her sins were redeemed.

“…Ah.”

Suddenly, the rain stopped.  

It seemed it really had been just a passing shower.

She looked up at the sky.

It was the same sky—but now, it looked completely different.  

Bright and blue, high and vast.

It was beautiful.

Sarah Cernard would never forget this moment.  

She would never forget how this sky looked—so clear, so breathtaking.

She had believed in herself until now, and she would continue to do so. Her feelings for him, however painful, were real. They would live on in her heart as an unforgettable memory.

And in that, there was a small comfort for a woman named Sarah Cernard.

“…Thank you.”

The clouds parted, and the sunlight broke through.  

Unlike before, her faint smile as she looked at him resembled that of a young girl—innocent and full of hope.