My Bratty Wife
Chapter 115 - Hundred And Fifteen

Chapter 115: Chapter Hundred And Fifteen

Eleanor sat on the edge of her father’s study desk, Ryan towering over her, his mask lying on the desk, his hands gripping the edge. His gaze was intense, almost intimidating, but Eleanor met it with a steady smile.

"I’ve been writing to you for two years," she began, her voice calm and even. "But there’s been no response." She paused, her smile fading slightly. "Remember when I came back, I went to you and begged you to listen to what I had to say? I went in person to talk to you, you refused."

Ryan’s eyes narrowed but was still looking at her.

Eleanor’s gaze remained fixed on him. "Now you’ve taken my hand and brought me here. Now you’re looking at me."

His eyes shifted to the hookah lying on the table. "Since when did you start smoking?"

Eleanor shrugged. "I just take a drag occasionally to calm my nerves. I’ve been waiting for this day for so long. Every day has been torture, just waiting for you to say my name, to touch me, to love me like you used to."

"Is this what you’ve become?" Ryan asked, his voice filled with anger. "A drug-addicted, desperate woman who’s willing to do anything to get my attention?"

Eleanor smiled. "I just wanted you to know how much I missed you." She whispered.

"You missed me?" Ryan scoffed. "Two years, Eleanor. Two years! And you expect me to just forgive and forget?"

"I know," Eleanor said, her voice barely audible. "I’m so sorry."

Ryan’s expression darkened. "You were the one who cheated on me, betrayed me and now you say you miss me." He said, his voice cold. "I didn’t realize you are so shameless."

Eleanor admitted. " I can’t help it. I’m so desperate for you to love me again. I can’t give up on you. Yes I have no dignity. When it comes to you I can even become more shameless than I am now."

Ryan slammed his fist on the desk. "What are you playing at?"

Eleanor’s voice was steady as she continued, "I never betrayed you, Ryan. My family was in a dire financial situation. Father received a proposal from a duke who lived on the eastern side of the kingdom. I didn’t understand the details, but the duke wanted to marry me. If I hadn’t obeyed Father’s wishes, I would have been disowned, cast out. You know how stubborn he can be. I had no choice but to agree."

She sighed and continued. "It wasn’t simple for me . I had to leave to find a way to meet you again. I didn’t have any other options. I couldn’t just sit back and let fate decide our future."

Ryan’s anger flared. "So I wasn’t even an option? Was I that miserable to you? Was I that incompetent that you couldn’t rely on me?"

"How could I rely on you when you were like that then?" Eleanor replied, her voice filled with pain. "I didn’t want to be a burden to you, who was struggling with pain every day, carrying a guilt that haunted you for years."

Ryan’s anger subsided slightly. "We were together, Eleanor," he said, his voice softer. "We were courting. Even if I couldn’t stop the marriage directly, I would have given your family what they wanted, that would have changed your father’s decision."

" it wasn’t that simple."

"Was it money?" Ryan continued, his voice rising. "I have enough of it. Was it properties, lands, estates? What was it that I couldn’t give to keep you by my side? All I can hear from you is that I was weak and broken, that you didn’t trust me and you left."

Silence.

"More than my father that treated me like an heir instead of a son , more than my mother who died early living me in the hands of my strict father, you were the cruelest to hurt me. When I needed you the most, when I wanted you the most, when you were my safe haven, you abandoned me." He spoke with bitterness.

His head hung low in hurt. "Don’t you know how miserable it was? How painful it was? How much I hated it when I found out months later after you left that you were pregnant?"

Eleanor’s heart ached for him. She knew she made a terrible mistake. "I’m so sorry, Ryan," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I never meant to hurt you."

"But you did," Ryan replied, his voice filled with anger. "You tore my heart out and threw it away."

Eleanor tried to explain. "I was scared," she said. "I was scared of what would happen to me if I stayed."

"You should have trusted me," Ryan insisted. "I would have done anything for you."

Eleanor sighed. "I know," she replied. "But I was so afraid."

Ryan’s anger flared again. "Afraid?" he shouted. "You were afraid of our love? After everything we’ve been through?"

Eleanor looked down at her feet. She couldn’t meet his eyes.

"I’m sorry," she said again. "I’m so sorry."

His head hung low in hurt and sadness. Eleanor brought her hands to his face, caressing his cheek. She brought him closer to her face, her breath tickling his nose. "I still love you, Ryan," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Meanwhile Suzy stood outside, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon. A bitter smile played on her lips. "I didn’t want him to leave me behind," she whispered to herself. "I thought I was enough."

She shook her head still smiling. "It’s not surprising that Ryan cares more about his former lover, Eleanor, than he does about me. Maybe because they’ve known each other since they were children. Their bond is special, I suppose."

Suzy tried to convince herself that it didn’t matter. After all, she had always known that Ryan and Eleanor had a history. But as she started to walk back inside, the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "But he took her hand," she muttered, her voice filled with hurt. "He left me and took her hand, took her away with him. I feel so bad. I feel so mad."

She entered the ballroom, her gaze scanning the room. She spotted Davis. He approached her with a respectful bow. "Duchess, I was looking for you and His Grace," he said. "There’s an important letter that needs his immediate attention."

"An important letter?" Suzy asked, her brow furrowing.

"Yes, Your Grace," Davis replied.

"He seems to be quite busy," Suzy said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I’m done with what I came here for. Can you ready the carriage for me? I have other important things to do."

Davis nodded. "Of course, Your Grace."

As Suzy turned to leave, her thought held her back. "But he’s my husband," she muttered to herself. "Why should I leave him in the clutches of that woman?"

She turned to Davis, who was about to leave the room. "Davis," she stopped him, her voice firm. "I need you to go to the Montgomery study now. Go and bring me my husband."