Chapter 1741 Making Amends
“Linda…” Upon entering the room, Mark—unable to endure it any longer—collapsed onto the ground with a thud.
The sound jolted Linda back to her senses. With no time to wear her slippers, she dashed out of the bathroom. When she saw Mark lying on the ground holding his leg, she felt as if someone had stabbed her in her heart.
At the same time, it cemented her resolve to break up. “I’ll call for an ambulance so that you’ll be taken to the hospital.” Suppressing her urge to go to his side, she picked up the phone by the bed and made the call.
Mark didn’t stop Linda, for he knew that only by recovering could he become stronger.
“Linda—”
“Mark, let’s break up. We really are incompatible with each other,” Linda interrupted him as she came up to his side after putting on her clothes. “I’m sure you know I got together with you because the Duke kicked me out. Back then, I assumed he had abandoned me, but little did I expect that wasn’t the case at all. Mark, I loved the Duke for five years. During those five years, incidents like what happened in the bathroom happened plenty of times.” While Linda was speaking, she swept her hair to the side before looking out the window. “You’re just a tool to keep me company while I’m lonely. The Duke is the man I truly love.”
“I know. I agree to the breakup.” Mark looked at her. “Can I kiss you one last time? From today onward, we will go our separate ways and I’ll definitely—”
Before he could say “not bother you anymore,” Linda wrapped her hands around his neck and sealed his lips with a kiss. In response, he held her tightly in his embrace and kissed her passionately, as if he was condensing the kisses for the rest of eternity into a single moment.
It wasn’t until the paramedics knocked on the door that Mark finally let her go. Staring at her swollen lips, he declared in a raspy voice, “From now on, we are strangers to each other.”
No sooner had Mark spoken than he got to his feet and limped out the door. Before closing the door behind him, he gave Linda one last reluctant look.
Back inside the room, Linda leaned against the door and covered her face, sobbing.
She had thought that her feelings for the Duke were love. However, she now realized that Mark was the one she truly desired and he, too, loved her back.
Outside, Mark walked out of the shadows and re-approached the door. Despite hearing the sobs from inside, he suppressed the urge to go back in and turned to leave instead.
“Linda, I’ll make sure that you are by my side for eternity,” Mark murmured under his breath before the paramedics carried him downstairs.
That night, someone was fated to be sleepless.
The next day, the Duke ordered Linda to move to his place. With regard to the women whom he had slept with before, he wouldn’t allow any other man to touch them even if they had fallen out of favor with him.
If they were in Lightspring, she would have been elated by his invitation to move into his house. However, after tasting what true love was, she had no desire to stay there, and all she could think of was being together with her one true love.
Unfortunately, she knew that it was nothing but wishful thinking.
One week later, Mark was discharged from the hospital. The first thing he did was to see the Duke. Upon learning of Mark’s arrival, the Duke called Linda out and held her in his embrace in front of Mark.
“What do you want?” the Duke asked flatly while lying on the couch with Linda by his side.
Desperately restraining his urge to look at Linda and to avoid the gut-wrenching scene, Mark lowered his head and apologized, “I admit my mistake. I shouldn’t have coveted Linda and am willing to make amends.”
Having heard his words, the Duke looked up at Mark.
If he hadn’t laid a finger on Linda, I would definitely have put him to good use, taking his abilities into consideration. Nonetheless, now that he has apologized and is willing to redeem himself, I’ll give him this opportunity.
“You should go here…”
Before he left, Mark gave the Duke an intense look before turning to leave.
