Chapter 20
Cassian turned his face to the side, eyes filled with shock and hurt. “Hon… Naomi, what will it take for you to forgive me?”
“I’ll never forgive you. From the moment you decided to wait for Rayna to grow up so you could marry her, our ending was already set.”
“She’s lost her mind! As long as you come back, I’ll make sure she’s dead. Then, we’ll go get our marriage certificate. I was wrong. I really can’t live without you,” Cassian blurted out in desperation.
A flicker of expression finally crossed Naomi’s face. She frowned and looked at him with disgust. “Cassian, stop. You’re making me sick.”
Cassian stumbled back, feeling as if a giant hand was squeezing his heart so tightly he couldn’t breathe. The woman he loved had called him disgusting.
Tears spilled uncontrollably down his face. Through the blur, he looked at Naomi and opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
At that moment, Roy walked in. He glanced at Cassian and approached Naomi.
“Naomi, Mabel asked you to come back for dinner,” he said, naturally taking her hand in his. Naomi didn’t pull away. She followed him out without ever looking back at Cassian.
Cassian snapped out of it and rushed after them. His leg still hadn’t fully healed, and every step on the uneven gravel path sent a sharp, searing pain through him. Before long, he was drenched in sweat from the agony.
“Naomi, just give me one more chance. I’ll love you right this time. I’m begging you.” Cassian caught up and stepped in front of her.
Naomi frowned deeply and replied impatiently, “Keep your pathetic love to yourself. I’ve stopped loving you a long time ago.”
“Is it because of him? Roy, you shameless bastard! You seduced my wife!” Cassian turned his
fury on Roy, shouting angrily.
“The shameless one is you! This is between us. Why are you dragging someone else into it? People like you never reflect on the problem. Don’t make me regret ever loving you.”
With that, Naomi pulled Roy inside and shut the door behind them.
Cassian tried to follow them inside, but Mabel drove him out with a broom. “You’re not welcome here. Leave, now!”
Word of Cassian pestering Naomi spread quickly through the village. Soon, the villagers formed a volunteer patrol and forced him down the mountain.
But Cassian refused to leave. He kept trying to push his way back into the village, only to be shoved to the ground again and again, ending up bruised and battered.
While he was still struggling with the villagers, Naomi and Roy had already taken a quiet path down the mountain and left the village behind.
Mabel was sad to part with Naomi. She packed a bag full of local specialties and urged her to come back and visit often.
“Don’t worry, Mabel. I’ll come back. Take good care of yourself.”
“You too, sweetheart. Take care of yourself,” Mabel said, wiping away tears as she waved at
Naomi.
Naomi turned away with tears in her eyes. After walking a few steps, she couldn’t hold them back anymore.
“Don’t cry. You can come back anytime you want,” Roy said, handing her a tissue and casually taking her bag to carry it himself.
Naomi grunted in response and kept walking forward.
In these vast mountains, there were many villages just like this one. Naomi couldn’t visit them all one by one, so after discussing with Roy, she decided to start a company.
They would partner with the relevant departments to improve living conditions in ways
tailored to each area.
Meanwhile, Cassian was still barred from entering the village. Ultimately, he lost his patience. He had Daniel call in security and forced his way in with bodyguards.
But after turning the entire village upside down, he found no sign of Naomi or Roy. A surge of frustration and fury rose within him. Without a word, he left with the bodyguards and
resumed his search for Naomi.
He saw Naomi again in Brookmere on the day her company was officially launched.
