Chapter 70: Chapter: 70 Marinate’s Heartbreak. [2]
Marinate’s eyes trembled as she looked at Vivian.
His gaze was calm, steady, too steady, as he said, "I know your feelings for me are genuine, but I can not return them."
The words hit her harder than she expected.
It felt like the air had grown heavy around her, pressing on her chest.
Her lips parted slightly, but no words came at first.
She looked lost, as if she had just heard something she was never meant to hear.
Her fingers curled tightly around her dress as her voice finally broke through the silence.
"Viv... we haven’t even spent much time together... we—" she stammered, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears.
"If you wait, we could manage," she said softly, her tone shaking. "Maybe you’ll see things differently... maybe you’ll feel something too."
Vivian didn’t move, didn’t speak for a long moment.
The wind brushed past them, carrying away the words she had fought so hard to say, leaving behind only the silence between them, deep and unyielding.
Vivian stayed silent for a while, his expression unreadable.
Then he slowly shook his head. "Look, Marinate," he began, his tone firm but not unkind, "it’s my fault. I should’ve said these things earlier. I should’ve told you that I can’t return the feelings you have for me."
A faint, bitter smile touched his lips.
If only he hadn’t been so naive back then, if only he had spoken honestly sooner, maybe she wouldn’t have had to go through this quiet heartbreak that now hung between them.
He drew a slow breath, pushing away the regret that threatened to cloud his mind. "I was foolish before," he continued quietly.
"Back then, I didn’t understand much about emotions or what they truly meant. But now... I do. And knowing that, I can’t keep pretending or delaying this any longer."
Marinate looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears.
The lively spark that always danced in her gaze was gone.
She tried to speak, to laugh it off like she often did, but the words wouldn’t come.
Her throat tightened, and all that escaped was a faint, trembling breath.
Still, Vivian’s voice remained calm, steady as stone. "You might think I’m being unreasonable," he said softly, "but my heart... it already belongs elsewhere. No matter how I try, I can’t see anyone else the way I see Charlotte."
The silence that followed was heavier than any shout.
It wasn’t anger or blame, it was the quiet end of something that never had the chance to begin.
Marinate didn’t believe his delay in saying those words would have changed the outcome.
But deep down she knew that if he had spoken earlier, she might have accepted it and walked away before her feelings took root.
But now, hearing it after everything, it was far too late for her heart to retreat.
When she had first approached him, it wasn’t because of affection.
It was because of revenge, revenge on Charlotte.
But somewhere along the way, things changed.
The more time she spent with him, the more she began to see a side of him she hadn’t expected.
His awkwardness, the way he tried to hide his fear behind forced confidence, his oddly gentle nature, it all drew her in without her realizing it.
He was free in spirit yet timid in heart, and that strange mix fascinated her.
She used to tease him for it, laugh at his reactions, but each laugh only pulled her deeper.
Before she knew it, the game she started had turned into something painfully real.
And now, hearing his calm rejection, it felt as if her whole world was collapsing around her.
Her chest tightened, and every breath hurt as though invisible needles were being driven into her heart.
The man she had once thought of as weak was now the one leaving her powerless.
She tried to speak, her voice trembling as tears began to fall before she even realized it.
"Viv..." she whispered, her throat tight, "you don’t need to look at me the way you look at... Charlotte..."
The moment the words left her mouth, it was as if they tore something inside her.
The ache in her chest deepened, spreading until it hurt to even breathe.
Still, she forced herself to go on, her words breaking between quiet sobs.
"Just... look at me once in a while," she managed to say, her voice almost pleading. "That’s all I’m asking..."
Her tears streamed freely now, tracing down her face as she struggled to hold herself together.
Each word came out weaker than the last, as though she was fighting a battle she already knew she couldn’t win.
Seeing her break down, Vivian let out a heavy sigh.
Guilt pressed on his chest like a weight he couldn’t shake off.
If only he had told her these words sooner, if only he hadn’t avoided it, perhaps things wouldn’t have reached this point.
At that moment, he felt as though he had committed a grave sin.
But even so, he couldn’t take back what he’d said.
He couldn’t give her false hope, not when he knew that accepting her feelings would only lead to pain later.
Steeling himself, he spoke in a quiet but steady tone.
"Marinate," he said, "I understand how you feel, I truly do... but it’s impossible."
Her tear-streaked face lifted sharply, her voice suddenly rising. "Why!?" she cried.
"You should’ve said this from the start! And what do you mean it’s impossible? Did I ever ask you to leave her?"
Her words came fast, trembling between anger and sorrow. "I always knew you wouldn’t look at me the way you do with Charlotte."
She continued, "I wouldn’t have minded that... but lately, something’s been happening that I can’t explain."
The feelings she had for him grew even stronger after that month, around the time those dreams began haunting her.
Every night it was the same.
She would lose something... or someone. And the pain that followed was unbearable, like a shadow swallowing her whole.
The grief was so heavy it felt endless, as if she spent a lifetime trapped in sorrow.
But every morning when she woke up, the dream would slip away from her mind.
She couldn’t recall who she lost or what happened, only the ache remained, lingering deep inside her chest, refusing to fade.
And strangely, around that same time, Vivian began to change.
The man who once spoke freely with her, who laughed awkwardly and fumbled over small things, suddenly became distant.
He avoided her eyes, avoided her presence.
Even when they met by chance, his gaze would pass over her like she wasn’t there.
Each time she saw him like that, the same grief from her dreams would return, sharp and unbearable.
It was as if her heart was remembering something her mind could not.
Days turned into weeks, and that unease kept growing.
She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t think.
The more he avoided her, the more desperate she became to understand why.
She had grown restless, day after day, those feelings refused to fade, clinging to her like an unseen weight.
That was why she had come here today.
She only wanted to understand, why he had started avoiding her, and why that strange grief kept returning every time she saw him.
But who could have known that instead of answers, she would be met with refusal?
That the words she hoped would ease her heart would instead tear it apart?
At that point, Marinate couldn’t take it anymore.
Her voice trembled, words breaking between sobs as she pleaded, "Please... Viv... if you need more time, then I can give you that..."
She paused, her breath shaky, searching for any sign of hope in his eyes. "Yes... even if you want, I can wait for you my whole life... even if it means you accept me only at the end of it... but please, just don’t avoid me."
Vivian’s heart twisted painfully at her words.
He looked at her, seeing not the proud, sharp-tongued woman he once knew, but someone fragile, broken.
A deep sigh escaped his lips as he lowered his gaze. "I’m sorry, Marinate, but—"
Slap!
The sound cracked through the silence.
His head turned slightly from the force, his cheek burning red.
He didn’t react, didn’t even flinch after that.
In truth, he knew he deserved it, maybe even worse.
A part of him wished she’d hit him again, shouted, anything that could make the guilt lighter.
But he also knew that saying anything now, giving even a hint of hope, would only make the wound deeper later.
So he stood there, silent.
Marinate’s hand trembled at her side as tears streamed down her face.
She looked shattered, like someone who had just lost everything that kept her standing.
"You’re heartless," she whispered, her voice breaking.
And before he could say a word, she turned away.
Her steps were uneven, her tears falling freely, leaving a faint trail behind as she walked out.
Vivian watched her go, each step echoing painfully in his chest.
He didn’t call after her.
He couldn’t.
Some things, once broken, couldn’t be fixed, not with words, not with time.