Divorced My Cheating Husband, Married A Billionaire novel Chapter 20

Riley was stunned by Adrian's reply. She asked, "What?"

"You see, two weeks after my surgery, my grandfather informed me of a package from Japan that had arrived in Halliport. I remembered you," Adrian recounted. His voice was calm, and he spoke unhurriedly. "So, when Brian called me next, I told him to give you one box of chocolate."

"I told him the truth, that I rescued you from drowning," Adrian revealed. "But I forbade Brian from telling you it was me. I wanted to tell you personally."

"However." Adrian sighed and explained, "Days later, I fully understood the gravity of my situation. I could no longer play basketball. I can't join marathons and that - that I might be stuck in a wheelchair all my life."

"I lost interest in everything, Riley. So, when Brian and I next talked to each other, I told him to stop giving you chocolates and never tell you how I saved you. I told him I did not know when I could return to Halliport," Adrian informed. "Perhaps his actions were meant to cover for me - I don't know, but it was wrong to make you believe he was the one who saved you."

"It was!" Riley echoed angrily. "You have no idea, Adrian."

Riley wanted to say that she had imagined who her savior was and how she had longed to meet him. Of course, Brian's claim made her admire him!

"I'm sorry. It was partly my fault, to begin with. I should have told you it was me." Adrian moved his wheelchair closer to Riley. He appealed, "Forgive me."

"I—" Riley was truly hurt learning of this, but she couldn't bring herself to be mad at Adrian. "I really wished you had told me."

"If I had known I would get injured, I would have just told you before I left for Sweden," Adrian pointed out.

"Brian and I lost touch. Back then, he suddenly stopped calling." Adrian frowned, narrating, "I tried calling Brian many times. All my calls went to voicemail, and all my messages were never seen."

"I wanted to know what went on at the university, with my friends, with everybody. Sure, my grandfather often visited me, but I wanted my friends too. Everyone stopped calling me. Their lives moved on while I was stuck in a foreign country to recuperate. Brian was the last person I thought would ever ditch me," Adrian described. "Because of what he did, I felt earnestly betrayed."

"Is that the reason why you were angry at Brian?" Riley asked. "Because he stopped being your friend?"

"Partly," Adrian replied.

"What?" Riley clarified. "There is more?"

"It's like I said, Riley. He betrayed me. I asked him a favor, but instead, he took something important from me," Adrian revealed.

"Took something from you?" Riley asked. "He couldn't just pay it back or return it?"

"What he took was something money can't buy," Adrian revealed. "Return? It's more complicated than that."

Riley was bemused. All the more, she was curious about Adrian and Brian's conflict. She wanted to pry further; however, Adrian looked at her and said, "Riley, our disagreement is between us, and I would rather move on from the past. But, for lying to you, I'll see that he gets punished."

"He should!" Riley exclaimed. "The fact that he lied to me and made me believe he was the one who saved me - it matters to me. I - I gave my heart to him because of that."

Adrian's body tensed, and Riley noticed it. He blinked a few times before asking, "Will you always fall for the person who saves you, Riley? Did that mean you would have fallen for me?"

"I - I." The question took her aback. Her heart fluttered as she stared at Adrian's serious expression. Silently, she asked herself, 'Would I have fallen for Adrian?'