Mission: From Divorcee to Millionaire novel Chapter 517

She paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I don't really keep up with things back home."

"I came to pay my respects to my grandfather on behalf of someone else. The rest of it, well, that wasn't me speaking. My grandfather meant the world to me. Our issues never involved him, so how could I do something like that at his funeral?"

"Of course, saying this now might just sound like I'm making excuses. What's done is done, and the damage is there. But for those two things, I am ready to apologize."

Selena bit her lip gently, her dark eyes fixed on the man's cold face as she offered her sincere apology. "Everett, I'm sorry."

Sorry?

There was a time he had longed for those words from her. Or maybe it wasn't even the apology he wanted. An apology was just a reason, a pretext. What he truly craved was for her to reignite her love for him and come back to him.

But now, her apology was just that—a simple apology. It was offered only because she was weighing the situation, pushed by the circumstances.

That was never what he wanted!

Everett saw it clearly, yet he clung to that tiny glimmer of hope, his large hand gently brushing her cheek as he spoke again, his voice raw. "Selena, if you had known I was in a car accident and might die, would you have stayed?"

Selena suddenly fell silent. She could tell he was asking knowingly. After all, they had once been so intimately connected, both physically and emotionally.

The unspoken thoughts and tensions between them—how could they not be aware of them? Even though she knew what answer might placate him, might temporarily soothe his anger, or even let her leave, a lie can only last so long.

And she feared that even if she lied, Everett would insist on making it true in his way.

In his eyes, even a forced love could be sweet.

Selena closed her eyes as the sea breeze tousled her hair, revealing her smooth forehead, every expression on her face under Everett's intense gaze. If she could go back three years, knowing he was in an accident, she might have stayed by his side in the hospital, the gravity of the situation temporarily overshadowing their grievances, but not erasing them.

Once he was out of danger, she would still leave.