Chapter 928: Chapter 928 Learning to Refuse (18)_1

Howard Coleman held the water glass without taking a drink; he stared at Madeleine, sitting across from him, for quite some time before he finally spoke, “Madeleine, about last night…”

As she had anticipated, his reason for seeking her out was indeed regarding what transpired the previous night.

Although Madeleine didn’t know whether Howard was about to say “I’m sorry, last night was a mistake” or “I’ll take responsibility,” she knew that neither of these options was what she wanted.

She was no longer the brave Madeleine of the past, who could go to great lengths and scheme with all her might for love; the current her had been deeply scarred by that all-consuming, reckless love affair.

Now, all she had was timidity and sorrow.

She no longer had the courage or the audacity to let herself enter a loveless marriage simply because of his sense of responsibility.

Having learned from Anita Madris at noon that they were together, her world had already turned upside down; she certainly didn’t have the courage or the audacity to hear from him that he wanted her to forget last night’s mistake for the sake of Anita Madris.

So, regardless of what he was about to say, it would only bring her deeper and more cruel pain.

All of a sudden, Madeleine was somewhat afraid to hear what Howard was going to say next; looking at the man’s handsome face, her lips moved slightly. Just as he was about to continue speaking, she abruptly spoke out, calling “Howard,” interrupting the words that were about to leave his mouth.

Actually, upon waking up in the morning, Howard knew he was initially panicked and at a loss for their overnight entanglement, but after giving it some thought, he felt grateful for his impulsive behavior pushing him beyond the boundaries with Madeleine the night before.

Over the years, his heart had been conflicted; he truly loved her but did not have the face to ask her to start over with him.

Whenever he thought of the cruelty he had shown her before, he would feel somewhat ashamed.

In his heart, he had always felt that he no longer deserved to be with Madeleine.

However, the events of last night had given him a natural opportunity to open his heart to Madeleine; so, after pondering all day and her continual refusal to take his calls, he arrived early from the teahouse at her apartment and waited for her to return home.

During the time he waited for her to come back, his heart was constantly tense, just like it had been three and a half years ago when he bought a ring home and thought about how to ask her to properly be together and redo their loving marriage.

The only difference was that today, there was an added feeling, the fear of Madeleine rejecting being together with him.

When Howard heard Madeleine’s voice, his speech faltered briefly; looking at Madeleine, he opened his mouth, wanting to continue and say what was on his mind without hesitation.

Howard wanted to say, “About last night, I was impulsive, but Madeleine, I really like that impulsiveness…”

However, he had barely uttered “It was me” when Madeleine cut in ahead of him and said, “Howard, about everything that happened last night, don’t worry about it.”

Since she didn’t have the courage to listen to what he had to say, she might as well choose to speak first; at least this way, she could maintain the last bit of her dignity.

PS: Actually, it’s understandable why our Madeleine didn’t let Howard finish speaking–after all, having been so deeply hurt before, it’s normal not to have the courage now~ Thank you everyone for giving me a day off; today I am ready to work hard on the updates~