Chapter 508

"Yes," Claude admitted without hesitation, his gaze sharp with ambition. "I clawed my way up, step by step, putting every ounce of myself into the fight until that illegitimate child died. I wrestled with family storms to claim my place as heir of the Hobbes family. Only then did I feel I had both the right and the strength to face you. That's why I carefully staged our reunion."

At that instant, all the fragments fell into place,forming a truth Hannah wanted to deny yet could no longer ignore. A chill rippled down her spine, her heart tightening like a knot. "You went to such extremes because you harbor feelings for me?Feelings not of a brother, but of a man toward a woman?"

Claude's eyes locked on hers, carrying the weight of

emotions buried for years. With absolute certainty,he uttered each word like a stone dropping into still water, "Yes. I love you, Anna. It's long escalated from the kind of love a brother has for a sister."

The revelation struck Hannah like a blow. She recoiled, stumbling until her back met the photo wall.Several pictures fluttered down around her like fallen leaves. Her head shook in disbelief, her face a portrait of shock. "This is absurd, Claude. We are siblings. We grew up under the same roof. How could you..."

His gaze darkened, carrying a sorrow long bottled up. He stepped forward, pressing his truth. "We are not bound by blood. We share no lineage. Why should I be forbidden to love you? Hannah,why must my feelings be a crime?"

"But I have always seen you as my brother!" Hannah protested, trapped with no retreat. "That bond was forged long ago. How am I supposed to change my perspective on it now?"

"You can change it now!" Claude's voice rose, his emotions boiling over as he closed in, trying to engulf her in his presence. His eyes burned like firebrands."Forget the brother-sister bond! Look at me. I am a man-a man who loves you, a man who knows you better than anyone else, a man who can give you more support than anyone else!"

His breathing grew heavy, dragged down by memories that weighed like chains. "Do you know what went through me when I heard you were marrying Vincent? I wanted to crash the wedding right then and there. In fact, I did go. I slipped unnoticed among the guests."

He let out a bitter laugh at himself. "I saw you in your wedding dress, smiling at Vincent with a joy that pierced me like a dagger. I watched so long that the moment I thought was perfect to claim you slipped through my fingers. I could only stand there,helpless, as you became another man's bride."

He pressed on, his voice raw. "After you married,I fought to keep you from my thoughts, refusing to ask

about your life. I feared that hearing you were happy would tear me apart, and hearing you weren't would ruin me just the same. Yet, I couldn't stop myself!Anna, I couldn't stop! So I swore I would rise higher than anyone, become the best, and then come before you in honor, to take you back."

"Then you divorced..." His eyes lit up, joy bursting through. "You cannot imagine how that news thrilled me. At last, my chance had come! At the golf course,I rehearsed endlessly before the mirror-how-to greet you,how to smile, how to win your gaze once more...Anna, I like you. I have liked you for more than ten years, down to the marrow of my being."

His confession carried such weight that it pressed the air from Hannah's chest. She felt suffocated,gripped by terror and powerless against it.

Skirting past Claude, Hannah moved toward the screen, steadying her voice though it quivered beneath the surface. "Claude, I won't deny that you've helped me-both in the past and now-and for that, I am grateful. I can also understand the

bitterness of loving without return. But if it were just these photos, perhaps I wouldn't be so shaken. But how do you explain this surveillance footage? You even set it to loop! This is no longer affection-it's obsession. And to be frank, it frightens me."

Claude followed her gaze to the screen, his voice slipping into a murmur, half to her, half to himself."So,you discovered this too..."

Then, he began to move, each step weighted,closing in on Hannah. She found herself backed agáinst the screen, no way out.

Claude braced his arms against the table, caging her within his reach, his presence shutting out all escape.

"What are you planning to do?" Hannah's voice shook despite her effort, her hands curling into tight fists, her body tense like a soldier bracing against an unseen enemy.