Chapter 514

"Yes, I was nervous," Vincent confessed with rare embarrassment, his voice muffled as he turned his face aside."That was your first wedding. Were you not nervous yourself?"

"Of course, I was nervous," Hannah admitted at once, her mind drifting back to that day. "But I was more thrilled than flustered, because I was marrying the man I had loved for so long.And you? You looked as though you had been dragged to some dreadful duty. You didn't smile once. Your brow was furrowed from start to finish."

The memory was crystal clear in her mind. Their friends had teased that Vincent resembled a man marching toward a funeral rather than a wedding.

Vincent pressed his lips together with frustration and remarked in a low tone, "Alright, it seems there were

many misunderstandings between us."

"Indeed," Hannah answered softly, her sigh carried away by the sea breeze, tinged with wistful melancholy.

"It's alright," Vincent said with quiet earnestness,gazing into the vast horizon of the sea. "From this moment on, I'll speak my heart plainly. I'll tell you what I think and what I feel. No more silent guessing,no more misinterpretation."

The wind moved gently, and Hannah listened in silence.

They sat side by side on the sand, cherishing a rare pocket of peace.

Hannah rested her head lightly upon her knees and murmured, "Whenever I see the ocean, it feels like a breath of fresh air. The waves sweep away my restless thoughts, leaving my heart as calm as still water."

Vincent studied the serenity of her profile,recalling

the disarray of that drunken night. He turned toward her and asked quietly, "If the sea brings you calm,then why did you drink so heavily after running here due to our quarrel? Shouldn't the ocean alone be enough to lift your spirits?"

At his words, Hannah's arms instinctively tightened around her knees. She fell silent, her gaze distant, as though searching for forgotten feelings buried in time.

The wind tangled her hair, and her voice,thoúgh soft,struck Vincent's heart with piercing force. "Because watching the sea didn't help then. I couldn't find calm. I sat there, staring at the waves crashing endlessly, and one thought circled in my mind-should I give up on you? Only half a year into our marriage, and it felt as though all my expectations and hopes had crumbled. Everything was unlike what I had imagined. I wasn't happy at all."

She exhaled lightly, as if releasing a weight she had carried too long.

Vincent, however, felt frozen by her words. Just six months into marriage, she had already considered leaving him? She sat by the very sea he thought would heal her, and instead, she pondered ending everything.

A delayed shock gripped his chest, sharp pain spreading like a blade. His Adam's apple moved violently as he tried to speak, yet words lodged in his throat, leaving only a cold dread running down his spine.

At last, his voice emerged hoarse. "Back then, you already considered divorcing me?"

It hadn't been a rash outburst from their first quarrel.For Hannah, it had been a carefully weighed escape.

"Yes," Hannah admitted frankly, with no attempt to dodge. "More than once, I resolved to end it, feeling l couldn't hold on. But every time you apologized-even if it was just a half-hearted 'sorry' or a softened tone-I would foolishly hesitate again."

She turned her gaze toward Vincent and continued,"And then there were my parents. I had insisted on

marrying you and refused to yield even when things faltered. I couIdn't bear the thought of them seeing me divorced so soon after marriage. I didn't want them to think they had misjudged you, and I certainly didn't want to prove their concerns right. So l convinced myself, again and again, to endure a little longer."

Every word was like a needle, pricking Vincent's heart one after another. His throat tightened, a sour ache rising to the corners of his eyes. After a long silence, he managed to press out a heavy whisper. "I have failed you too deeply."

"Yes," Hannah replied, half in jest yet wholly honest."I foolishly endured you for far too long. Looking back, I should have been decisive, divorced you then and there. I wouldn't have wasted so many of my best years. I could have traveled, explored, and perhaps even lived more as myself."

Vincent's heart contracted tightly. "Yes, you're right,"he said, swallowing hard, his voice stripped of all pretense. "You're the most vibrant soul l've ever known, like a resilient plant thriving wherever it takes root."

And for the first time, Vincent had confessed, "All along, it wasn't you who needed me-it was I who needed you."

Hannah turned to him, her eyes wide with surprise.