Chapter 606

Hannah steadied her emotions, though her voice carried a faint edge of bitterness. "No. Because I can't have children anymore."

Vincent's brows drew together once more.

Hannah avoided his gaze, her tone flat and almost detached."Your mother never liked me. After we married, she secretly slipped infertility-inducing drugs into my meals over a long period. By the time I discovered it, the damage was done. Then came the miscarriage-the massive hemorrhage tore apart what little strength I had left. After that... I could never conceive again."

Vincent's hands tightened into fists without him realizing it. He had long been familiar with the games of power and manipulation in a family feud. It matched the picture he already carried of his mother's controlling nature. But hearing how it had played out directly against his ex-wife left him strangely unsettled.

Still,reason soon reined him in. The more he listened, the clearer it became-this marriage had been steeped in pain and regret from the beginning. Divorce, it seemed, had been not only inevitable but almost merciful.

Yet, one question gnawed at him, a riddle that refused to be solved. "Given all this-the hurt, the regret, even the cruelty from my mother-this marriage sounds barren of all worth.Then why, after the divorce, was I stillclinging to you? Why was I insistent on getting back together?"

He spoke with a certainty that bordered on coldness. "That doesn't align with how I handle things."

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For him, an end was final. He was not one to linger at a burned bridge, much less try to rebuild it. Especially not with a relationship that had already collapsed.

The question struck Hannah like a bell. She looked at the man before her. Perhaps the Vincent before his amnesia-the man who had once given so much for her-would have allowed her to answer without hesitation that it was love. But now, faced with this rational, distant man who had no memories of even the shadow of their shared past, her confidence crumbled. She was no longer sure.

Her head lowered, long lashes trembling as they cast shadows on her cheeks. Her voice softened, tinged with frustration."I don't know. Perhaps you should be the one to answer that."

The reply left Vincent unsatisfied, yet he could not refute it.He leaned back thoughtfully, falling silent once more.

The cabin seemed wrapped in stillness, both of them locked in their own troubled world.

Time slipped away until the plane began its descent, preparing to touch down at Dorbarrow's airport.

Out of nowhere, Vincent spoke. "Let's drop the idea of remarrying."

Hannah's head lifted instantly, eyes fixed on him.

He met her gaze squarely, without evasion, his tone sharp with reason. "Since I've lost all memory of the past eight years,every feeling, every tie to you and this marriage, has vanished.To me, it's a blank page. The divorce was final in law and fact.Let's make sure our relationship ends as clearly-without dragging chains of attachment behind us."

His words were calm, clear, and merciless-like a blade slicing away the last thread.

Hannah's heart felt caught in a vice, the pressure suffocating.Yet, she forced herself into composure, locking eyes with him.

"Are you certain?"

"Certain." Vincent's reply came without pause.

Her voice trembled, yet she pressed on. "And if I refuse?"

His gaze turned cold, an edge of warning gleaming in it."Hannah, clinging to a past that only bleeds you dry is pointless.Beyond humiliating yourself and wasting both our time, there's nothing there. Sometimes, the bravest choice is to just walk away."

The words pierced her heart like iron. She did not argue. She only looked at the face-so familiar, yet now unbearably distant. He was right. She knew it. But knowing the truth and accepting it were two different battles. They had fought through storms and confirmed their feelings for each other,finally on the verge of remarrying. Was everything to be denied just because of an accidental amnesia?

Her chest ached as she studied his unyielding expression. Yet,beneath the ache, a spark of stubborn resolve stirred. She could not let go-not yet. In silence, she made her decision.Half a month. She would give herself half a month. If after that time his heart was still closed, if his stance remained as cold and unshakable, then she would yield-she would vanish from his life forever.

The jet touched down smoothly, the cabin door swinging open.

Vincent rose first. Without a glance back, he strode out.

Hannah buried her sorrow deep, stood,and followed.

As Vincent descended the steps, Derek-who had received Nate's message and had been waiting anxiously on the tarmac -rushed forward. His face was grave as he dropped a bombshell. "Mr. Jones, thank heavens you're back. Any longer,

bombshell. "Mr. Jones, thank heavens you're back. Any longer,and the company would have nearly fallen into someone else's hands!"