Chapter 13
Eric was stunned for a few seconds before snapping out of it. He asked Stella a question
instead.
“I can answer you, but before that, I have a question for you too. Why did you choose me to marry?”
It was Stella’s turn to think up an answer to a difficult question.
Fortunately, she was a smart woman, and she soon came up with a few reasons.
“I’m the only daughter of the Judds, and you’re the head of the Chiltons. A marriage alliance is about two strong parties joining forces. Besides, our age gap isn’t that big. We must have common interests to share and talk about. I don’t need to worry about how to get along with you after we get married. You’re an outstanding man, and it makes sense for me to try my luck with the best your family has to offer. I stood to gain a lot if you agreed to the marriage.”
Eric knew immediately that she was making it all up.
That was not how she really felt.
There were some things that he still had to get to the bottom of.
After she was done with that long explanation, he followed up with another question.
“So, I was your first choice, but you were willing to take a step back and choose Noel if I rejected you?”
There was silence in the car.
The mention of Noel reminded Stella about her horrible past life. The look in her eye changed.
Eric realized Stella did not want to talk about Noel. He was about to change the topic when she suddenly replied in a much grimmer tone.
“No.”
Stella replied with a simple word and raised her head to look straight at him. There was a determination in her eyes that he had never seen before.
“If you rejected me, I would not marry into the Chiltons. I would’ve done everything I could to stop this marriage alliance.”
For some reason, Eric was relieved to hear her answer.
He rubbed his fingers and asked two questions that were very important to him.
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“Isn’t Noel a good choice? Didn’t you use to like him a lot?”
His voice was soft and tinged with unfathomable emotions that were difficult to catch.
However, Stella caught it.
She knew why he was asking and was aware that her answer would decide the way they would interact with each other in the future.
Eric kept things to himself and was a proud man. He would never allow her to treat him as a substitute for a person she could not have.
The fact that he was able to keep his love for her a deep secret for decades in her past life, only for it to be discovered after his sudden death, meant that he had extraordinary self-
control.
If he found out she was reborn and only chose him because she did not want to repeat her mistake, he would continue hiding his feelings for her.
Stella did not want this.
That was why she chose to lie.
“I’ve always liked his face. I thought it wasn’t a bad choice to marry a handsome man for a marriage alliance, which was why I kept following him everywhere.
“You’re a powerful man. You should know that I’m not the one he likes. I don’t have the
resources you have and only found out about this recently. I’m the heiress of the Judds. How can I tolerate my husband being in love with another woman? That’s the reason why I decided to dump him without hesitation. You’re a million times better than him, and I don’t mind trying to live a life with you. The entire city of Jefferton knows that I will do anything to get my man.”
Stella sounded casual, but Eric could see the sadness hidden in her eyes.
Eric had been in the business world for years and had seen all kinds of people. He could see through them easily.
However, he could not bring himself to rebuke Stella despite her lying. All he wanted was to hold her in his arms.
That was exactly what he did.
They were now husband and wife, after all. Whatever was deemed inappropriate before was applicable now.
The woman in his arms began sobbing softly. His shirt stuck to his body because of the
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wetness of her tears. Eric’s heart began to hurt for her.
He patted her back gently and spoke in a voice softer and warmer than the sun during springtime in March.
“I appreciate your courage.”
It was a simple sentence, but it was enough to wipe away the scars and wounds that had been carved into Stella’s heart for years.
She no longer held back her pain, and it poured out through her tears.
After sobbing with all her heart, her makeup was ruined. The car had already been parked.
All that was left in the car was a pair of newlyweds holding on to each other.
After she was done crying, Stella suddenly felt embarrassed.
How could she cry like that in front of Eric?
What excuse should she give him?
While she was thinking about this, Eric suddenly spoke up.
“Aren’t you curious about why I agreed to marry you? It’s the same reason as yours. It’s about two strong parties joining forces. Also, you’re a good woman, and I’m getting older. It’s time for me to have a family.”
Stella knew immediately that he was just pacifying her with an answer.
He had refused to get married in her last life despite his family pushing him until he was thirty -five.
She could not help muttering moodily, “Liar.”
Eric looked surprised but nodded without denying it.
“Well, you lied to me too. I guess we’re even.”
