The previously cool room suddenly felt freezing, as if the temperature had dropped below zero.

Neither of them spoke, and the silence hung heavy in the air.

Both were lost in their thoughts.

Be still med herself for hurting Sean’s feelings.

Meanwhile, Sean felt like he had suddenly lost his ability to speak; his mind felt nk. It was as if a ck hole was sucking away everything he wanted to say.

Sean silently looked at the woman he loved with mixed emotions. He felt mad, but he didn’t know who to me.

Countless questions, now dancing in his mind, tortured him inside because not a single word would leave his lips. All those sentences only danced in his mind, making his head feel like it was about to crack.

How could the woman who was supposed to be his wife have now returned to her ex-husband?

How could that happen again?

Why did Tristan suddenly return to her after he abandoned her?

Is this all real, or is this just a dream?

He pinches his hand just to make sure he is not dreaming; however, the pain he feels shatters all of his hope.

Sean knew how Be felt about Tristan. She still harbored feelings for him even though she never said so, and her love for Tristan was deep.

He had tried to win her heart for many years but had never seeded.

Nevertheless, despite working hard to win her heart and getting rejected by her, he still tried because his love for her was also deep enough to make him willing to wait.

’Were her feelings for Tristan the same as my feelings for her? Would they never fade, would they never end?’ This question always appeared in Sean’s mind whenever he heard her rejection.

Countless times since he entered this room, Sean took another deep breath. His heart ached when he saw her lower her head, avoiding his gaze.

Instantly, Sean wanted to scold himself for allowing her to feel sad and lost like she did now.

Another few minutes passed, and they were both still lost in their thoughts.

Before long,

Finally, Sean found the question he needed to ask her.

After adjusting his nameless emotions, he asked, "Bells, can I ask you something?"

Be raised her head to meet Sean’s gaze. She was surprised to see him more calm now, different from before. He was no longer gloomy, and a warm smile shed in his eyes.

She nodded in response.

Sean wanted to ask her if she had returned to Tristan because she loved him, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

He took a deep breath before finally asking her, "Did you return to him because of Dax?"

"Yes, and you know my other reason, Sean," Be paused to fill her stuffy heart with fresh air before continuing. "No matter how hard I try to forget him, my heart and mind always return to him. Because I can’t lie to myself that when Tristan and I separated, a huge part of me still attached to him—" Her voice stopped as she felt suffocated.

Be couldn’t continue her words; she could only apologize to him when she saw his shaking eyes, which were enough to tell her he was sad.

Once more, silence hung in the air.

For some reason, Be wanted to escape the awkwardness between them. She longed to return to their old selves when she hadn’t given him a chance. She really missed those times when she felt like they were still friends.

Be thought Sean would no longer discuss this matter. However, she was wrong. His next question stunned her.

"Bells, you know Tristan never loved you, right? If you return to him, you will end up hurting yourself. You will never feel happy with him. Can you please try to forget about him and continue our n?"

Sean’s eyes flickered with intense emotion as he fixed his gaze on her before saying, "I could help you file for a divorce."

Sighing deeply, Be responded with a sorry tone, "Sean, I’m really sorry. I can’t do that. You know, I love him... In thest few months, he showed Dax and me that he also loves me. It’s Tristan who chased me back. Maybe the big chunk of me attached to him is something he only felt and realized when we were separated."

Sean gasped in surprise when he heard that. "He chased you back? And he said he loves you? Are you sure Tristan Sinir loves you?"

"Yes, I can feel Tristan loves me more than ever before," Be felt terrible telling him this. She knew she would hurt him even more if she continued her words.

Sean’s expression became even gloomier. He said nothing else, but his eyes were still fixed on her.

He opened his mouth a few times, wanting to express his thoughts, but he failed to utter anything.

Then, after another few minutes,

They were both still silent, and the room’s vibe was getting colder and somber.

"Sean... can we just return to our old selves? Can we be close friends like we used to in the past?"

He was taken aback by her words. Instead of rushing to answer, he stared at her with aplicated gaze before responding, "I’m sorry, I can’t, Bells... I just can’t—"

Be’s shoulders dropped upon hearing his words.

This is why Be never wanted to ept Sean’s feelings toward her. She always imagined she would lose him as a friend if this kind of situation happened.

And—

What she imagined in the past was now happening. This man no longer wanted to befriend her, which made her even sadder.

"Sean, I will respect your decision. However, I am still the same as before. You are my best friend, even if you hate me now and want to end our friendship."

Be felt her heartache upon hearing her own words. It really broke her heart; she wanted to cry but held back. She didn’t want her tears over the breakup of their friendship to be misinterpreted.

"Oh my God! I’m sorry if you think that, Bells. I never hate you! I will never be able to hate you. But, right now, I want to stay away from you. Because I’m afraid I will hurt you if I stay around you..."