CHAPTER 145: CHAPTER 145

Then a sigh escaped his lips, heavy and remorseful. "But now... now I see it. I see that in trying to protect you, I neglected you. I pushed you and our daughter to the side, and that... that was my greatest mistake."

His eyes locked onto hers, steady and unblinking. "I am very sorry. And I promise you, this is not just talk. This is a promise. None of this will happen again."

At this moment, Rebecca sat in silence for a long while, her eyes locked on Samuel, studying every movement of his face. Her fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of her wheelchair, a habit she had whenever she was weighing a difficult decision. Deep down, she knew the risk she was about to take because trusting Samuel again felt like standing on the edge of a cliff, unsure if the ground beneath her would hold or crumble.

Finally, she drew in a slow breath and spoke with a voice firm enough to leave no room for misunderstanding.

"Fine," she said, tilting her head slightly as if measuring her own words. "I’m willing to give you another chance, Samuel. But understand this, this is the last chance you will ever get from me. If you backstab me... if you betray me... if you neglect me and our daughter again, I will not take it lightly with you. I swear, Samuel, I will never forgive you."

Her tone was calm, but the sharpness in her eyes cut deeper than any shout could have.

Samuel, almost relieved to hear a glimmer of agreement, quickly leaned even more forward, his voice laced with urgency. "That... that is not going to happen. I promise you." He shook his head, as if trying to shake away the very possibility. "Because the moment you do that press conference, I’m already making plans to see your condition improve. There are new modified treatments that just came out advanced procedures to check and work on your spinal cord. I’m sure there’s hope, Rebecca."

His words came faster now, almost tumbling over each other as though he was afraid she might interrupt. "I don’t care how much it costs me. I really don’t. I’ll do it. I’ll make sure you can walk again... I’ll make sure you can get yourself back. I want you to be that strong, lovely, supportive wife you used to be for me. That’s what I want, and I will make sure it happens."

Rebecca didn’t respond immediately, and Samuel took that as a sign to keep pushing.

"My manager," he continued, "will set up the conference meeting, the official announcement, the publication everything. But neither of us will be there together. I don’t want the public thinking I had a hand in this, or that I pressured you. I want it to look like you made the decision entirely on your own. You’ll go, you’ll say what needs to be said... and once that’s done, I’ll take it from there."

His eyes softened, his voice lowering almost to a plea. "I’ll make sure you get what you want, Rebecca. Everything. You and our daughter."

Rebecca finally gave a slow nod, her expression unreadable. "No problem," she said quietly. "I’ll do just that."

At that moment, upon hearing what Rebecca just said her calm agreement to the very demands he had been pressing for, Samuel’s lips curved ever so slightly, though outwardly he kept his expression composed. Inside, however, his mind was alight with silent, mocking laughter.

What a fool, he thought. She actually fell for it again.

He could almost hear the echo of his own mental chuckle. Love had once again done its work, blinding her completely. She really believed that his words, his so-called promises, came from the heart. She truly thought that he, Samuel, the country’s number one top actor, adored by millions would stoop so low as to bind himself to a woman confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

"How is that even possible?" he scoffed inwardly. "That can never be possible."

Yes, she had been in an accident, but in his mind, it was her own doing. Not the way she was twisting the story, making it seem like it had happened because of him. No, he remembered it clearly. She had been speeding, careless, and reckless. That was the real cause. So why should he carry the weight of her choices? Why should he let her place the blame on his shoulders?

As he sat there, nodding faintly to keep up the act, his mind drifted to what truly mattered his reputation, his career, his fame. That was his lifeblood. Not these "useless shenanigans," as he called them in his mind. Not this sentimental burden she kept dragging to his feet.

And now, to his satisfaction, she had even accepted the idea that Cora was the one behind all of this. That alone made him grin on the inside, because it meant one thing he would be going back to Cora very soon. Oh yes, he would. That door was far from closed.

With that private resolve burning in his chest, Samuel turned to business. He spoke to his manager, his tone steady, professional nothing that might betray his inner thoughts.

"Get the press conference prepared," he instructed coolly. "Make sure everything is in place."

He leaned back slightly, adding another detail. "And arrange for someone to take my wife there. I don’t want anything to look as if I had a hand in it. It has to appear as though she stepped forward on her own to do the necessary, to debunk the whole situation."

His voice lowered, more deliberate now. "After the press conference, make sure you have someone ready on the ground. The person should be able to take her straight to me. I want her brought directly to my my house in the luxury estate. That’s where she and my daughter will be staying from now on, they deserve the best and I’m going to give them the best."