Emmelineâs eyes welled up with tears as soon as she heard what Abel said. âThatâs what I said. If I hadnât resorted to these tricks, I wouldnât be able to get close to youâ¦â she said dejectedly.
âItâs such a pity thoughâ¦â Abel said as he pinched her dainty chin lightly. ââ¦that I still donât want to see you even when you resort to such tricks.â
âBut you met Emmett, and you liked him!â Emmeline argued. âSo, my plan worked!â
âYou wouldâve had to come clean sooner or later,â Abelâs voice was cold and distant. âYouâre a despicable conman!â
âAbel⦠how could you say that about me?â Emmeline cried. âDo you really not love me anymore?â
âDid I ever love you?â Abel narrowed his eyes on her. âWhy donât I remember it then?â
âThatâs because Waylon forced you to take Worryfree!â Emmeline said. âYou were forced to erase your feelings for me.â
âWhat did you say?â Abel raised an eyebrow. âWorry what? Sounds like something Benjamin had mentioned to me before.â
âDo you remember when you went to Adelmar Island to look for me?â Emmeline wiped at her tears as she recalled those memories.
âOf course, I do. I didnât lose my memories,â Abel said flatly.
âWhen I was on the brink of death, how did you feel? Were you worried for me?â Emmeline prodded.
âHmm,â Abel nodded slowly. âYes, I was. I didnât want you to die since you werenât a bad person.â
âYou kept waiting on me despite being sick yourself and refused treatment from Waylon, correct?â
Emmeline continued.
âHmm, thatâs right,â Abel said after recalling that moment. âMy stomach was bleeding out and my life was in danger too, but I was indeed extremely worried about you back then.â
âYou were in that state, but you still insisted on being with me. Isnât that proof that you love me?â
Emmeline asserted.
Abel was silent for a moment as he regarded Emmelineâs words before he shook his head. âBut I donât have any romantic feelings toward you at allâ¦â
âThen let me ask youâ¦â Emmelineâs eyes were dark and intense as she stared at Abel. âWhy did you eventually decide to receive treatment?â
âI⦠I donât know,â Abel admitted.
âAnd once you finally received treatment and got better, you just packed up your bags and left the island without checking on me,â Emmeline recounted.
âYes, I just⦠didnât feel any urge or longing to look for you or check on you anymore, so I decided to leave,â Abel said honestly.
âWell, donât you think your actions are in total conflict before and after you received treatment? You were initially so worried about me, but you seemed to have completely forgotten about me afterwardâ¦â
Emmeline tried to point out the inconsistencies in Abelâs attitude.
âHow should I know? Perhaps I just managed to let goâ¦â Abel supposed.
âNo, people donât just âlet goâ all of a sudden!â Emmeline grew frustrated. âItâs because Waylon gave you Worryfree to erase all your feelings toward me. Thatâs the only reason why you finally accepted treatment and why we ended up like this. You didnât intend to forget about me, Abel. Itâs the effects of Worryfree, do you understand?â
âWho are you trying to bluff?â Abel snapped. âYouâre saying thereâs such a thing as a potion to forget about love?â
âIt doesnât matter whether you believe me or not. Worryfree was invented by Waylon, and you were the first human test subject, while I became the first victim of the drug!â Emmeline cried in despair.
Abel took two wary footsteps backward. âEmmeline, youâve always been a little strange, but this canât be true. Thereâs just no such thing on earth!â
âFine, even if itâs not true and Iâm lying to youâ¦â tears streamed down Emmelineâs face as she spoke.
âIâm just praying that youâll fall in love with me again. I just want to go back to those days when we were madly in love with each other, Abelâ¦â she weeped.
âThatâs impossible,â Abelâs voice was flat and unemotional. âIâd sooner fall in love with a pig than with you!â
âAbel Ryker!â Emmeline stomped her foot on the ground as hot tears gushed down her face non-stop.
âAre you saying Iâm no better than a pig?â
âIâm just saying, a pig wouldnât lie to me or deceive me like you did. I treated you sincerely and kindly for the past few days, but all you did was take me for a fool!â Abel barked.
âDarling, please forgive me. I told you I had no choiceâ¦â Emmeline pleaded.
âDonât call me darling. Youâll only make me feel uncomfortable!â Abel frowned.