Chapter 1417

Jeremy chased after her. He could already feel that Madeline was not in a great mood.

Looking back at those six months, it was not a memory he wanted to revisit.

Madeline sat on the beach by the hotel and took off her mask. She faced the night breeze head-on as she walked forward with no destination in mind.

“Linnie.”

Jeremy’s voice sounded from behind and Madeline’s footsteps slowly came to a halt.

She did not want to fight with him, but it would not change the fact that she was upset.

Jeremy strolled over to stand in front of Madeline. The sea breeze blew and ruffled her short hair.

Under the yellow street lamps, the melancholic look on Madeline’s small face was clear for Jeremy to see.

His sharp brows furrowed in apology as he opened his arms to pull Madeline into a tight embrace.

“It’s not what you think, Linnie.” He held her tightly, his slow and gentle voice sounding by her ear.

“We’re just friends.“

Madeline stared into the boundless sea quietly and parted her pink lips. “She could recognize you despite the mask you wore. She even called you Jeremy so intimately.”

“Linnie.” Jeremy loosened his grip to cup Madeline’s cheeks with both his hands. His lips were pulled into a small smile in an attempt to recover the atmosphere. “Is Linnie being jealous?”

Madeline remained silent and did not deny it.

Jeremy quirked a corner of his thin lips, and his attractive features were tinted with a few extra shades of glee.

“Linnie looks cute when she’s jealous. It makes me very happy.”

“But I’m not.“ Madeleine looked at the mirthful man seriously. “When you finally returned after disappearing for six months, I asked you before where you had been and what you did, Jeremy. Yet you refused to tell me, or you would just brush me off with a few simple sentences. I really want to know and it matters a lot to me.”

The smile on Jeremy‘s face vanished at Madeline’s words.

“We’ve been through so much, Jeremy. What more do we have to hide from each other? I love you and I care about everything that involves you. Even if these aren’t good things, I’m willing to listen and accept. As long as you’re alright and as long as we can be together, I’m willing to accept all of it.”

Jeremy’s brows furrowed with regret.

He wrapped his arms around Madeline’s shoulders again and pulled her into his chest. This time, he cherished her more and was more protective of her.

“I’ve made you sad again, Linnie.” Jeremy sighed and placed a peck on Madeline’s forehead. “You’re right, I’m running away from the half a year that I spent without you in my life. That was one of the lowest moments in my life, to the point that I would rather die than suffer the pain I went through.”

‘I would rather die than suffer the pain I went through.’

Madeline felt her heart tighten immediately at Jeremy’s description.

She pushed herself away from the man’s embrace lightly and lifted her beautiful eyes that were filled with heartache. “Can you tell me what happened, Jeremy?”

Jeremy knew that Madeline was concerned about him and her heart was aching as well. He did not plan for this woman to worry anymore about him.

He smiled and took Madeline’s hand as they walked along the beach.

“After I secretly saw you one last time that day, I decided that I had to leave. I thought that at least with me leaving, I would leave with you thinking I’m still alive. I would take that over me decaying and dying in front of you one day when the poison decides to attack.”

At that, Madeline’s footsteps came to a sudden halt.

Her chest felt like it had been stabbed by a sharp knife. Despite knowing that Jeremy was recovering, she could not ignore the ache that was slowly spreading from her heart to every part of her body at the thought of Jeremy’s mental and physical state back then.

Jeremy stopped walking as well. He could tell what Madeline was thinking from her expression, and he gave a reassuring smile as he comforted her. “As long as I can return to you, Linnie, enduring a worse pain would’ve been worth it.”