Chapter 164 - Cant't Run From Past

One truth he had learned in life: You can't run away from the truth. No matter where you hide or take refuge in little or big lies, the truth will find you. It always does. There was no stopping it. Of course, he had not thought one day he would have to run from the biggest truth of his life but here he was… 

One might ask him what scared him the most? 

He had seen the worst this world had to offer. Kidnapped and taken from his home and family at a young age, imprisoned in a basement, and later saw his family growing from the sidelines. If it was not enough, he fell for two girls. Unknowingly both times, it was her-- Persephone Marino. But the sad truth-- was they could never belong to each other. 

And even if he had doubted this, all his doubts were now cleared. 

Her green eyes were gazing at him in utter loathe. And he didn't feel an ounce of hurt about it. He deserved it. If a woman gives you enough memories to spend the entire life thinking about and cherishing each fragment of them, you don't hurt her the most in the world. 

He learned now. All this mess. Her dishevelled state. The broken and fragile look in her eyes was caused by him. He broke this wonderful woman standing before. And heaven would never forgive him for this sin. 

This goddess was brought to this pathetic state by him. 

There was no redemption to this sin. 

At this moment, Emmanuel and Romeo quietly ushered out of the room. This moment belonged to Santiago and Persephone. They couldn't intrude now. And only Santiago could help her get back to normal. This Persephone was unbearable to watch. 

"Red…" A word escaped his mouth as blue eyes burned to apologize, regret and beg. But it was too late. There was no forgiveness she could grant him. 

After all, she was only a mere mortal, incapable of controlling her own life. 

"Don't…" She whispered while gazing at him. Those blue eyes once meant the whole world to him. She could just drown in them and never wish to come back. But now...all she felt was disgust. 

Taking several steps back, she uttered, this time in a loud voice," Don't you dare come near me…" 

No justification could solve this. This...whatever it was. He or she or anyone else would never be able to solve this. This was unsolvable. 

"Listen to me first," Santiago pleaded with her. He didn't want her to forgive him. But he wanted to explain because he knew his Red had a tendency of overthinking and over-complicating everything. And he could never let her do this to her. This was going to hurt her the most. 

"I said don't come near me, "Persephone shouted as she saw him taking steps towards her. " You have destroyed me, isn't it enough?"

Her callous words made him hesitate to take another step. 

Today, she was callous with her words. But eerily, they were soothing her charring soul. The soul he had burned with his cruelty, lies and secrets. 

"You remember everything?"Santiago questioned her. 

What a stupid question! 

Of course, she did. Or why else would… 

Persephone burst into self depreciating laughter. Look at him. Wasn't this bastard earlier saying to never meet? Why was he appearing as if he saw a ghost? 

He also said that she was overthinking everything. 

Hell, she was even jealous of herself. 

This man could never love anyone much less than him. 

"Even if I didn't, would you tell me the truth now?" She asked him once she stopped laughing. "No, you won't. You will manipulate the truth once again. Isn't that what you have been doing from the beginning?"

He played with her heart. She would never forgive him. All this while, she had been constraining her heart not to open up to him even when her heart was begging her to. It was on the verge of rebelling with her brain. 

He made her feel all those words emotions starting from the day she met him at the luncheon at Marino house to the day they shared that little intimate moment in the mall. She couldn't remember those moments without paining her heart. 

The baby jewellery he gifted her, she still stares at it before going to sleep. She still remembers all those moments that she shouldn't. 

Her baby's first gift was bought by him unknowingly. 

She was so damned. She couldn't even feel without hurting. Why? What did she do to deserve this all?!

"I never want to hurt you," Santiago told her. 

He swore to God-- he never meant to hurt her ever. 

"But you did," Persephone shouted at him. 

"I did," Santiago couldn't refuse this fact. 

"I hate you, "She told him while bitterness ran through her bloodstream, opposing all her said words. Angry tears were streaming down her cheeks and she had no means to stop them. 

And why should she? 

Does she have no right to cry now? 

She couldn't pretend to be strong when she was shattering right before his eyes. 

"I know," He accepted. 

"You don't, trust me," Persephone whispered. 

....

Author's Note: 

This chapter ended up becoming more depressed but we would never be able to feel what Persephone is feeling right now. Unknowingly, she felt too much for this husband for hers and it's breaking her heart that everything from the start had been a kind of lie. 

I know you might feel why the chapters are filled with so much misunderstanding. But I wanna ask you -- Is love that easy? 

Persephone and Santiago had always belonged to two separate worlds. It's not easy to build a bride to connect their worlds and just live their happily ever after. 

If acceptance and loving and to let loved was so easy, no one in this world would have suffered. 

Persephone and Santiago's love story is not just a Villain falling in love. It's the story of accepting who you are and still allowing to be loved, seeking redemption even when it is hard to, loving selflessly yet never asking anything in return and most of all passing every fire to get the love that belongs to you. 

Thank you!