Chapter 141 - I Didn't Drop My Sword, I Wielded It.

"The Quentin I was talking about was my brother, Giovanni Quentin Kaiden Romanov. That's the man I abhor, but he's not in this world, Lu."

Lewis' brows furrowed as her remarks didn't make sense again. Just like usual mumblings which never sit on him to dwell about it for a long time. 

"Love, let's --" His hand reaching to her stopped midway as she took a step back. "Dev? Did I do something wrong, love?"

Devon shook her head. "You don't believe me?"

"No, it's not like that. It's just cold here and you've been here." He sighed deeply. "We can talk inside, alright? I will listen then."

"Have all the things I told you, the ghost, and everything... you never really believe them, did you?" Devon balled her hand into a fist.

"Dev, of course, I do."

"You don't. You treat them as a word of a child which shouldn't be taken seriously."

"Love, uh..." Lewis took a deep breath, exhaling it through his mouth before he slid his foot towards the door. It wouldn't close. Her brows furrowed, seeing him take off his sweater, revealing his white shirt underneath.

Lewis then went out, draping the swear around her, then tied the sleeve in front of her. "It's cold."

"You have to listen to me, Lu."

"I am listening." Lewis gazed down as his tone grew firm. "If you don't want to go in and talk right now, don't catch a cold."

"I'm not a child..."

"I'm doing this not because I think you are." He secured the sleeve, taking a step back as he looked at her deep in the eye. "I don't know what rattled your inner peace, but if staying here is what you want, at least, don't catch a cold. I'm worried."

Devon bit her lower lip, seeing the sincerity flickering across his eyes. She wanted a life, but she couldn't have it if she kept dragging her previous life with her. 

"I'm not... Devon, Lu." came out a muffled confession. "I'm not from this world. It may sound ridiculous, but that's the truth. I didn't lose my memory, it's just that those memories of this body aren't mine, to begin with. This life, this body, everything is all borrowed."

They both remained silent for a minute. She studied his expression and couldn't tell what he was thinking. 

"The ghost I was talking about... that's the real Devon." She gazed down, thinking that even Ghost Lin had been missing for quite some time now. "Do you believe it? I do not have a shred of evidence to prove my claims, and can be simply considered as a lie. Can you look at me in the eye and say you don't doubt it?"

Lewis pressed his lips into a thin line. She was never this aggressive before. His silence and lack of action made her nod, looking away.

"See? You can't," she muttered, letting out a weak exhale.

"I can." her brows furrowed at his response, shifting her eyes back to him. "Did you think I can't look at you in the eye and let you hear what you want? Dev, I can lie to you without batting an eye."

"Then why are you not doing it?"

"Because of the question. If you asked me if I believe you, I will definitely say I do. However, do I doubt it? I do... a bit." Lewis took a deep breath, planting his hand on her shoulder. "I needed time to think about it, Love. It's not easy. Can you give me some time?" 

Devon pursed her lips into a thin line."You dropped your sword for me and you are now faced with complicated problems as a result. You shouldn't do that for me."

"Why can't I?" 

"Because he is not..."

"Even if he is not the Quentin you feared, the way your body tremble isn't fake, Dev. If someone could make you tremble and be disabled to do anything but cry, my actions will be the same." Lewis asserted, squeezing her shoulder lightly. "I didn't drop my sword, I wielded it."

"Lu..."

"What's so wrong in wanting to protect the most precious person in my life? You can say whatever you like, but the memory of how you woke up that night because of fear, and that day you can't move a muscle because of the same thing, is already etched deep into my mind." Lewis took another breath as he let her shoulders go, taking a step back. "I may have doubts about your claim, but I never doubt what I had seen. If you ask me if I will break the negotiation if we can reverse the time, I will — over and over and over again, Dev. I will make the same decision as I did now."

"You know what? I don't think it's not just me who had doubts here," He continued, shoving his hand inside his pocket. "I think the person who had more doubts is you, Dev. And I'm angry and jealous and worried all at the same time."

Again, silence ensued between them as neither of them talked. Lewis closed his eyes momentarily, sighing heavily.

"I think you're correct." Devon pressed her lips together, sporting a forced smile on her face. "I'm the one who had doubts here. I'm still doubting whether we know each other or we just know and see what we want to see."

Devon cleared her throat before stepping forward, trudging inside while Lewis tilted his head back in distress. Arguing wasn't what he had expected tonight. He wanted to celebrate her accomplishment, but things just turned out to be like this. 

'How did she know about the feud between the Qin and the De Luca?' he wondered internally, staying outside while she went inside. Lewis pinched the bridge of his nose, taking his phone out, and just scrolled through his contacts.

Lewis must admit what he had done to De Luca was out of his character. However, he didn't regret it because it was for her. What he didn't understand was what had gotten her so mad? 

"She didn't have to say all that just to..." Lewis trailed off, biting his tongue as he realized he was unconsciously letting doubt manifest in him. "How foolish."

Lewis went to message Dion, saying:

[To: Insignificant One

How did she know and what does she know? ]

[From: Insignificant One]

Ge, I swear I said nothing about it! ]

[To: Insignificant One

That is not my question. ]

Lewis stared at Dion's name typing for a long time. When the message was sent, he read the summary of what happened, making him sigh.

[From: Insignificant One

Did you two fight? ]

He didn't reply anymore and shoved his phone inside his pocket. "So, she met the princess of the De Luca and bantered with Dion. I don't see any major problem why she got so angry."

Lewis idled outside, pacing back and forth, thinking of the logical reason for what made her so angry. He wanted to give her some space to think and cool her head. 

"Women are complicated," he whispered, sighing for the umpteenth time.

******

After her argument with Lewis, Devon headed straight to the shower. She hoped Ghost Lin would suddenly appear so she could talk to her, but nothing. Even after she had down showered and already on the bed, Ghost Lin didn't come — so was Lewis.

'I know he had done it for me, but...' Devon bit her lower lip, lying to her side. '... he could've asked me or let me know about it.'

Not that she was entitled to give Lewis permission, or he needed her permission. However, Devon didn't want Lewis doing such extreme means for her. Not to mention messing with people who had done nothing wrong aside from wearing the face of the people in her previous life. 

"How could I move forward?" she whispered, covering half of her face with the blanket. Punishing Quentin wouldn't help. What she needed wasn't that. 

Just then, Devon heard the door open. She instinctively closed her eyes, pretending she was sleeping until she felt his weight when the mattress moved.

"Dev," he called under his breath, moving closer to her. "I know you're not asleep yet. Can we talk and settle things?"

Her eyes slowly opened, suppressing herself from facing him. "Didn't you say you want time to absorb things?"

"I do, but I can't let this... us, sleeping with a heavy heart." Lewis let out a sigh, resting his forehead on her slim shoulder. "I'm scared."

It just felt like if they didn't settle this tonight, she would leave him. There was just this underlying fear that surged in his heart the moment he stepped into this room and laid his eyes on her back. She felt distant. That scared him.

Devon let out a sigh as she slowly turned around to face him. "Do you know why I'm angry?"

"No. You have to tell me, so I know."

"Because punishing Quentin by meddling with their business and hurting yourself at the same time will not help." Devon let out a sigh as she assisted herself to sit up. "That is not what I need, Lu."

"How about what I need?"

Devon's breath hitched as she bit her lower lip. She never thought about that question.

"You are correct when you say we only see what we want to see. I am not the kind, Dev. Some people consider me a nightmare, some even say meeting me was the worst thing that happened in their life." Lewis explained in a low tone, holding her hand lightly. 

"I did what I did because I need to protect those precious to me. It may not be right, but I don't regret doing so." He paused, squeezing her hand lightly. "However, if things like this don't help you, then I will try to rectify it.. I'm not perfect and we still have a long way, love. Can you forgive me?"