Blood And Promises Novel by Sabrina Hart Chapter 26

Blood And Promises Novel by Sabrina Hart Chapter 26

He was like a prisoner awaiting his final sentence, using all his strength to utter the plea he had rehearsed countless times in his heart.

Those eyes, once filled with pride and indifference, now held only humble, absolute supplication, staring unblinkingly, locking onto Samantha.

Samantha watched him quietly.

She looked at his pale face, his bloodshot eyes, and the regret and love in his gaze, so intense it nearly overflowed.

The hospital room was very quiet, with only the rhythmic ticking of the machines and Richard’s heavy, rapid breathing.

Time passed, second by second, and for Richard, every second felt as long as a century.

The light in his eyes, with Samantha’s prolonged silence, gradually dimmed, faded, and finally left only a heap of hopeless ashes.

Just as those ashes were about to cool completely, Samantha finally spoke.

Her voice was very calm, so calm it was without a ripple, like the water of a deep autumn pond.

“Richard,” she called his name softly, yet it struck Richard’s heart like a heavy hammer.

“I forgive you.”

Richard suddenly looked up, and an unbelievable, ecstatic light burst in his eyes!

That light was so bright, it seemed as if it could ignite the entire hospital room!

His lips trembled, wanting to say something, but he was so overwhelmed that no sound came out.

However, Samantha’s next words completely extinguished the faint flame of hope that had just risen in him, leaving not even a wisp of smoke.

“But I don’t love you anymore.”

The color drained from Richard’s face in an instant.

He stared at her blankly, as if he did not understand the meaning of her words.

Meeting his gaze, Samantha continued calmly, every word clear and merciless.

“You saved me, and you hurt me. Between us, everything is settled. I don’t hate you, but I can’t love you as I once did.”

“Those wounds are like the scars on my hand,” she raised her arm, where it had been burned by acid, leaving a patch of pale pink, uneven scars. Though treatment had faded them, they were still clear upon close inspection. “Maybe one day they’ll fade even more, but the marks will always be there. When I see them, I remember those things, remember that pain.”

“Richard, we can’t go back.”

The light in Richard’s eyes was completely extinguished.

It was a kind of utter, all-consuming desolation.

He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but only broken, gasping sounds came from his throat, like a fish thrown onto the shore, futilely opening and closing its gills.

At that moment, the door to the hospital room was gently knocked, then pushed open.

Humberto walked in.

He held a small, deep blue velvet box in his hand, walked to Samantha’s side, his gaze gentle and resolute as it rested on her face, completely ignoring the instantly stiff, glaring Richard on the hospital bed.

Then, under Richard’s nearly torn gaze, Humberto knelt slowly on one knee.

He opened the velvet box in his hand, revealing a diamond ring with a simple and elegant design. The diamond refracted a brilliant yet gentle light under the lamp.

“Sammy,” Humberto looked up at her, his voice steady, carrying unmistakable sincerity and solemnity. “I know this may not be the best time.”

“But I’ve waited for you for more than ten years, ever since you followed behind me as a child calling ‘Bert.’ I don’t want to wait any longer.”

“Would you be willing to give me a chance, to let me take care of you, accompany you, and walk with you for the rest of our lives?”

“I don’t ask you to love me right away, nor to forget the past. I only hope to have a rightful place by your side, to shield you from the wind and rain, so that from now on, you will only smile,

never cry”

His voice was not loud, yet it echoed clearly in the silent hospital room Every word struck Richard’s heart, and Samantha’s as well.

Samantha was stunned.

She looked at Humberto, at the undisguised affection and anticipation in his eyes, at the sparkling ring. Then she turned her head to look at Richard on the hospital bed.

Richard was also looking at her, his eyes so red they seemed to bleed, his lips trembling, but he could no longer utter a sound. His chest heaved violently, pulling at his wound, and a faint trace of blood seeped through the gauze.

In his gaze there was pain, supplication, despair, and a hint of near-mad, unyielding stubbornness.

On one side was her childhood sweetheart, gentle and tolerant, who had given her shelter and respect in her darkest moments-Humberto, representing a stable, peaceful, and hopeful future.

On the other side was the man who had loved and hated her, hurt her deeply, now lying on the hospital bed covered in wounds, using all his strength to repent and win her back-Richard, representing a past full of pain, cracks, and memories too bitter to recall.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The sunlight outside the window quietly shifted, falling on Samantha’s face. Her long eyelashes cast a small fan-shaped shadow beneath her eyes, hiding all her emotions.

A long time passed, or perhaps only a few seconds.

Under Richard’s nearly despairing gaze, Samantha slowly raised her left hand.

Then, she extended it toward Humberto.

Her fingers were slender and fair, trembling slightly, but the gesture she made was without a trace of hesitation.

“Alright.” She heard her own voice say, very softly, yet very clearly.