Reborn, I Refused the Man I Once Forced to Marry Chapter 14

Early the next morning, the news reported that Margaret had regained consciousness, so I hurried over to visit her.

Margaret didn’t blame me. In fact, she was worried that the rumors might hurt my reputation and wanted to help clear my name.

I asked in confusion, “We aren’t particularly close. Why would you want to help me?”

Margaret looked at me, hesitating.

“It has something to do with your mother. Would you like to hear about it?”

I stood there motionless, my mind going completely blank.

After a long moment, I mechanically nodded.

“Your mother didn’t die of a serious illness. She died for my daughter.”

I froze.

“Amelia? But wasn’t she dead already?”

“When Amelia was sixteen, she married into a prestigious family. At eighteen, news broke that she’d died in a fire in her bedroom. That’s the version everyone outside the family knows.”

Margaret lowered her voice.

“After she married into that family, her husband’s relatives treated her terribly. They allowed a favored maid in their household to take advantage of her, cover up the truth, and ultimately caused her to lose a child.”

“I could only see her once a year. Every time I saw her, she’d grown thinner. It broke my heart. I once begged William to let our daughter stay with us, but he told me to consider the bigger picture.”

Margaret’s voice trembled as she recalled those painful memories.

“I didn’t care about the bigger picture. I just wanted my daughter back.”

“When I was at my most desperate, your mother came to me and helped me come up with a plan.”

“We announced that Amelia had contracted an infectious disease and forbade anyone from approaching her. Then we staged a fire at the residence where she lived and found a body with a similar build to take her place.”

I’d already guessed the ending.

“The person buried in the family cemetery… was actually my mother?”

Margaret nodded.

“Your mother said she was dying anyway. Being buried in the family cemetery was an honor in its own way. All she worried about was that her daughter would grow up without a mother. She asked me to take extra care of you from then on.”

No wonder my father and stepmother had always treated me coldly but had never truly mistreated me.

How ridiculous.

She was the reason I’d grown into such an obsessive, twisted person.

And she was also the reason I’d been able to grow up safely.

I returned home and entered the family chapel.

My mother’s photograph sat at the very center of her memorial. Candles flickered all around it, like countless gloomy eyes watching me.

I walked forward and took the photograph down.

There were so many things I wanted to say.

Angry things. Cruel things. Words filled with hurt.

Why?

Why had she treated me this way?

She’d made me love her until it hurt, then hate her until I felt guilty.

It felt as though something had lodged itself in my chest. I couldn’t cry or speak. All I could do was struggle to breathe.

Suddenly, the chapel doors swung open.

Sebastian hurried inside, breathing unevenly. He pulled me into his arms and held me tightly.

“What’s wrong? Whenever you’re hurt, you hide away instead of telling me about it?”

He gently stroked my cheek and sighed.

“Evelyn, don’t hold it in. Let yourself cry, okay?”

I clenched my teeth and remained silent, my entire body trembling.

He didn’t say another word. He simply held my hand and stayed beside me.

After a long while, I finally calmed down and spoke softly.

“Sebastian, I’m really not a good woman.”

“You know that, right? I used to chase after Alexander, and just a few months ago, I got involved in that mess with Adrian.”

“I know.”

“So you shouldn’t marry me.”

“Are you trying to push me away?”

Sebastian gently squeezed my hand.

“But I can’t bear to leave you alone.”

I suddenly burst into tears.

“Then what am I supposed to do? I’m afraid you’ll end up hating me like everyone else, and I’ll be alone again.”

Sebastian wiped away my tears and answered seriously.

“Other people aren’t Sebastian.”

“Sebastian is pretty pitiful, too. He’s spent years waiting for a little girl, watching her fall in love with someone else, all while hoping she’d eventually turn around and look at him.”

“So please, stop pushing me away. All right?”

I cried as I spoke.

“But what is there about me that makes you love me this much?”

“There’s nothing good about me. I’ve only ever known how to live the way my mother taught me. I don’t even know what foods I actually like.”

“Then I’ll help you find out. Life is long. We’ll have plenty of time to discover what you love.”

Sebastian cupped my face and spoke softly.

“Evelyn, I want you to look up at the moon every night. I want you to see the changing seasons, the falling leaves, the flowers in bloom, the rain in the South, and the snow in the North.”

“Then you’ll understand how vast the world really is. Love, hatred, and all those tangled emotions are only a small part of your life.”