The Divorced Heiress’s Revenge (Anna and Justin) novel Chapter 1702

As Axel spoke, his strong, slender arms wrapped tightly around Roza's waist, tightening as if he were afraid she might escape again.

Roza felt a tingling warmth spreading through her body. Her voice was soft and playful, sounding both like a complaint and a tease. “So you realize that you act like a thief, huh? At least you have some self-awareness.”

“My darling Roza,” Axel called her again, almost addicted to the name, causing her pale face to blush faintly. “Actually, you are also a thief... A thief who stole my heart.”

Roza was speechless.

She recalled her mentor mentioning her family sometimes. The mentor had said she had another brother who, despite being exceptionally good-looking, engaged in highly improper behaviors that made people feel uncomfortable.

Now it seemed Bella wasn’t lying at all.

Seeing her silence, Axel grew anxious and turned her around to face him.

“Are you still mad at me?”

“Axel Thompson.”

Roza suddenly called him by his full name, making him even more anxious. “I am the illegitimate daughter of the Walker family. My status is not respectable, and the Walker family constantly causes me trouble, never giving me peace. Someone like me is not worthy of you. Being with me means a future filled with endless turmoil.”

As she spoke, her heart ached again, as if she were cutting away a piece of her own flesh. “You deserve someone better.”

"Maybe, for various reasons, out of pity, you feel protective of me. But once that initial impulse fades, you’ll understand. Love is a fleeting thing that only adds to countless unnecessary troubles. Someone with your background—even if you don't seek a high-status match—should find a girl from a respectable family with a clean background. My life is full of stains. What you saw today is just the tip of the iceberg.”

As a top fashion designer, Roza used her immaculate, aloof persona and dazzling creations to mask her deep-seated bitterness and insecurity. She had no sense of security, always feeling like she was living like a rootless floating plant. Although she bore the Walker name, she could never openly tell others that she was part of the Walker family.