The Enticing CEO's Chosen Bride novel Chapter 1818

Mona's expression froze on her face.

Morrison, who had been standing by the window, turned around, and his dark eyes looked calmly at Mona. "After you left, I should have been angry and resentful. Theoretically, I did feel that way. But truth be told, what I actually felt was relief and gratitude. It was an unprecedented sense of liberation, like the shackles that had weighed on me for years were suddenly lifted."

Mona stared at him, dumbfounded.

"At the mention of the school reunion, the first face that flashed through my mind was someone else's. Hearing you would be there gave me a reason to attend for old times' sake."

"Another face. Are you talking about Rose?" Mona said slowly.

Morrison looked down at her and didn't deny it. "Yes."d2

"If I didn't want to, I wouldn't give anyone the chance to get close to me."

Mona suddenly let out a cold laugh, cutting Morrison off, "So you kept me by your side all those years, yet you never touched me. Can I interpret this as you not really wanting to give me a chance to get close to you?

"Why did you choose me as your girlfriend in the first place, Morrison? What were you thinking? Rose was always around you back then, and if you had agreed, I'm sure she would have been delighted to be your girl. Why did you choose me?"

Morrison's frown deepened, "Why do you think that if I agreed, Rose would have been delighted to be my girlfriend?"

Mona looked at him with a face full of sarcasm, as if she were looking at a fool, feeling both speechless and amused. She let out a cold laugh, "Even if you didn't like me much at the time, did it ever cross your mind that you chose me just because you didn't like Rose clinging to you, that you were annoyed by her? You kept me by your side just to make Rose back off, to cut off her hopes for you. And now you are asking me this...

"Don't tell me you still don't know that Rose likes you."

Perhaps Morrison's words had struck a nerve. For years, Mona had tried to hide Rose's presence, not wanting Morrison to pay too much attention to her. But today, Morrison finally confronted the complex feelings he harbored for Rose, even confessing to her.

At this point, what else did she have to hide?

Morrison's hands clenched into fists in his pockets as he looked at her with detachment. "You knew too?"

"Heh." Mona laughed again, "Morrison, should I say you're clever or foolish? Everyone can see Rose likes you, except you. And everyone thought you really disliked her, including me. But it turns out that you've fooled everyone. The funniest part is that you even fooled yourself."

Mona's laughter was bitter, her face a mix of sorrow and irony. It was ridiculous.

How could anyone deceive themselves? Deceive themselves into hating someone, it was unheard of.

Morrison watched her with narrowed eyes, his voice low, "I've deceived myself?"

Something stirred in Mona, her expression stiffening. She laughed coldly again, "If you don't understand, never mind. Maybe I'm just overthinking it."

But Morrison ignored her, continuing, "So what you're saying is that I've deceived myself into hating Rose? In fact, I'm in love with her, is that it?"

Mona's heart raced, and she inadvertently met Morrison's intense gaze. He had moved closer to the bed, his eyes now holding her in an invisible grip, leaving her nowhere to hide. She felt even more strongly that his expression wasn't one of waiting for a real answer, but rather forcing her to nod in agreement with his previous words.

She bit her lip hard, "I told you that it's just a guess. I don't know..."

"So you mean that the person I've loved all along was Rose."

Mona's hands clenched tightly, feeling a chill. Hearing Morrison confess his love for Rose several times, her patience had been completely exhausted. "Don't you realize how stupid your question is? It's your own love life; how would I know whether you truly love her or not?!"

Morrison's eyes flickered slightly.

The room fell into a prolonged silence. Just as Mona thought her words might have been too harsh and that Morrison would soon lose his temper, his deep voice echoed again:

"You're right."

Mona looked up, puzzled, "What?"

Morrison tugged at his lips and spoke frankly, "I love her. I've loved Rose all along."

Mona's eyes trembled uncontrollably, her heart in turmoil. "And what about me? Morrison, what have I been to you all these years? You made me fall for you, and now you're just tossing me aside. Don't you think that's cruel?"

"I'm sorry about this, and I'll make it up to you in other ways."

Morrison didn't bring up Mona's abrupt departure again, even though he knew she had used him to marry into the Witt family; he hadn't mentioned it at all. After all, as she said, he had been the one to pursue her.

"Make it up in other ways?" Mona's eyes brimmed with tears, but her laugh was filled with desolation, "Why don't you ask Rose if she would forgive you because of your compensation?"

Morrison frowned.

"All these years, what have you done for her? You've toyed with her feelings for so long, and left her alone at the altar when she was carrying your baby. No woman would easily forgive you for that. The only reason she's held on so far is that Rose is patient. But you know what kind of person she is, and so do I. And so does everyone who knows her. She may not speak up, but once she does, her decisions are not subject to change by anyone or anything."

Watching Morrison's embarrassed expression, Mona let out a long, ironic sigh. "She won't forgive you, Morrison. If she didn't love you, maybe, just maybe, you'd have a sliver of hope. But she does love you. To hear a woman who went through hell and high water, who faced ridicule and didn't care what anyone thought, just to marry you, say she wants a divorce..."

She didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she abruptly changed the subject. "You see, to someone who loves you, even a cold look can be a sharp dagger." It was exactly how she felt at the moment.

Morrison's dark, brooding face suddenly twitched. "Get some rest."

He left a remark and walked past the hospital bed towards the door.

Mona sat quietly on the bed, tears streaming down her face, dripping onto the pristine white sheets. Her clenched hands slowly opened, gripping the blanket tightly.

--

Morrison flung open the door of the hospital room, startling the assistant who had been waiting outside. The assistant quickly approached him. "Mr. Witt."

"Get someone to take good care of Mona. Get her whatever she wants."

The assistant paused for a moment but quickly followed Morrison, "Right away, sir."

They rode the elevator to Morrison's floor and upon opening the door, they found that the person who should have been resting in bed was nowhere to be seen.

The assistant, noting Morrison's sour expression, quickly said, "Mr. Witt, your wife might be in the doctor’s office now."

Morrison turned to look at him. The assistant was intimidated by his icy gaze, "She was just in Mona's room a bit ago. Didn’t you know?"

Morrison's frown deepened. "She was in Mona's room?"

"Yes, sir. She insisted on going in, but she came out shortly after. Said she wanted to check on your condition, so she went to the attending doctor's office."

Morrison fell silent for a moment, his eyes narrowing before he strode away. The assistant, overwhelmed by the aura of anger, hurried after him.

--

Rose had been meticulously checking details with the attending physician; there were no difference from the ones she heard in the ward.

She listened quietly as the doctor explained the instructions, nodding in silent agreement. "Doctor, how long will it take for his injuries and head trauma to fully heal?"

The doctor paused before answering, "It's hard to say for certain. We'll need to monitor his recovery. But don't worry, with proper care, he shouldn't have any major issues. Mr. Morrison is still young, after all."

Rose nodded lightly, managing a faint smile as she stood up, "Thank you, doctor. I'll take good care of him."