Bullied and Dumped, But She Won in the End (Adriana) novel Chapter 171

**When Time Tried to Heal Me But I Refused to Listen by Kael Niro Senn**
**Chapter 171: Disappointed**

Inside Curtis’s mind, a heavy fog descended, blanketing every thought and emotion. It felt as if his grip on reality was shattering, splintering apart like fragile glass under immense pressure. The only beacon of clarity amidst the chaos was the image of Adriana’s face—sweet and gentle, like a soft breeze on a scorching day. She was the sole force capable of calming the tempest that raged within him.

He was acutely aware of his own darkness. He was a broken man, a dangerous soul, haunted by the shadows of his past. He had taken a life once—his own mother’s—when he was just a child of ten. The weight of that reality sat heavily on his chest, a constant reminder that healing was a distant dream, forever out of reach. Adriana was his anchor, the one thing that kept him tethered to his humanity.

“You’re the one in charge,” Curtis finally uttered, his voice barely above a whisper as he cast his gaze downward, unable to meet Harold’s eyes.

With a heavy heart, he turned away, his footsteps echoing in the stillness as he approached the door. When he closed it behind him, the sound reverberated through the air, a final punctuation mark to their conversation.

Harold sank back into his chair, the fire of anger that had fueled him now extinguished, leaving only a deep, aching exhaustion in its wake. He rubbed his temples, trying to soothe the tension that had built there, and let out a long, weary sigh. His shoulders slumped under the weight of years gone by.

Time was not kind. He felt it creeping upon him, a relentless reminder that he was growing old. Too old, he thought bitterly, to witness Michael and his new family wither away in that desolate fishing village.

Yet, despite the passage of time, he understood that there was no mending the rift between those two. The kind of animosity they harbored was not something that faded with time; it burrowed deeper, consuming everything in its path until it became a part of you.

“Curtis, you’re amazing.”

“Curtis, you’re such a good man.”

Those words echoed in his mind as the car sped away from the Lincolns’ estate. He could still visualize Adriana’s face, her cheeks flushed from the sun, standing by the ocean in that tiny bikini, laughter dancing in her eyes as she spoke those words.

A short laugh escaped Curtis’s lips, tinged with a mix of disbelief and warmth. In a world filled with shadows, she was likely the only person who had ever deemed him a good man.

Her gaze held a light that was solely for him, illuminating the darkest corners of his soul. That light made breathing feel less burdensome, made him feel like he was truly alive.

“Sir,” the butler’s voice broke through his thoughts, soft yet firm from the driver’s seat. “Please, don’t be too hard on Mr. Harold. Michael is his only son. He used to cradle that boy as if he were made of glass. And that boy was born from the woman he loved most.”

Curtis remained silent, the butler’s words hanging in the air, but they felt hollow. He understood the logic, yet it mattered little to him.

No one could truly grasp the depths of the pain he bore.

The car hummed along the road, filling the silence until his phone vibrated insistently in his pocket. It was Belinda.

He answered, his voice taut. “Yeah?”

“Curtis…”

Belinda’s voice trembled, heavy with emotion, each word laced with sorrow. “I’m so sorry. I pushed Adriana down the stairs. I didn’t mean to. I swear, I didn’t mean to.”

A chill swept through him, freezing every vein in his body. For a heartbeat, darkness engulfed him, drowning out her cries.

Haldoria Hospital.

Adriana sat on the hospital bed, her skin pale against the stark white sheets, a stark contrast that felt painfully symbolic.

Her stomach throbbed, a gnawing pain that felt as if something vital was being torn from her.

Belinda stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes swollen and raw, unable to step into the room where Adriana lay.

“I’m fine,” Adriana insisted, her voice barely above a whisper. “You should go home.” She didn’t want to argue or delve into the why of it all.

Belinda had grown up with Curtis; she couldn’t betray her like that. Not when she knew how deeply Curtis still cared for her.

Deep down, Adriana recognized that Belinda wasn’t inherently cruel. She was just a soul adrift, broken in her own right.

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