"I was wrong, I shouldn't have..." Alex's hoarse voice sounded, but Candice just felt exhausted.
She wanted to leave, to keep her distance from him, but she was held tightly by him, clinging stubbornly like clutching at a lifeline, refusing to let go.
Candice felt desolate inside. She didn't know what expression to wear when facing Alex. She just felt it was both ridiculous and shameful.
All those years by his side, every bit of effort she put in, seemed so unbearable in his eyes.
It felt like a slap on her face, mocking her for being so foolish, telling her she deserved it. Now, she finally understood the consequences.
She stared ahead without blinking, her vision blurred as her eyes slowly reddened. "Alex, let me go, for your own sake as well. I really don't know how to face you anymore."
She didn't know how to face Alex, nor did she know how to face those inexplicable years of injustice.
Candice had given him her purest and cleanest feelings, but Alex had told her that those precious feelings, in his eyes, were utterly filthy.
He pronounced judgment so easily, not even giving her a chance to defend herself.
She looked at Alex with numb and hollow eyes. "I never knew I was so disgusting in your eyes."
"You're not... It's my fault, I shouldn't have... I was so foolish..." Alex's heart was pierced by Candice's numb and hollow gaze.
The pain was evident on his handsome face. He was trembling as he held her hand, and her gentle push was enough to free herself from his grasp.
Alex felt rooted to the spot, watching as Candice walked out decisively, then he bent over, pressing his hand against his chest, breathing heavily.
The despair and agony emanating from his bones drained him of all strength, and even his vision began to blur.
The storage room still retained the fervor and restlessness from their earlier kiss, but now, it felt like invisible knives, piercing Alex's heart, causing him excruciating pain.
Meanwhile, it wasn't until Candice left the bar, away from the chaotic scene, that she felt a sense of relief.
She sat down at the bus stop on the roadside, staring blankly at the bustling traffic outside.
She shouldn't be sad. She should have gotten used to it long ago.
But she couldn't control herself, and she felt really uncomfortable.
In just a few days, Candice had lost a lot of weight.
Yana noticed something was wrong with her and asked, "What's wrong? Did Alex do something again?"
Candice shook her head as usual, not saying anything.
There was nothing to say. She couldn't sleep again. Every time she closed her eyes, she heard Alex's words and saw the ugly faces of Justin and Francis.
She felt like this was her retribution, her punishment for being so naive and staying by Alex's side.
So, her sincere feelings were trampled upon and her emotions slandered.
Ellis seemed to be affected by her emotions. These past few days, she behaved very well, playing by herself for a while before obediently going to sleep.
Yana looked at Ellis and lowered her voice, saying, "No matter what, Alex is Little Mulberry's biological father. Moreover, she's becoming more and more like him. I think you should go ask him for child support. Don't let him off so easily."
Candice's throat was dry, and she didn't look very well. "It has nothing to do with him. Why ask for child support?"
Except for the blood relationship with Alex, everything else didn't matter to her.
"That bastard Justin, you couldn't have forgotten, right?" Sieg asked her.
Every time Candice heard Justin's name, she felt uncomfortable all over. Just thinking about being connected to such a scum for so long made her feel an intense urge to vomit.
"Alex said you didn't have anything with Justin, okay, I believe it. But, Ms Renault, do you know what Justin did?"
"He wished he could shout it from the rooftops, saying you two slept together, accusing you of cheating behind Alex, and all that other nonsense, and then—"
"And we all saw it, you kissing Justin. Candice, you've really outdone yourself, pulling this stunt on Alex's birthday."
Sieg recalled that scene and felt furious on behalf of Alex.
He asked Candice, "Do you know why Justin wanted to go abroad? It's because he wanted to go to your school, but Alex stopped him. He was afraid of affecting you."
"That idiot Justin is causing trouble wherever he goes. If you really got involved with him, do you think you could still stand proudly in front of Alex now? You would have been tossed aside long ago, don't you understand?"
Candice's pupils contracted, rebuking sharply. "I didn't kiss Justin!"
As Sieg said this, Candice remembered.
It was Alex's birthday that day. She had planned to finish work early to celebrate with him, but Justin intercepted her halfway.
He was drunk and tried to force a kiss on her, but she slapped him across the face.
Little did she know that Alex had witnessed the scene.
Candice's heart sank. She remembered that day when she went to see Alex, his reaction seemed normal. And to prevent him from worrying, she didn't mention the incident again.
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