"W-Why? What makes you reluctant?"
Bella looked Tristan in the eye and said, "Tristan, I’ve promised someone..." Her voice trailed off when she saw his worried gaze.
She can’t bring herself to tell him that she promised Sean Spencer a chance—if Sean’s parents one day accept their relationship, she’ll give him a chance, try to love him, and marry him. This made her reluctant to decide, as she had to meet Sean to talk heart-to-heart about this matter.
If she accepted Tristan without meeting Sean, it would betray her promise to him. The thought of hurting Sean or breaking the trust they had built was unbearable.
Tristan felt his heart slowly ache as he guessed what was bothering Bella at the moment. He didn’t want to put any pressure on her or put her in the corner, so he promised to wait until she felt ready to tell him.
However, after five silent and eerie minutes, Bella still said nothing. She only looked at their intertwined hands. Despite the eerie feeling, Tristan feels grateful because even though Bella didn’t say anything, at least she didn’t pull her hand away. She let him gently caress her hand.
A smile slowly appeared on his lips before he casually asked, "Bella. I’m sorry if I say this…..Are you hesitant to accept me again because of Sean Spencer?"
Bella was stunned to hear that; she immediately looked up to meet his gaze.
Tristan saw Bella not saying anything but only looking at him with her confused-looking eyes.
He continued, "I’ll take your silence as you inwardly say yes. So, it’s really because of Sean Spencer, huh..."
A faint smile slowly appeared on the corners of his lips before he calmly said, "I’m sure you know my good relationship with Sean’s parents, right?"
She slightly nods.
"Are you and Sean a couple now? I mean—" Tristan couldn’t finish his words. His heart ached like it had been stabbed by a hundred nails when he imagined Sean having a romantic relationship with his wife. But Tristan pushed himself to look as calm and as composed as possible.
Tristan had always refused to believe that Sean and Bella were in a serious relationship. So, he never wanted to bring up this topic when they had time to chat, probably because he also feared hearing answers he didn’t want to hear. But now, he pulled himself together and dared to ask her.
"No. We are not a couple…well, not yet!"
Hearing Bella’s firm answer and how quickly she denied it shocked him.
Did he hear it wrong?
"Are you saying he is not your boyfriend? At least not yet?" he asked to ensure he had heard it correctly.
She nodded slowly.
"He’s not my boyfriend, but I’ve had a close relationship with Sean since I was a teenager. And in the last two years, we’ve gotten even closer..." Bella began to explain to Tristan how Sean helped her and Dax a lot when they were still living in Sweden.
Bella also told him that Sean always confessed his feelings to her. Still, she always rejected him because she wanted to focus on raising Dax and didn’t plan on starting a new relationship.
Tristan feels his heart tighten, nervous to hear her story. But he tries hard not to ask her any further.
"But when I arrived on my first day in the country, Sean expressed his feelings again..." Bella paused to take a deep breath before continuing.
"That day, I still firmly rejected him and told him my biggest reason why I couldn’t be with him—his family. I know who his family is. However, Sean still tried to convince me; he promised me blessings from his parents." A wry smile slowly appeared on her face, remembering that day — she felt bad about giving him hope.
"Well, at that time, I knew his parents would never accept me, but I still gave him hope... If his parents accept me and Dax without hesitation, I will consider his proposal to marry me," Bella said softly. She felt her shoulders lighten after she expressed what was bothering her mind.
Tristan slowly released his grip on her hand, leaving Bella frowning.
Bella slowly lowered her gaze, looking at her hands. Her mind was confused as to why he suddenly withdrew his hand. Was he angry after hearing about her relationship with Sean?
She clenched her hands in worry; when she was about to ask him, she suddenly felt his warm hand caressing her cheek.
This!?
Bella immediately looked up to see him; However, she was shocked when she realized that Tristan’s face was so close to her. She couldn’t help but blink when their eyes met. Before she could say anything, Tristan asked, "Do you love him?"
"NO. I haven’t fallen in love with him, not yet... But if one day his parents approve of us, Maybe I can learn how to love—"
Tristan’s index finger landed on her lips, silencing her.
"Bella, there is no future for you and Sean Spencer. Because his parents would never approve of him marrying you..." A confident smile framed his handsome face, confusing Bella.
"Why are you so sure about that? Even Sean convinced me that his parents would accept me," Bella narrowed her eyes on him before continuing. "Sean was only unlucky because he had to fly to another country that night and didn’t have time to meet his parents. So..." She shrugs.
"Do you want to know why I am so confident in saying that?" Tristan now held both her hands again. He ensured Bella looked into his eyes before continuing, "Because you are still my wife, Bella. We are still legally married. If Sean came to his parents and said he wanted to marry my wife, his parents might break his legs."
Bella gasped in shock.
She no longer heard Tristan’s last words because his words, "We are still legally married." Shocked her.
What does it mean?
Why did Tristan suddenly admit we were still married!?