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!?
"So about your promise to Sean, I will discuss it with him. You don’t need to worry about him. He would understand and support us if he knew about our status—"
"Wait, wait, Tristan! Please stop…" Bella stopped him from speaking further as she needed to clarify something with him. She was worried that she had misheard him.
"Yes, dear…" Tristan’s gentle tone and squeeze of their entangled hands sent a shiver down her spine. She silently swallowed and dared to continue looking into her eyes before expressing her confusion.
"You said earlier… We are still legally married. How is that possible!?"
Bella still couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could they get married when she had already signed the papers? She clearly remembered his shameless lawyer forcing her to sign.
"Yes, we are still husband and wife... Bella, you are still my wife because I never filed our divorce papers with the court," said Tristan calmly. However, Bella was stunned to hear his words.
Instantly, countless questions danced in her mind, ’Never submit to the court!? Why did he do that? I remember he sent his lawyer to force me to sign the letter. Why? Why...?’
So many questions rang in Bella’s mind, immediately giving her a headache. She narrowed her eyes at Tristan before shouting his name in a cold, icy tone.
"Tristan Sinclair..."
"Yes, dear?"
When Bella got his attention, she didn’t utter anything. Instead, she pulled her hand from him and slapped his shoulder to vent her anger.
How dare he do that? Force her to sign but not submit to the court? Did he try to prank her?
"Are you kidding me, right!? How could you force me to sign that damn paper and never submit it to the court?"
Bella’s eyes burned with anger as she stared at him. However, when she saw his gentle smile slowly bloom from his lips and his handheld hers, she gritted her teeth, trying to maintain her annoyance.
"I’m sorry, Bella... I know apologizing is not acceptable. That’s why you can slap or punch me again. I don’t mind, darling."
Bella was puzzled hearing his words. However, when Tristan led her hand to hit his chest, she gasped in surprise. She was utterly speechless by his random action.
"I deserve your fist, Bella," Tristan said as he continued to let her tiny fist hit his chest.
Bella, "...."
How shameless!
"What are you doing, Tristan?" Bella snapped, glaring at him as she tried to pull away her hand. But Tristan didn’t give her a chance and continued his actions.
"It’s fine. I don’t mind. I deserved to be hit. I’m such a stupid husband…"
After her hand punched his sturdy chest several times, Bella felt even more sorry. Her annoyance with him slowly faded, replaced by sadness when her fist hit his chest. For some reason, she felt a heartache when she did that.
Unable to look into his eyes, Bella lowered her gaze and stared at his chest. In a trembling voice, she said, "Tristan, please stop… I don’t want to hit you. I did that because I was just annoyed you didn’t tell me soo—"
Bella couldn’t finish her words because she threw herself into his chest to stop him from using her hand to blame himself.
Tristan was surprised when he felt her softness in his chest. For a moment, he froze, but then, a spring-like smile slowly graced his face as he crossed his arms around her. He gently stroked her back, feeling content.
After a long pause, finally, Bella said something.
"I hate you, Tristan Sinclair... I’m really mad at you," she said while still hiding her face in his chest. "But I feel like my heart hurts every time my hand punches you. I’m confused. Why do I feel like that?" She felt puzzled with herself at the moment.
The light in Tristan’s eyes shone as he said, "That’s because you still love me, Bella." He tightened his embrace and felt his heart swell from the happiness.
"Thank you for giving me a chance despite hurting you in the past..." his voice slowly faded as he felt her tiny hands push him away.
Bella could see Tristan’s face more clearly. She said, "Tristan, I want to hear everything. I want to hear why you didn’t submit the papers in court…everything…"
Bella had heard his confession, as well as about their misunderstandings and his delay in realizing how much he loved her. But now, she just wanted Tristan to explain everything to her again. She needed a complete explanation.
...
After a few minutes, Bella found herself in his arms again while listening to him finish his words. Hearing his explanation entirely made her no longer angry with him; instead, she felt a weird feeling that now lingered in her heart.
After five years, she thought they were divorced, and suddenly, now finding out they were still married, it felt absurd.
However, after a while, something crossed Bella’s mind. She looked slightly to meet his gaze before asking, "Tristan, why didn’t you tell me sooner about this?"
Tristan loosened his embrace upon hearing her question. After he had her sit properly again and look into her eyes, he gently placed his hand on her shoulder before answering.
"I don’t want to force you to accept me. That’s why, during our first meeting, I didn’t tell you the truth about our marital status. I didn’t even tell you in the following days until now because I don’t want to use it as my excuse to win back your heart..."
His seriousness and sincerity struck Bella. She held back and waited for him to finish his words.
Tristan’s expression became even brighter as he said, "I want to approach you naturally, Bella. I don’t want to make any mistakes—"