Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Kaylee quickly understood. For someone like Vincent, attending a banquet of this caliber wouldn’t be difficult. The García family was one of the most prominent in the U.S., and while it didn’t quite match Anderson family in Italy, it still carried some influence.

Not wanting to engage with him, Kaylee turned to leave, but Vincent grabbed her wrist.

“Kaylee, please, can you give me a chance to explain? Let’s talk this through.”

Kaylee looked back at him. “What’s left to talk about between us?”

The evening breeze made her head clearer, and with it came even less patience for Vincent.

Vincent’s expression was pained. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know about the things Alina posted on Instagram, and it’s my fault for not setting proper boundaries. Kaylee, can’t you give me one more chance?”

Kaylee rubbed her temples, her face devoid of emotion.

“One of life’s lessons is learning to let go.”

Vincent’s eyes flickered with panic, his face betraying his desperation.

“You’re the one I love most. I was just momentarily foolish–I made the kind of mistake every man makes. I’ve already ended things with Alina. She’s left to study abroad. There’s nothing between us anymore.”

Kaylee froze for a moment. Alina had gone abroad? That was unexpected. She wasn’t sure if Alina had come to her senses or if Vincent had driven her away.

Either way, it didn’t matter to her. Looking at the man she had loved for four years, she suddenly felt a strange infantry. This wasn’t the Vincent she remembered.

“Vincent, there’s no going back.”

There was a time when she believed their issues stemmed solely from the sins of Alina. But over time, she realized that wasn’t the case. Even without Alina, there would have been someone else. Because Vincent had already stopped loving her.

There was no other reason.

Vincent’s panic deepened. “No, we can make it work. If you give me one more chance, w can be even happier than before.”

He tightened his grip on Kaylee’s hand as though afraid she would disappear, leaving him unable to find her again. Kaylee winced at the pain and pushed him away with all her strength.

“Vincent, you don’t even realize what you did wrong–or maybe you’ve never truly analyzed why our relationship fell apart.”

“Was it because of Alina? No, it never was. The real reason was that you stopped loving me first.”

“You don’t love me as much as you think. The only reason you’re begging me to come back is that you can’t accept losing control over something you thought belonged to you.”

In the past, the disparity in their education and family backgrounds had made Kaylee feel insecure. She had let Vincent take the lead in most decisions, often compromising to accommodate him.

Because she felt she couldn’t measure up to him, she had resigned herself to a lesser role in their relationship. But now she wanted to let go. She didn’t want to live like that anymore.

A man who cheats once will cheat again. And with her current status, not only did she have more choices, but Vincent was now in the position of being the one who could be chosen.

Why should she choose someone who didn’t truly love her? Vincent’s face cracked like glass under pressure, disbelief written all over it.

“I… I never thought of controlling you.”