Boyle sat there alone and was completely shell shocked for a really long time.
Last night felt like an agonizing nightmare to him.
It seemed just watching those videos alone had shaken him to his core. However, all of that was nothing in comparison to what Cherie had to live through everything.
His chest felt extremely tight.
The phone next to his computer had been ringing non-stop. It was Cherie's phone.
The caller ID showed it was from the Fudd family home.
They were most likely calling to get her phone back.
As Boyle stared at the flashing screen, he took several deep breaths before finally mustering enough courage to pick up the call.
However, he realized he did not know what to say after picking up the call.
Cherie wasted no time beating around the bush as she bluntly asked, "Were you the one who picked up my phone when I left it by the fountain last night?"
Boyle tried his very best to hold back his shaky voice as he simply muttered, "Yeah."
He composed himself after that and said, "If you want it back, I can return it to your house."
"There's no need for that. I'll come over and get it later."
She was afraid of him starting an unnecessary conflict with her parents if they saw him.
Cherie immediately hung up the call after she was done talking.
Boyle did not snap out of his trance immediately as he seemed to be listening to the busy beeps when the call ended while clutching the phone. He seemed to be staring into nothingness with a blank look on his face.
'Cherie.'
He wondered just how he could possibly face Cherie at the moment.
How could he possibly still have the courage to keep clinging onto her and using shameless cheap tricks to get her attention after watching all those painful recordings she made.
Similar to her, Boyle was burdened and chained down by his own guilt. It seemed as if those chains were completely bloodied while his flesh was being helplessly ripped apart. It was gory to imagine.
…
At the entrance of his villa.
Cherie entered immediately.
Boney was lying on the bookshelf when Cherie entered. It meowed repeatedly but it seemed that no one was in the living room then.
When Boney noticed Cherie's arrival, it jumped off the bookshelf, ran over to her, and started nuzzling up against her ankles.
Cherie squatted down and carried Boney in her arms as she asked, "Where's your dad? Did he leave you all alone out here?"
"Meow."
It was hungry and it seemed like it had not eaten for the entire night. Its father was ignoring it and when it ran up to the study, it realized that the door was shut.
Boyle did not leave his study for the entire night.
Boney nuzzled up against Cherie's body and after feeling a little better, it jumped out of her arms and ran upstairs.
Cherie followed behind Boney.
When Boney arrived at the door, it started clawing at the door with its chubby little paws.
Just as Cherie was about to knock on the door, the door suddenly opened.
She looked up at him.
When their eyes met, Cherie could see the red veins completely engulfing his eyes while he looked like a complete wreck. There were even some stains on his chin.
He was not dressed in normal house clothes and was instead wearing his formal clothes. His white shirt looked severely wrinkled, a complete character shift from his usual clean and kempt self.
It looked as if he had not slept for the entire night.
Cherie was stunned for a second and assumed he spent all night working.
Boyle was standing by the door as he stared intensely at her.
Although Boney was nuzzling up against his leg, he did not seem to react to it and all he did was stare at her in silence.
There were plenty of mixed emotions in his eyes.
Cherie instinctively looked away from his gaze and asked, "Where's my phone?"
Boyle returned her phone to her.
Cherie inched closer to him and just as she was about to grab her phone, Boyle swiftly grabbed her arm and immediately hugged her tightly.
The hug was extremely tight.
The man squeezed her with his strong arms like he wanted to meld her into his own body.
However, Boyle hugged her tightly from behind again.
"What are you doing, Boyle?"
Boyle replied, "Cherie, no matter what you face in the future, I'll face it together with you."
He would never allow her to feel lonely ever again.
Cherie simply exclaimed, "But you weren't there when I needed you the most."
Boyle's throat tightened while his voice sounded incredibly sad. He said while resting his chin on her neck, "Give me one more chance, alright, Cherie?"
It sounded like he was pleading with her.
However, Cherie was unmoved by him as she said, "But I don't want you anymore, Boyle."
Boyle did not feel destroyed by her reply as he knew she would say that to him.
"That's okay. It's fine if you don't want me anymore as long as I'm able to stay by your side and take care of you."
Cherie frowned a little.
She had no idea why he would suddenly tell her all of that since he was the one who wanted to break up with her in the first place.
He was the one who told her to stop bothering him.
He was also the one who told her that he did not love her anymore.
However, why would he tell her that he loved and wanted nothing more but her? Moreover, he made it sound so sincere too.
Was it because he had experienced all kinds of women in the last seven years and now wanted to turn back to her again?
However, she did not want Boyle who was already tainted by someone else. All she ever wanted was the Boyle who would love her wholeheartedly.
Cherie felt betrayed when Boyle attempted to start a new life with another woman.
Such a betrayal felt even worse when they broke up. So much so, that she could not forgive him for it.
That was because she assumed he still belonged to her even after they had broken up with each other because they belonged together.
"Boyle, I hated your betrayal."
"I didn't betray you. I never did. It's only you. It'll always be you…"
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