21.Chapter 421
“Are you lying to me?” Dylan asked hesitantly
Matthew let out a bitter laugh, his eyes flashing with frustration. “I wish I were lying, but unfortunately, it’s the truth”
Dylan frowned, confusion written all over his face. “Why?”
Matthew’s tone turned cold. “Because of Eliza.”
Dylan’s brows furrowed even deeper. “What does she have to do with this?”
“Everything.” Matthew snapped, his voice laced with anger. “She’s the one who forced me to break off my engagement with Diana”
Matthew’s anger surged, and he could almost see himself storming up the mountain to Saint Grace Hunnery, ready to confront Eliza and make her pay. The thought alone was the only thing that could momentarily ease his frustration.
“That’s impossible,” Dylan said firmly, “Don’t even try to fool me. With how close Eliza and Diana are, unless Diana wanted to end the engagement, Eliza would never have done such a thing”
Dylan’s words hit the mark perfectly.
Because they were so accurate, Matthew’s face darkened instantly
It was indeed Diana who wanted to end the engagement.
“If it weren’t for Eliza, why would Diana even think of breaking off the engagement with me?” Matthew’s voice grew louder. his emotions spiraling out of control.
“That’s because you hurt her!” Dylan shot back, his tone sharp. “You knew how close Diana and Eliza were, yet you still did those things. Once Diana found out, how could she possibly stand by and do nothing?
“And I don’t believe she immediately demanded to end the engagement. She must have said something else first, didn’t she? What did you do to make her so disappointed that she had to end things?”
Dylan’s mind was working exceptionally fast at this moment.
In just a few sentences, he had pieced together the truth with remarkable accuracy.
The more precise his deductions were, the darker Matthew’s expression became.
After all, just a moment ago, he was blaming Eliza, but now, thanks Dylan’s analysis, it seemed all the fault lay with him.
Matthew pressed his lips tightly together, initially unwilling to speak. Yet under Dylan’s piercing gaze, he quickly began to unravel.
“It’s not that I let her down!” Matthew’s voice wavered. “She gave me an impossible choice!
“Dylan, can you believe it? Diana made me pick between her and Sophie! How could I even choose?”
Sophie clenched her fists tightly at those words.
She lowered her head, a sly smirk tugging at her lips where no one could see.
She thought, ‘Unbelievable! First that brat Eliza, and now this brazen hussy dares to challenge me? She’s got a death wish!
‘That audacious woman must think she can take what’s mine!
‘Even if Matthew is a useless fool, he’s still mine!
‘Anyone who dares to challenge me is simply asking for it!
Dylan hadn’t expected Diana to give Matthew such an ultimatum, but it all started to make sense now.
After all, Eliza’s decision to leave home back then had a lot to do with Sophie.
And knowing Diana’s fiery temper, it was a miracle she hadn’t confronted Sophie directly
What Dylan didn’t know was that on the very day Diana arrived in Hasen Cit head–on.
she had indeed intended to confront Sophie
As a result, all of Diana’s anger had fallen squarely on Matthew.
“So, you broke off the engagement just because she made you choose between her and Sophie? And you picked Sophie?”
Matthew gave Dylan a brief account of what had happened that day at Saint Grace Hunnery
Nearby, Sophie was quietly eavesdropping on their conversation
By the end of it, Sophie wasn’t sure what they were thinking, but her own thoughts were filled with resentment
She thought, ‘How does that little brat Eliza have so thany rare medicinal herbs? Could they all have come from her mother s dowry?
The thought made Sophie’s chest tighten with regret. If only she had stopped them from giving Eliza her mother’s dowry
back then.
If it was Caroline’s dowry, she felt that they should’ve been hers.
That would’ve been the only way to make up for Caroline stealing her mother’s husband in the first place.
While Sophie was lost in her own regrets, Matthew and Dylan had nearly finished their conversation.
“In the end, even though I refused, I was still forced to sign the annulment papers. But Father… he’s deeply disappointed in me.” Matthew shrugged. His mix of truth and lies seemed to have convinced Dylan to some extent.
But that trust only applied to Matthew.
Dylan glanced at Sophie and said bluntly, “You can stay here for a few days, but she can’t. First thing tomorrow morning. send her back. I don’t believe Father would truly ignore her.”
“No! I’m not leaving!” Sophie panicked at his words.
Sophie panicked at his words.
She hadn’t managed to win Dylan over yet. Even if she couldn’t, she had to find a way to stay for a few more days, at least until she planted those flowers.
Tears welled up in Sophie’s eyes as she cried, her voice trembling, “Dylan, I know you’re still upset about what I did to Eliza, but I’ve truly realized my mistakes and regret them. Please, Dylan, don’t send me away. Father really won’t step in this time. If you won’t take me in, I’ll have nowhere to go. I’ll end up on the streets and begging for food!”
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