A Night of Desire

Chapter 376 - 369: A Pity for My Love, Over Before It Began

Her arm, from wrist to elbow, was covered in a network of scars. There was hardly a patch of smooth skin left. It was a shocking, ugly sight.

It wasn’t just Clara Grant and Sienna Hale who were stunned—Seth Quinn and Theodore Quinn were just as taken aback.

Autumn Shelby’s gaze slowly moved from her scars to Sienna Hale’s face, then to Theodore Quinn’s, and finally settled on Seth Quinn.

"During my treatment, I lost control and tried to kill myself many times. These scars on my wrists are the marks left behind from every time I tried to slit them. I was a complete wreck back then, not even human. I was so disgusted with myself... how could I possibly let Seth see me like that?"

"So I told myself that once I was better, completely healed, I would confidently return to his side and become the woman who was truly worthy of him. That’s why I worked so hard to follow the doctors’ treatments. The medication made me want to throw up every single day, and I was so terrified during every therapy session that I just wanted to run away.

But for you, Seth, to come back to you as soon as possible, to fulfill my dream of happily becoming your bride, I endured it all. And these other scars, not just the ones on my wrists... they’re from that same time. Every time the pain of missing you became too much to bear, I cut myself, slice by slice.

If my body hurt, my heart wouldn’t hurt as much. It was the only way I could endure the torment of missing you."

’If I can’t win back his heart any other way,’ Autumn Shelby thought, ’then I’ll make him feel guilty. Sometimes, guilt is just as good a way to keep someone by your side.’

As Autumn Shelby finished speaking, Sienna Hale could no longer hold back. Staring at the scars, she covered her mouth and began to sob. So this was it... this was all the pain and torment Autumn had suffered during the year she was gone!

Theodore Quinn remained silent, but his eyes, fixed on the scars, revealed a flicker of emotion. They were clearly old wounds, not fresh ones made just to win their sympathy.

Besides, Autumn Shelby was a child they had known for over twenty years. Even if they were not destined to become family, he couldn’t possibly remain indifferent to her suffering.

As for Clara Grant, she too was stunned by the sight of Autumn Shelby’s scars—a dense, winding maze of ugly, yet soul-shaking, marks.

She had never known a woman could love a man so deeply it was carved into her very bones.

’Compared to a love as profound as Autumn’s, what does my own love for Seth even amount to?’

’Even though I don’t know how Seth feels about Autumn, surely no man could remain unmoved by that kind of devotion?’

’Besides, Seth was the one who caused Autumn’s depression. Even if he doesn’t love her, guilt will bind him to her for the rest of his life. If he stayed with me, Autumn would always be a presence between us. Could we ever truly be happy?’

’And for Seth’s parents... faced with a choice between me, a relative stranger, and Autumn, a girl they’ve known and cared for for over twenty years, isn’t the choice obvious?’

’What a pity. My own love story is over just as it had begun.’

Clara Grant blinked, forcing her eyes away from Autumn Shelby’s scars. She didn’t dare look at anyone, especially not Seth. She was afraid the moment she saw him, she would burst into tears.

Instead, she could only stare at the ground. She moved her lips, wanting to speak, but found she couldn’t make a sound.

’If I can’t say it, then I won’t,’ she thought. ’Just leaving directly would be less awkward for everyone.’

So, she shifted her weight, ready to take a step and leave, but just then, she heard Seth speak.