Return, My Love: Wooing the Neglected Ex-Wife

Chapter 872:

Dulce stared at him, her expression frozen in shock. “Michael, do you even understand what you’re saying?”

“I do.” Michael’s eyes locked onto hers, his voice steady yet filled with self-loathing. “I know I’m a disgusting, pathetic bastard. But even so, I still want to love you the way I loved Lacey.”

Dulce’s expression was a mix of disbelief and vulnerability; Michael’s sudden warmth was a stark contrast to his usual aloofness.

She had just resolved to let go, but here he was, stirring her emotions all over again.

“Am I just a stand-in for Lacey?” Her voice trembled, tears in her eyes. “You’re being so unfair.”

“No, you’re not.” Michael’s tone was firm, his gaze steady.

Dulce felt the sting of tears threatening to spill, her emotions tangled in his words. “Then, tell me, what am I to you?”

Michael hesitated, searching for the right words. “Maybe heaven saw my loneliness and sent you to pull me out of it.”

A pang of guilt swept over Dulce, her heart aching more for him than for herself. “Michael, have you truly thought this through?”

Michael reached out, his hand gently resting on her head, his voice low and certain. “The real question is, have you? It’s me who should be asking you. Have you made up your mind? Are you sure you want to be with someone like me?”

Ordinarily, Dulce would have responded without a second thought. But today, she paused deliberately, letting the tension linger. “I’ll think about it.”

“Take all the time you need. There’s no rush. Just be certain.” For the first time, Michael felt as though he was stepping into something real.

The hollow space in his chest began to warm, a gentle flame flickering to life.

Meanwhile, Dulce’s mind returned to her earlier conversation with Fiona. Her claim that her feelings for Michael were fleeting had been a lie born of frustration, but that wasn’t the crux of the problem.

The key issue was her promise to Fiona—to keep her distance from Michael—and her resolution not to take Lacey’s place in his heart.

How could she break her word so easily?

Even if Michael’s words today had moved her, did they resolve the deeper conflict between them? They didn’t. Not at all.

Dulce’s racing heart gradually settled into an uneasy calm. “Michael, I appreciate what you said, but Lacey will always hold a special place in your heart, won’t she?”

Michael’s hand, which had been resting firmly on her shoulder, suddenly slackened.

Dulce pressed on. “I don’t see a path for us, not while Lacey is still such a big part of you. I thought I could accept it, but I realize now—I want to be your only choice. And you can’t give me that. Maybe you’re right. I really do need to think it through.”

If she had known how painful loving Michael would be, she would never have allowed herself to get involved.

Her friends often reminded her that she was too young to understand the consequences of her impulsiveness, and while she used to hate hearing it, she now realized it was true. This was the cost of youthful recklessness.

After a long pause, Michael finally nodded and patted her shoulder. “You’re right. Take your time to think. But finding a way for us to work and letting go of Lacey—that’s my responsibility. If I’ve chosen to care about you, I won’t let you feel this way anymore.”noveldrama

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