We’re in a Contract Marriage, But I’ve Imprinted - Chapter 179

It was a simple apology but it deeply felt sincere. However, Melissa responded with a disinterested smile.

“Mel, please… please say something,”

You can curse, you can hate. He looked up at her with an expression that he longed for any answers.

But when he met her cold gaze, Ian sensed a crushing realization. The woman he had been searching for was no longer the same.

He stared at her with wide eyes. Then, her voice cut through his thoughts. It was dry and without any emotion. WIthout love or hatred.

“I’ll accept your apology. But that’s all it is.”

For a brief moment, her expression showed relief. Before she quickly turned away from him. Ian watched, feeling invisible as she focused on something else.

“Oh, could you please leave now?”

The end of Ian’s desperate search for his Omega was nothing. No forgiveness or blame.

It felt as if the world was collapsing beneath him. In the midst of the crumbling despair, Ian’s head sank, and hot tears fell from his eyes, yet she didn’t even glance in his direction.

Ian cried out. He gripped her skirt with trembling hands and pleaded with a hoarse voice.

“I’ve searched like a madman for years. I don’t want to be apart from you any longer.”

While his words were a plea, the flicker of madness and obsession behind Ian’s eyes was unmistakable.

Despite the tight grip he had on her, that his hand turned white, he still wasn’t relieved. Ian desperately clung to the hem of her dress with his remaining hand, hoping to connect with her.

“Mel, I know how much you’ve suffered… I understand the pain you endured because of my foolishness. So, please, allow me to repay you by staying by your side. If not… it’ll be hard for you too.”

Indeed, she had imprinted on him as well. If that was the case, then she must have endured the same side effects of the imprinting he had experienced.

“Why, why… I don’t understand why I can’t feel your pheromones, but I can fix it. I’ll do whatever it takes, using all the resources of the Duchy. So…”

His voice grew more frantic, he was overwhelmed with emotion when he felt a small hand touch the back of his hand. How long had it been since he felt her warmth?

He thought that despite her anger, she was beginning to soften and forgive him. It filled him with a sense of satisfaction that started from the tips of his toes.

But that feeling quickly crumbled to the ground.

Slap.

With an annoyed flick, she swatted his hand away as if she was brushing away an insect. It wasn’t a strong gesture, but it was enough to make him drop his hand.

“…Mel?”

“Fix it?”

He could see a glimpse of anger flash through her usually indifferent purple eyes. Just that small display of her fury twisted Ian’s heart painfully. It felt as if someone was gripping his heart and warning him, ‘Don’t anger your Omega.’

But it was too late. Her voice, previously so dry, now became slightly agitated.

“Do you know how I ended up here? Who gave you the right to try to fix this?”

Melissa’s quiet anger was far more terrifying than any loud outburst. The emotions in her words showed just how much she had endured. It made Ian even more anxious.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. In that moment, Ian felt suffocated, as if his head might split from the tension, yet he didn’t utter a single sound. He waited, determined to bear all the pain she had to offer.

“…There’s nothing more ugly than trying to force a connection that has already been severed.”

“Mel…”

“As someone who once was in such ugly behavior, let me give you a piece of advice.”

“…”

“Don’t bring up what has already ended. Especially not for the sake of your own selfish desires.”

Ian fell silent. She might be right. Even if love had come before the imprint, he had ultimately failed to acknowledge that love. If the imprint hadn’t been accompanied by mental and physical pain, would he have searched for Melissa so desperately?

No. That’s not true. Ultimately, it’s all speculation. He loves her. That much cannot change.

Melissa watched Ian closely as he shook his head back and forth, trembling. Though she had never tried to think of him so hard, she could see that he was much more haggard than the last time she had seen him. The dark circles under his eyes and the sunken cheeks proved it.

“…I know that no words can comfort you. I will apologize a thousand times and show you that everything has changed. So please, come back to me, back to our home.”

Just as Melissa said, Ian couldn’t bear to let her go. He dropped to the floor, pleading as Melissa once had.

“Who can call that place home?”

She couldn’t understand why Ian wouldn’t let go, even after all the rejections. So, Melissa had no choice but to unearth the past she had buried deep within her memories.

“Ah, do you need another Alpha child? I was worthless in the Duchy unless I bore a child. You set the carriage ablaze because I had outlived my usefulness. And now, suddenly, you need me?”

“That’s not… that’s not true.”

“No? Should I be thankful that the fire gave me a chance at a new life?”

“Mel, please…”

“Don’t call my nickname so carelessly. I don’t want to hear it from someone who drove me to death.”

“…”

Every word she spoke was true. The truthful words pierced his heart like a sharp dagger.

The intense rejection from the imprinted Omega broke through the restraint he had been holding back, causing him to choke on his own blood. But he refused to show this weakness, gritting his teeth and swallowing the bitter taste.