The Seventh Miserable Bride

"I've already made it anyway. You should eat some even if you're not hungry."

"Sure,"

Gabriel Smith took his coat off, picked up a fork, and twirled up a ball of noodles into his mouth. "Mm, it's delicious."

"Gabriel, this is the last time I will cook for you."

Gabriel was stunned and he asked in a daze, "What do you mean?"

"I'm afraid I can't marry you."

"Why?"

Yasmine lowered her head and she said after a long time, "Because I can't forget my ex-husband."

Gabriel was extremely shocked. "But haven't you already accepted me?"

"I'm sorry. I really wanted to be with you when I accepted your proposal, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't move on. My ex-husband..."

"Then let's work harder together! As long as you want to, you'll definitely be able to do it!"

"I can't go on anymore. I was wrong from the beginning. I can't make the same mistakes over and over again. I can't continue to waste your feelings, Gabriel. I'm really sorry."

A trace of pain flashed across Gabriel's eyes. He was upset, but he still held himself together and said, "It doesn't matter. I'll wait for the day you finally forget all about him. Five years, ten years, twenty years, it doesn't matter."

He didn't want to hear words of rejection anymore. He got up and was about to leave with his coat, but Yasmine grabbed his sleeve, "I haven't finished. Gabriel, my ex-husband is..."

"Don't tell me who your ex-husband is. That is none of my concern. I only care about you, Yasmine."

He left stubbornly without waiting for her to finish her words.

Another three days passed. On that night, the sky was filled with ferocious thunderstorms. It was the worst weather Yasmine had ever seen.

She curled up on the couch in the living room alone, reflecting on her own thoughts. Suddenly, she heard banging from the door. She was a bit taken aback and she got up to open it.

The door opened. It was Sebastian Simons. He stood before her, his eyes filled with a deep longing for her. Yasmine was shocked for a moment but she immediately closed the door without hesitation. She was not too thrilled to see him.

"Yasmine, open the door. I have something to tell you." Thump, thump...

Sebastian did not give up and continued banging on the door. Yasmine covered her ears and retreated to the couch. Once again, she curled herself up like a snail.

After a while, the knocking stopped. Curious, she walked to the door and opened it slightly. She was surprised to find that Sebastian had not left. Instead, he was sitting on the doorsteps, his back facing the door like a marionette, unconcerned of the rain that had drenched his body.

She felt her heart ache. This scene was all too familiar. Two years ago, at the beach villa, he also lingered in front of her door like a fool. The helplessness of that night and the heartache that she was feeling right now only proved that they once loved each other deeply.

She turned around to take an umbrella out of the house and stood behind him. Sebastian turned around, stood up, and held her in his arms. "Yasmine, I knew you'd come out..."

His wet clothes soaked through hers as well. She struggled to push him away. Yasmine then said nonchalantly, "Get inside and take a bath." After that, she went out with the umbrella. Yasmine went to the nearby shop to buy him some clothes. She was his wife once, so she knew his shirt size.

When she came back, Sebastian was still in the bathroom. She knocked on the door, "Here, wear these. I couldn't buy the brand you like here."

Sebastian came out after putting on the new clothes. Yasmine looked at him up and down. The clothes were a perfect fit.

"If you have anything to say, just say it,"

She turned her head indifferently, waiting to hear what he had to say.

"I miss you."

Sebastian said calmly. Oh? She laughed sarcastically, "Did you come all the way here at this hour and get yourself drenched in the rain just so you could tell me that you missed me?" "Yes, I miss you. You may think that it's ridiculous, it is however the honest truth."

His beautiful eyes were bloodshot. It seemed as though he had not slept well for the past few nights. He said in a raspy voice, "If you're still bothered about Leah, I can tell you everything that you want to know."

Yasmine didn't say anything. Sebastian then slowly told her the truth.

"There's nothing between us. I didn't say anything that night to keep you guessing. I just wanted to make you jealous. She did become my companion for my treatment but it was not what you thought it was. Our treatment was confined to Dr. Wadsworth's clinic. Dr. Wadsworth said that I was suffering from a kind of mental illness because of my lover's departure. This, in turn, became the guilt and despair that weighed heavily on my heart. He also said that the cause is also the cure. Only when my lover forgives me could I finally return to normal. However, we had parted ways then, so Dr. Wadsworth turned to hypnotherapy. The treatment plan was very simple. First, he would let a woman sit in front of me while she wears your clothes. Then, he would hypnotize me. Gradually, once I became calm, I would imagine that the woman I saw in front of me was you. That woman would communicate with me according to Dr. Wadsworth's instructions and draw my innermost thoughts out. When I completely entered another world, a world with only you and me, the doctor would carry out another treatment by showing me a video that I couldn't see but only hear. This would cause my mind to hallucinate accordingly. However, sadly after undergoing the treatment so many times, it still didn't work for me."

Sebastian revealed the hidden secret which he had kept in his heart all this while, and his eyes were a gloomy gray. He continued, "Leah was that woman. She was the only person who knew that I have a hidden illness. In light of the privacy concern, I didn't object when Dr. Wadsworth proposed to seek her cooperation,. But before the treatment, I've made it clear to them that I didn't want any physical contact. Dr. Wadsworth understood my feelings so he didn't force me even though physical contact was the best treatment. Because of you, I rejected it."

After hearing his story, Yasmine's expression was no longer so stiff, but she did not seem happy. "Who told you to tell me this? I didn't say I wanted to know about it."

"Well, since you already know everything now, of course, you say you wouldn't want to know it anymore."

Sebastian got up, squatted down in front of her, and hugged her gently, "Ever since I fell in love with you, there was no other woman apart from you. Yasmine, I just want to tell you I really didn't betray you. The one and only time I did was against my will and I've paid the price of blood for that. When I saw you two years later, only God knew how much I wanted to hug you right away. But I took a step back because of what I had done. When you knew of my hidden illness, you were willing to help me without the slightest hesitation. Your courage gave me the intrepidity to love again, hence I accepted your help at that moment. From then on, I decided that even if I would become like this forever, I will never let go of your hand. I love you, Yasmine, and I can't live without you. Let's start over again, shall we? This time, I will not be self-centered anymore and I promise to make you the priority in my life. And I promise to treat you better..."

Traces of warmth finally seeped into Yasmine's ice-cold heart. She had been waiting for Sebastian to say all these for the longest time. Her tears fell. However, at that moment, someone knocked on the door again.

She sniffed and wiped her tears quickly. Then, she got up and went to open the door.

This time, when she saw the person standing outside the door, she was even more terrified. Before she could stop him, Gabriel had already stepped into the living room. Seeing Sebastian sitting in the middle of the living room, Gabriel was astonished. "President Sebastian? What brings you here?"

Sebastian looked at him nonchalantly and did not speak. Gabriel turned his head and looked at Yasmine. She was also quiet and the atmosphere of the room suddenly became tense. He thought of the time where she wasn't willing to go to B City. She hadn't been able to move her eyes away for a long time when she saw Sebastian for the first time. She had clearly forgotten her past but after returning from B City, she suddenly said that she could not forget her ex-husband. Her aunt calling her Yasmine, the company he was cooperating with now, the Yaslor Corporation... Thinking of all these, Gabriel suddenly understood everything.

He took Yasmine's hand and said darkly, "Follow

me.

Yasmine had just been dragged by him for two steps when someone else took hold of her other wrist. "Let go of my wife."

Whack! As soon as Sebastian spoke, Gabriel could no longer hold his temper. His fists were fierce and heavy. They landed on Sebastian's face over and over again. Unexpectedly, Sebastian did not fight back at all. Yasmine, who was standing beside and watching them, started crying.

Gabriel's punches did not stop until he was exhausted. He glanced at Yasmine dejectedly and said nothing. He turned around and left in desperation.

Yasmine returned to her senses and ran after him. She stood in the rain and grabbed Gabriel's sleeve. "I'm sorry..."

She stammered, only able to say these two words and nothing else.

"How could you do this to me? Madeline, how could you do this to me? You're too evil."

Gabriel looked back at her dejectedly. He pulled the car door open blankly and started the engine to drive away...

In a daze, Yasmine returned to her room and sat next to Sebastian. Neither of them spoke a word. After a long time, Sebastian finally broke the silence, "Could you turn the lights off?" "Why?" she asked softly. "I don't want you to see me in such a mess,"

Yasmine didn't say anything else. She got up and turned the lights off. The room plunged into darkness in an instant. She knew that Sebastian didn't fight back because he felt guilty toward Gabriel. Therefore, he accepted the punches and let Gabriel vent his anger.

"Am I a bad woman...?"

Sebastian's heart tightened. He reached out and put his arm around her shoulder. "You're not. You saved a man who was on the verge of despair. Not once, but twice. You're the best woman in the world." "But I hurt another man."

"It's not your fault. It's the responsibility of the man whom you love. He was the one who did not let others have their peace. It was him who had disrupted your determination to start a new life again and again."