Chapter 816:

She didn’t question his remorse or sincerity then, but they had parted ways almost a year earlier. Elyse heard the sound of sobbing. Looking up, she saw Theo tightly covering his face, trying to mask his tears, his cheeks strained. She didn’t know how to comfort him, sensing he was struggling to keep his composure and not wanting her to witness his tears. Elyse picked up her wine glass, took a sip, and shifted the conversation. “Have you met anyone else this past year who has touched your heart? Why not release yourself from this past relationship and start anew with someone else?”

Theo bit his lip, shook his head vigorously, and then spoke, trying to hold back his emotions. “Once you’ve really loved, it’s difficult to feel the same way about someone else. I know that, despite my wealth, when it comes to love, I’m just an ordinary man. How could I find true love twice?”

Elyse was slightly amused by his remark. “How many relationships have you had that you think you understand true love?”

Theo wiped his face, clearing the moisture, and asserted firmly, “I do understand it. You might not realize it when you’re in true love, but once you’ve been through it, you start to understand and become aware.” He gave a wry smile. “People often say you don’t appreciate what you have until it’s gone. But I didn’t even understand love. No one taught me what love truly meant. Because I’d never really felt love before, I underestimated it when someone loved me. Did I really not need that love? No, I needed it deeply. But by the time I realized it, I had already lost it.”

Theo looked up at Elyse, a trace of sadness in his eyes. “I can’t fault the person who loved me for walking away, because I know she did everything she could. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s me. It’s the part of me that’s still growing.”

Elyse was surprised by how deeply Theo had reflected. Her heart felt a tug. Theo exhaled and chuckled. “I’m a wealthy man. Money and power usually put me above others. But in love, we’re all equal. The only real difference is whether you love or are loved.”

Theo’s smile vanished, leaving his face blank, with a faint trace of sorrow in his eyes. He spoke in a flat tone, “I’m the one who wasn’t loved.”

Elyse simply gazed at him for a moment before lifting her wine glass and taking a sip. The sweetness of the wine offset the bitterness on her tongue. Something crossed her mind, prompting her to say, “But wasn’t Freda fond of you? I remember hearing that you turned her down, and the engagement was called off.” With a wistful smile, she added, “You’re not exactly starved for affection, are you?”

Theo, with a helpless grin, leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “Freda? Yes, she liked me, but that was all. She didn’t truly love me.”

As Elyse picked up her fork and tasted her meal, she probed further, “How can you be so certain she didn’t love you? Isn’t that a bit presumptuous?”

Theo looked directly at Elyse, his eyes alight, and explained, “Because I’ve known real love. I’ve been graced by true affection, which lets me distinguish between mere liking and deep love.”