Chapter 196

Charles never once looked away from Stella's face. He could see the sadness in her eyes—plain as day. "What's wrong?" His voice came out weak. "You don't wanna see me anymore or what?" Yeah... wouldn't blame her. After all the crap he pulled before, it made sense she couldn't stand the sight of him now. Trying to break the heaviness in the air, he forced a crooked smile, "Don't worry, I won't bug you too much. Just being able to look at you from far away is enough." That one line landed like a punch to Stella's heart. She couldn't hold it back anymore—tears streamed down her cheeks before she knew it. "No—it's not like that!" She shook her head, voice trembling. It was never about not wanting to see him. The smile froze on Charles's face. He instinctively tried to reach out, wipe the tears from her face... but he couldn't even lift his hand. Not even for that. "Stella?" His voice wavered, panic creeping in. "What's going on?" She had to say it now—dragging it out would only make it wor