Ch. 1211..1220

Loving You In Secret Chapter 1211-Before Vicky could think, she felt a gun pressed against her head, followed by the sound of someone chuckling.

"Tyler, put your gun down."

Vicky jolted and turned around, realizing that Lincoln had somehow appeared behind her and was pointing a gun at her. There was the same gentle smile on his face, but the look in his eyes was sharp like she had never seen before.

Vicky was baffled as she wondered if Lincoln was acting.

Tyler's eyes narrowed, and his expression = darkened. "So you're finally sick of keeping up the act, huh, Lincoln?"

"That's right. Wearing a mask for too long can be exhausting. " Lincoln smiled faintly. "But you've been wearing a mask all this time to deceive Vicky as well. Don't you feel tired of that?"

Tyler's gaze darkened as he remained silent.

Lincoln pretended to be surprised. "I've decided to reveal everything. Are you...planning to keep hiding the truth? Do you still refuse to own up to the truth, even when I took credit for your work as the mysterious man?"

Vicky trembled and instinctively gaped at Tyler.

Tyler did not look at her and kept his gaze fixed on Lincoln, glowering as he did.

Lincoln tapped the trigger with his finger gently with a smile on his face. "Tyler, didn't I ask you to put down the gun?

Didn't you hear me?"

After a few seconds of silence, Tyler threw the gun he held onto the floor.

Lincoln signaled his subordinates to take Tyler's gun and instructed, "You can all leave."

His subordinates complied and left. With a soft laugh, Lincoln continued, "Now that everyone else is gone, we can have a heart-to-heart conversation."

He lowered his head to look at Vicky and asked, "Vicky, don't you want to say something?"

"What did you mean by what you said just now?" Although Vicky was talking to Lincoln, her eyes never left Tyler, not wanting to miss any change in his expression.

"Vicky, you're a smart woman, so you should be able to guess what I mean." Time was running out, and Lincoln did not waste any time beating around the bush. "I'm sorry, but I lied to you. I wasn't the guy who's been helping you."

"If that's the case, why didn't you deny it and even admit it when I asked?"

"Before coming to Stoneford City, I conducted a detailed investigation on you. I knew all about your relationships, including friends and your ex-fiance, but the one person I didn't know anything about...was the mysterious person you mentioned." Lincoln casually played with the gun in his

hand. "I was surprised the first time you mentioned the mysterious person. A person simply cannot exist without leaving some sort of trace behind, but the person you described left no trace. No matter how much I looked into it, I couldn't find a single clue."

Lincoln shot Tyler a knowing glance.

It was intriguing that even Old Mister Hart could not find anything about what Tyler had been silently doing when he brought Tyler back to the Hart family, which indicated just how meticulous Tyler was.

Despite acting as the mysterious person, Lincoln had no idea who the person Vicky was referring to could be, and he never expected it to be Tyler.

Noticing that Lincoln was looking into him, Tyler refrained from contacting Vicky for a long time as the mysterious man, allowing Lincoln to keep up his act.

Shortly after, the real mysterious person contacted Vicky again, saying they would take her away, and this happened right after Vicky misunderstood Tyler for ruining her face.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 1212-Lincoln was a perspective man and would not let the slightest hint escape him.

Following this faint trail, Lincoln began his investigation but found very little useful information. Nonetheless, his intuition told him that Tyler was related to the mysterious man somehow.

Everything seemed to fall into place with a direction in mind. However, no matter how convinced he was that Tyler was the mysterious person, it would only be speculation as long as Tyler refused to admit it.

Therefore, Lincoln planned the kidnapping, determined to unveil Tyler’s true identity.

Lincoln feigned confusion at Tyler's silence. "I don't understand you. On one hand, you're pushing Vicky into despair, but on the other hand, you're secretly helping her. What's your motive? It's the same thing with you telling everyone that you and she were divorced, when in reality... you haven't divorced at all. What are you trying to do?"

Vicky was stunned by Lincoln's words as she was merely trying to maintain her composure upon learning that Tyler was the mysterious person all along.

"What did you just say?" she asked Lincoln while she stared at Tyler.

Lincoln looked at her with surprise. "Vicky, don’t you know

about this?"

"Lincoln, are you trying to mess with me?"

Lincoln smiled. "I know you don't believe me, but why don't you ask Tyler? You can find out about the truth from him, right?"

Vicky stared at Tyler unwaveringly as Tyler refused to meet her gaze. Her blood ran cold as she knew his silence meant he was admitting to what Lincoln was saying.

The shock left Vicky feeling light-headed, and she staggered backward, her body on the verge of collapsing.

Lincoln reached out in time to support her. "Vicky, are you alright?"

As soon as Lincoln touched Vicky, Tyler's eyes gleamed maliciously. "Take your hand off her!" He demanded.

Lincoln chuckled lightly. "Tyler, it's better for a man to be magnanimous. Instead of explaining yourself to her, here you are getting jealous over the tiniest thing."

Tyler's expression darkened. "Lincoln, let her go."

Lincoln did not continue provoking him and cooperatively released her hand before asking curiously, "Tyler, can you explain why you're a walking dichotomy?"

Lincoln could not fathom what Tyler was truly thinking as Tyler could not seem to make up his mind about how he felt about Vicky.

Tyler's voice remained cold. "Why should I explain myself to you?"

"Alright, you don't have to explain yourself to me." Lincoln shrugged. "But shouldn't you at least explain yourself to Vicky?"

Tyler fell into silence.

Just then, Vicky sneered. "I'm just a toy to play with when you're bored, aren't I, Tyler Hart? You put me in despair, then came to rescue me as though you’re my savior. Once I trust you, you then tell me that the one person I'm most thankful to is the same person who hurt me most... Do you hate me that much, Tyler, to the point that you'd spend years plotting against me? Are you never going to stop until I go crazy?

"Oh, right. There's also the divorce. You made me think we can start fresh, then divorce me, only so that you can come and tell me that we were never divorced once I start living a new life." She gritted her teeth. "All this, just to show me that I can never escape your control-that I'll forever be yours to toy with!"

Everything had been a lie, and her life had been completely ruined by Tyler.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 1213-Tyler moved his lips to explain himself as he looked into Vicky's bloodshot eyes, but all explanation was reduced to a few words. "I didn't want that."

Vicky no longer cared what intention Tyler bore and glared at him. "Tyler, I will never believe you or forgive you ever again!"

Tyler panted heavily and clenched his fists. However, when he spotted Lincoln smiling, the look in his eyes darkened.

Lincoln exposed Tyler in front of Vicky to mess with his head, and he knew that he had to keep calm to get Vicky out alive, so he turned to look at Lincoln and said, "State your terms."

He was negotiating with Lincoln in the hope to discuss the conditions for him to release Vicky.

Before Lincoln could speak, several gunshots rang out from outside. Hurried footsteps followed, and Lincoln's men anxiously approached to report.

"Young Master, we're surrounded! We need to leave here quickly."

Lincoln remained calm. "It seems I underestimated your strength, Tyler. You managed to eliminate my men so quickly." He pointed his gun back at Vicky's head. "Vicky, for me to leave here alive, you'll have to endure a little discomfort."

Tyler's voice turned cold. "Release Vicky, and I'll let you walk away in one piece."

Lincoln smiled warmly. "Sorry, but I don't trust you."

Tyler's expression darkened, and he was about to step forward when Lincoln continued, "I don't want to harm Vicky..." Lincoln wore a gentle smile, yet his gaze was merciless. "But if you don't care about Vicky's safety, don't blame me for not caring as well."

Despite being in the wrong, Lincoln had always been able to shift all the blame onto others.

Tyler tensed and refrained from moving recklessly.

Lincoln narrowed his eyes cunningly.

Had he not discovered Tyler's divorce from Vicky was a sham, he would have thought Tyler’s actions were driven by nothing more than resentment and revenge against her.

However, it seemed that Vicky was incredibly important to him.

Vicky was still Tyler's Achilles' heel after all these years, and with such an obvious weakness, Tyler could not win against Lincoln.

Lincoln held Vicky hostage and walked toward the door, and he remained vigilant as he walked past Tyler.

Although he had a gun, he could not be sure if Tyler would suddenly act as this was his only chance to snatch Vicky from Lincoln's grasp.

Despite the gun being pointed at Vicky, Tyler did not hesitate or back down.

In that fleeting moment, Tyler made his move.

Instead of immediately trying to free Vicky, he first attempted to disarm Lincoln, as taking the gun away was the only way to ensure that Vicky's life was out of harm's way.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 1214-Lincoln had taken precautions, but he still underestimated Tyler's skill and decisiveness. He never expected Tyler to first seize the gun instead of going for Vicky.

In the blink of an eye, Tyler snatched the gun in Lincoln's hand. His speed was astonishing, leaving Lincoln with no time to react.

As soon as Tyler seized the gun, he pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang! A piercing sound echoed as the bullet flew toward Lincoln with lightning speed.

Lincoln's eyes widened, and he was barely able to dodge in time; the bullet grazed his hair and hit the wall behind him.

Seeing that he missed Lincoln, Tyler quickly pulled the trigger two more times.

Bang! Bang!

It was impossible to dodge three bullets in an instant, so Lincoln could only choose to evade the vital shots, allowing the remaining two bullets to pierce his body.

Tyler's gaze turned ruthless, and he emitted a chilling aura.

Lincoln's men quickly opened fire at Tyler.

Tyler agilely evaded the bullets, his expression indifferent as he retaliated by firing several shots at Lincoln's men.

Tyler's marksmanship was impeccable as he did not miss a single shot. Eventually, his enemies fell to the ground.

Glancing at the stupefied Vicky, Tyler narrowed his eyes.

No longer interested in continuing the fight, he held Vicky protectively in his arms and swiftly left the scene.

Shortly after Tyler's departure, Lincoln's men found Lincoln, who had been shot.

"Young Master! Are you alright?"

All color drained from Lincoln's face. Suppressing the pain he felt, he grunted, "Are all preparations in place?"

His subordinate replied, "We've followed your instructions and are ready. This time, we'll make sure Tyler doesn't leave alive!"

On the surface, Lincoln told Avery that today's events were meant to sow discord between Tyler and Vicky. However, in reality, he had made secret arrangements.

He had invested so much energy and time into his plan that he wanted more than just to drive them apart but to take Tyler's life as well.

He had not forgotten for a single day about how Tyler nearly ruined him in the past. On top of that, Old Mister Hart intended to support Tyler and neutralize Lincoln's power, which Lincoln refused to accept. Killing Tyler would resolve his issues permanently.

The look in Lincoln's eyes darkened. "Tyler cares deeply about Vicky, so we can harm Vicky to distract Tyler. At any given chance, kill Tyler at all costs!"

"Understood! I'll make the arrangements," said his subordinate.

Several men quickly left, leaving a few others to tend to Lincoln's injuries.

Along the way, gunshots continued to reverberate.

As soon as Tyler learned of Vicky's kidnapping, he rushed over without waiting for his reinforcements.

Although he had brought a few people with him, they were inadequate compared to Lincoln's well-prepared forces.

Vicky dazedly allowed herself to be dragged away by Tyler.

The gunshots rang in her ears, but she could not associate herself with reality.

Tyler's warm embrace shielded her from all the gunshots, and all she remembered was that they ran into a lot of enemies along the way, but Tyler took care of them with ease.

Eventually, Tyler stopped in front of a car and opened the door to the passenger's seat. "Get in."

His voice was cold and alert as he scanned his surroundings.

Vicky was about to get into the car when she heard another gunshot.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 1215-A bullet struck the rear-viewing mirror and shattered it.

Tyler's eyes widened at the sight of the sniper who fired the shot. A tinge of urgency seeped into his voice as he commanded, "Get in the car-"

Bang!

Before the words had even left his lips, another bullet flew past.

Tyler swiftly pushed Vicky away, and the bullet landed on the ground behind her. He narrowed his eyes at the realization that the target was not him but Vicky instead.

His suspicion was confirmed as gunshots erupted from different directions, zooming toward Vicky at a speed that was too fast to dodge. Among them, a bullet was aimed at Vicky's head.

Vicky watched as the bullet raced toward her, her life flashing before her eyes.

At that moment, Tyler sidestepped and shielded Vicky, blocking the bullet. His body tensed momentarily.

Warm blood splattered onto Vicky’s face, leaving her staggered.

"You..." Vicky began to speak, but Tyler forcefully pushed her into the car.

"Get in the car first."

Thump! The door slammed shut.

Instead of immediately getting into the car, Tyler fired several shots in a certain direction as bullets continued to hit the passenger door sporadically.

Vicky realized that she was the intended target. Lincoln's men's ultimate goal was to kill Tyler, but since they could not get to Tyler, they shifted their focus onto her.

Throughout their way out, Tyler remained unharmed, but as soon as the attackers redirected their firepower to Vicky, he was injured.

It seemed that killing her proved more effective than directly confronting Tyler.

After dealing with the hidden sniper, Tyler quickly got into the car and started it swiftly.

Tyler remained composed as he gripped the steering wheel steadily. "Don't be afraid," he said, his voice clear and sound. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Vicky's lips trembled, but she could not find the words to speak.

Suddenly, her gaze swept over a red stain on Tyler's fingertips.

Blood dripped down his slender fingers, and she remembered that he had taken a bullet for her when they were about to get into the car.

"Tyler," Vicky said hoarsely. "You're hurt."

Tyler narrowed his eyes and spotted the concern in her eyes, his lips curling into a faint smile. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Vicky moved her lips but did not say a word.

It was a moment of life or death, and she had no time to think about anything else.

Despite her silence, Tyler seemed insistent on getting verbal confirmation from her. "Vicky, you still care about me, don't you?"

She turned her head away. "Have you called for backup? When will your backup get here?"

Tyler's expression darkened when he realized she was running from confrontation.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 1216-"My men will take a while to get here," said Tyler.

Vicky remained quiet for a while before saying, "You're hurt. Let me drive."

"I'm fine," he said coolly. "My vital organs are safe."

She frowned. "You can still bleed out."

"Would you care?"

"..." Vicky lowered her head in silence.

"Since you don't care, whether I die shouldn't matter to you," he said with a cold expression. "You've always wanted to get rid of me, so you should be happy to see me die. After all, that means you can stop thinking of ways to get away from me."

Rage coursed through Vicky at his words. "That's right, I desperately want to get as far as possible away from you..." she gritted out. "I even wish that we never see each other again."

Tyler tightened his grip on the steering wheel, and the back of his hand, stained with blood, revealed faintly bulging veins.

Tyler pursed his lips silently, but his gaze was extremely gloomy.

Vicky sneered, "You caused the car accident to make me lose my memory. You fabricated a bunch of lies to deceive me, pretended to be the masked man to intimidate me, and then posed as a mysterious person to rescue and help me. You proposed the divorce, yet that's another one of your plays... Tyler, don't tell me you have multiple personalities!"

Tyler responded in displeasure, "Did Lincoln tell you all this?"

"Isn't it true?" Vicky asked.

There was a moment of silence from Tyler. "I didn't cause the car accident."

"So you did everything else, right?"

Tyler fell silent.

Vicky knew what his silence meant. She never meant to argue with him at this moment, but Tyler's attitude caused her to lose her temper.

All the pain and struggle for years had all been over nothing. If only Tyler had just considered her feelings, they would not have had so many conflicts.

She did not know how he truly felt about her in his heart and wondered if she was merely a toy to him.

The car sped along, but the atmosphere inside the car became increasingly tense.

"Vicky." After an unknown amount of time, Tyler's low, hoarse voice broke the silence. "I'm sorry."

"Do you ever feel like you've done something wrong?" Vicky turned her head and said mockingly, "I thought you'd never

admit to any mistakes."

Seemingly unsure of what to say, Tyler fell silent again.

Tyler never explained himself unless he was asked.

Vicky stared expressionlessly at the passing scenery outside the window. "How did you make me lose my memory?"

Her memories had fully recovered and recalled that she ran into a car accident because she was in a dazed state. By the time she snapped out of her thoughts, she was already running into another car, so the accident did not seem like it was intentionally caused.

At this point, Tyler no longer concealed the truth. "Hypnosis."

Although this had been investigated and confirmed, Vicky felt dumbfounded upon hearing him admit it.

"Why did you make me lose my memory?" she asked. "Why did you fabricate some fictional things to deceive me?"

After losing her memory, most of the things that Tyler told her were lies.

"You said I schemed to sleep with you, but isn't the person who helped me marry you none other than yourself? You should've been well aware of the truth when I was pretending to be pregnant, right?"

He moved his lips and uttered a single word.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 1217-"Yes."

Tyler knew that Vicky's pregnancy was fake but was distracted by Alex at the time and did not notice she was truly pregnant.

Vicky ended up losing their child because of Alex, and the thought of his lost child caused Tyler's expression to darken.

He had thought he would be willing to let go of the past and start fresh with Vicky if they had a child of their own. He needed a reason to let go of the past, and a child was the perfect reason for them to restore their relationship.

It was fine when she was merely pretending to be pregnant, yet she risked her life for Alex despite being pregnant, which caused Tyler to think that their child was not as important to Vicky as Alex was.

Meanwhile, Vicky's heart ached at the memories of her lost child.

The death of their child hurt Tyler, but it was also something she could never forgive herself about.

"Whether you believe it or not, I didn't know at that time that I was pregnant..." she said and paused to look at Tyler. "You were so certain I was using the child to threaten you and refused to believe my explanation. Is it because you knew that I wasn't pregnant at the start?"

Tyler was the so-called mysterious person, and he was the one who fabricated her pregnancy report, so he knew her physical condition better than anyone else. Vicky, on the other hand, did not know a thing at the time, so she decided to use the 'fake child' to threaten Tyler.

Tyler knew she was not pregnant and eventually agreed to let Alex go because he had reconciled with Vicky and did not want things to escalate further.

What he did not expect was that Vicky had actually become pregnant during the time they had been together, and as he thought back to how Vicky threatened him with their child to let Alex go, Tyler concluded Vicky must have known she was actually pregnant.

Since then, there was no possibility of repairing their relationship.

Tyler did not seem interested in discussing the matter further. "All of that is in the past."

Vicky took a deep breath. "Then why did you hypnotize me?"

Once again, Tyler remained silent for a long time. When asked a question he did not want to answer, he would remain silent.

Seeing his reluctance to respond, Vicky did not want to ask any further questions.

Their marriage was full of traumas and could never return to normalcy or how it was like in the past.

Just as Vicky thought he would not answer, Tyler finally spoke. "I wanted to try again."

Vicky twitched. "What?"

"Do you remember what you were doing before you lost your memory?"

Vicky's gaze flickered.

After losing the child, their relationship deteriorated significantly.

Three years of torment in their marriage became unbearable, and she had proposed a divorce before losing her memory.

He threatened that he had not retaliated enough and refused to divorce her, eventually avoiding returning home altogether. When she went to his company to find him, the receptionist blocked her from entering.

Their marriage somehow managed to continue for another whole year. On her birthday, Tyler finally agreed to the divorce, only for her to run into a car accident on her way out.

Loving You In Secret Chapter 1218-Vicky looked at Tyler. "Are you saying...you chose to hypnotize me because you didn't want a divorce?"

Tyler did not deny it, which meant he was admitting to it.

Vicky snorted. "Your so-called 'trying again' meant taking advantage of my amnesia and fabricating lies, saying that I was the one who stubbornly refused to divorce you?"

It would be understandable that outsiders were unaware of the truth spreading such rumors, but Tyler knew everything. He knew, yet he painted her as a despicable woman who would do anything to marry him!

Vicky simply could not empathize with Tyler's thought process.

"Fine, I'll assume that you hypnotized and deceived me because you didn't want a divorce, but why did you switch up and proposed a divorce? You even went so far as to send me to jail and used various means to force me into accepting it..." Vicky sneered. "Tyler, is this your idea of not wanting a divorce?"

Tyler's eyebrows furrowed in disagreement. Since he had been exposed by Lincoln, Tyler no longer bothered pretending and said, "We haven't divorced."

"Haven't we? But we signed the divorce agreement and obtained the divorce certificate from the Civil Administration Office."

"Those were fake."

Vicky gazed at his indifferent expression, unable to comprehend how he could say such things without any shame or remorse.

"But they're real to me," Vicky said coldly. "You were never going to tell me this had Lincoln not exposed you, right?"

"No." Tyler quickly denied it. "I planned to tell you when we arrived in Auran—"

"Are you planning to use the mysterious person's identity to help me escape from here, and then appear once I reach Auran as yourself?" she rebutted. "That way, you can make me realize that I can never escape from your grasp and tell me that we're still married all along; that all my attempts to flee and struggle were in vain."

"..." Tyler fell silent once again, confirming Vicky's suspicions.

She knew just what kind of a person he was after being with him for so many years, and she continued, "You'll then use this 'mysterious person' who helped me as a threat if I choose to leave, wouldn't you?"

Using himself as a means of coercion was something Tyler was undoubtedly capable of. Moreover, finding someone to act in a play was easy for him, and Vicky even suspected whether Sheila had also been someone he brought in to put up an act.

To some extent, Tyler was close to succeeding, and the only thing he had missed was Lincoln's interference.

Tyler opened his mouth to speak but could not utter a word because Vicky was right.

Vicky's expression darkened. "You still haven't told me what your intention is to pretend like we're divorced?"

Sometimes, Vicky felt like she knew Tyler like the back of her hand, yet at other times, she would feel like she did not know him at all.

"You recovered your memories without telling me." He swallowed hard and continued hoarsely, "I suspected that you claiming that you want to start over is merely just an act to get my guards down."

"So, you were trying to see if my feelings toward you were real?"

Loving You In Secret Chapter 1219-Vicky stared at Tyler’s perfectly sculpted profile. "And what did your tests reveal? You're dissatisfied, thinking I gave up too easily. You never told me the truth because you never truly believed in me.

"Tyler, do you think you can control everything? Do you believe I can't escape you no matter how you treat me?" Vicky stared at Tyler unwaveringly and drawled, "Tyler, you're so selfish that you've only considered yourself without caring about others' feelings!"

"Is it all my fault?" Tyler's long fingers clenched the steering wheel tightly, his voice restrained. "You say I don't believe in you and that I've never considered your feelings, but did you believe in me or considered my feelings when you broke up with me? If only you trusted me a little more, we wouldn't have ended up like this!"

Vicky's face grew pale. Indeed, she never told him the true reason behind their breakup.

The car was practically flying at the speed of lightning as the speedometer exceeded 200.

It seemed that Tyler could no longer suppress the emotions accumulated within him for years, so he continued, "The Harts found you and told you to break up with me, but why did you not mention anything to me? Are you happy with playing the martyr who sacrificed for love and chose to become the bad guy?" Tyler's tone turned cold and ironic."

In reality, you were just hurting me under the guise of looking out for my best interests."

True dedication and sacrifice should only be given when the other person actually needed it, and offering sacrifices for someone who did not need it would merely be selfindulgence.

Vicky trembled, unable to find words to refute because he was right. She did not believe he could stand up against the entire Hart family, considering the Harts' long history and vast power.

It was not that she had not tried to persist or struggled, but in the end, she was still too young back then and walked right into the Harts' trap.

Vicky turned her head away. "What's the point of saying all this now?"

"You're right, there's no point in doing this." Tyler calmly gazed ahead. "Since the past is in the past, let's not bring up those matters again. As for the divorce, I want you to forget about it as well."

Vicky trembled slightly. "Tyler, with everything that has happened, do you seriously think we can stilL.be together?"

"Why not?" Tyler’s voice remained calm.

"You don’t trust me, and I don't trust you. How can a marriage like this work? Have you considered that if we keep going, our marriage will still be vulnerable to hardship when the same thing happens?"

"I only care about right now."

Vicky shook her head. "Sorry, but I can't accept this."

"It doesn't matter." Tyler remained calm. "Whether you accept it or not won't change a thing."

'Won't change a thing... Ha!' Vicky thought.

She looked outside the window and saw her reflection.

She did not wish to live under Tyler's control and worry about what he would do to her every single day; she did not want to live with the fear that she might wake up one day to find her face ruined.

"I can't tell if you are telling the truth anymore," she said with resignation. "Tyler, let's just stop."

Loving You In Secret Chapter 1220-"Not happening," he said without hesitation.

Old traits would die hard, and Vicky realized that Tyler had not changed.

"Tyler, have you forgotten that I said I'll never forgive you?"

Tyler remained unwavering.

"Tyler, let's just take some time apart."

He ignored her and changed the subject. 'TH take you to Auran after this."

"What exactly do I have to do for you to let me go?"

"You can meet Cece and Jennifer as well."

Tyler's refusal to listen to reason pushed Vicky into a hysterical state.

" Tyler, the reason I don't want to be with you isn't just because of all the misunderstandings and hurt between us. The biggest part of it is that I don't love you anymore," Vicky said, her voice barely audible.

The air around them grew colder as Tyler's expression turned cold. He sneered and said, "You don't love me anymore? Who do you love, then? Lincoln?" Tyler's eyes gleamed menacingly. "Haven't you figured it out yet? He's just using you to get to me. He doesn't care if you live or die. Don't tell me you're still infatuated with such a hypocrite."

Vicky realized that Lincoln had been using her, but to completely break Tyler's heart, she calmly replied, "It doesn't matter. I'm willing to let him use me.”

Tyler's breath quickened. "Vicky, if you dare to-"

Tyler instinctively threatened her, but he quickly realized he had nothing left to use against her.

He himself was confused why he tried to cling to her while constantly testing her as though he was not content with their relationship. He was always torn between conflicting emotions without knowing what it was that troubled him.

It was only at this moment that he understood.

He could not bear knowing she did not love him; all those notions of revenge and the debt she owed him were excuses he wanted to hold onto without admitting that to himself.

He needed a reason to convince himself to hang onto the past.

He wanted a child of their own so he could let go of the past and start anew, and he constantly searched for signs that she still loved him.

Alas, Vicky claimed that she had lost all love for him.

"Vicky." All the emotions he could name in the past gradually settled at this moment, and he reached an eerie calmness. "Do you really not love me anymore?"

Unaware of his peculiar demeanor, Vicky simply wanted him to let go and spoke slowly, "Yes, I don't love you anymore."

"What if I say that I still love you?"

Vicky froze and turned to him in disbelief.

His expression remained indifferent, devoid of any emotions; his tone was casual.

"You... What did you just say?" she asked.

Tyler continued driving without looking at her, though he repeated, "I still love you."

His voice did not waver and was filled with determination.