Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 151: I’ll Marry Her...

At this moment, in the apartment—

Jasper Hawthorne awoke amidst a severe headache.

His consciousness felt submerged at the murky depths, struggling to the surface, accompanied by the sound of a woman’s low sobs echoing in his ears.

The sobbing was intermittent, piercing his eardrums like fine needles.

Stella Sterling?

It’s Stella...

His heart tightened, and he suddenly opened his eyes, turning his head to the side.

Beside the bed, a slender figure was curled up, with her back to him, shoulders slightly trembling. Her long black hair disheveled, covering most of her face, leaving only a fragile, pale neck exposed, on which faint ambiguous red marks could be seen.

Jasper Hawthorne’s breath hitched suddenly, pupils contracting sharply.

The chaotic and fiery fragments from earlier surged into his mind like tides—

He really... really to her...

Jasper Hawthorne’s heart seemed to be gripped fiercely by something, both sour and swollen.

It was heartache, and also a sort of base delight.

Now she belonged to him completely.

"Stella, don’t cry, I’m sorry..."

He leaned over, gently wrapping her trembling body from behind, burying his face in her neck, inhaling the fragrance of her hair, while feeling only the wild joy of regaining something lost, "It’s my fault... don’t be afraid, I will take responsibility, Stella, I will definitely take responsibility for you..."

He felt the body in his arms stiffen for a moment, the sobs seemingly more suppressed.

He assumed she was overwhelmed with shame, feeling more and more compassion, tightening his arms, reassuring repeatedly by her ear, "Don’t cry, okay? Look at me, Stella... from now on, we’ll be together properly, I will never let you be wronged again, I swear..."

He tried to turn her around, wanting to see her face and kiss away her tears.

At this moment—

’Bang’!

The apartment door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, crashing against the wall with a loud noise!

The sudden commotion startled Jasper Hawthorne, making his movements pause as he instinctively looked up.

Audrey Quinn staggered in, her gaze sweeping over the messy bed, finally locking onto the curled-up figure in his arms.

"Mom..." The woman in his arms seemed to have found her backbone, turning around with a heavy sob...

That tear-streaked face, unshielded, crashed directly into Jasper Hawthorne’s line of sight—

Not Stella!

It’s Grace Quinn?!

The tenderness and compassion on Jasper Hawthorne’s face instantly froze, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints!

He seemed struck by lightning right on the top of his head, his mind buzzing, going blank!

How could it be?!

How could it be Grace Quinn?!

Earlier...

Earlier, the one beneath him enduring everything... was actually Grace Quinn?!

A chill surged from the soles of his feet throughout his body, as if his blood had completely solidified at that moment!

He suddenly let go, as if touching something extremely filthy, his body uncontrollably recoiling back, nearly falling off the bed!

"How... how could it be you?!"

Grace cried even harder, clinging to Audrey who rushed over, "Mom! Mom! I’m so scared... sob sob..."

Audrey clutched her daughter tightly, her eyes like poison-coated daggers fiercely cutting at the pale-faced Jasper on the bed.

"Jasper Hawthorne!" Her voice sharp, tinged with tears, "You beast! What did you do to my daughter?! Huh?! Grace is still a child! How could you... how could you bully her like this?!"

Jasper sat dumbfounded on the bed, his bare upper body exposed to the air, covered in goosebumps.

Listening to Audrey’s accusations, seeing Grace’s seemingly deeply wronged appearance, he felt utterly absurd, his stomach churning.

"No... that’s not..." His lips trembled as he tried to explain, but found his throat too dry to make a sound, "I... I thought..."

"You thought?! You thought who?!"

Audrey didn’t give him a chance to speak, her voice rising higher, "You ruined Grace’s purity, that’s a fact! Look! Look at the marks on her! Jasper Hawthorne, are you even human?!"

Jasper’s eyes touched those red marks, closing them suddenly as if scalded, his heart contracting sharply.

It’s over.

All over.

Not only did he fail to salvage Stella, but he also fell into such a disgusting trap!

"Jasper Hawthorne!" Audrey, seeing his reaction, became more aggressive, "What do you have to say for yourself now?! You must take responsibility for Grace! You must marry her!"

"No!" Jasper opened his eyes suddenly, bloodshot, shouting hoarsely in refusal, "Impossible! I will never marry her!"

Marry Grace Quinn?

Absolutely not!

"You refuse?!" Audrey seemed completely enraged by his refusal, standing abruptly, pointing at his nose, "Jasper Hawthorne! Have you forgotten who saved you back then? Don’t be ungrateful!"

Her words were like a rusty blunt knife, fiercely slicing open Jasper’s dusty memories.

Yes.

Five years ago, it was Audrey who pushed him out of the way, saving his life, and ended up bedridden for five full years.

He had always remembered this debt of gratitude.

So later on, he tolerated Grace many times, even hurting Stella for her...

But he never expected that this gratitude would become their bargaining chip for coercion!

"Auntie Quinn..." Jasper’s voice was painfully strained, "I’ve always remembered that gratitude, I’ve been repaying you all along... but that can’t... can’t be a reason to make me marry Grace! These are two separate matters!"

"How is it two separate matters?!" Audrey was anxious beyond measure, "Jasper, consider this an aunt’s plea to you, please? Considering I saved you back then, can’t you... can’t you give Grace a chance at life? In her current state, how can she ever marry anyone else?!"

Jasper sat there stiffly, allowing Audrey to shake him.

A massive sense of powerlessness and despair overwhelmed him like a tide.

Gratitude.

Responsibility.

These two words were like two heavy mountains, weighing down on his back, leaving him breathless.

Was his life to be bound this way?

To marry a woman he loathed, destroying all possibilities with Stella?

No...

He couldn’t do it.

Yet, the words of rejection stuck in his throat.

His fists clenched tightly, nails digging deep into his palms, drawing blood, yet he felt no pain.

His mind was a chaotic buzz.

One side was reason screaming madly, the other was morality mercilessly lashing.

Seeing him still silent, Audrey’s eyes hardened, suddenly letting go of him, lunging as if to crash into the wall!

"Fine! Fine! You won’t agree! Then I’ll die in front of you!"

"Mom!" Grace screamed in panic.

Jasper’s pupils constricted, almost instinctively grasping Audrey tightly!

"Auntie Quinn! Don’t do this!"

Audrey, held back by him, collapsed to the ground, wailing, "What’s the point of living... my daughter was violated, and they refuse to acknowledge it... I might as well die..."

Jasper slowly closed his eyes, his Adam’s apple rolling with difficulty, tasting the thick metallic taste rising in the back of his throat.

Every word, like being squeezed out mixed with blood from between his teeth, "...Alright."

He opened his eyes, his gaze one of deathly despair, devoid of any light.

"I will marry."

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Audrey’s crying abruptly stopped.

Grace ceased her sobbing, secretly lifting her tear-filled eyes.

But Jasper looked at none of them.

He was like a puppet stripped of his soul, numbly repeating himself.

"I will marry her."