Chapter 152

Layla's eyes widened in astonishment at the sight of Samuel.

"What are you doing back?" she blurted out.

Her heart, once filled with hopelessness and bitterness, nearly ceased to beat. But at the sight of him, it thrummed violently.

A flash of joy crossed her heart but was quickly followed by panic.

"I missed you!" Samuel's gaze burned with intensity. He stepped forward and pulled her into a fierce embrace, conveying fiery declarations of longing.

His arms warm and strong, held her tightly as if trying to fuse her into his chest, and yet it felt like it was never tight enough.

He had never experienced such intense yearning before, akin to towering waves and raging flames. The torment of waiting for her felt excruciating, pushing him to the brink of madness.

"I missed you so much," Samuel whispered as he cupped her face and kissed her hard, unleashing all his passion and yearning.

His kiss was too passionate, and Layla staggered backward, trying to push him away.

"Let go of me."

She shouldn't claim his kiss; she had no right.

"Samuel..."

But the man, wild with longing, couldn't quench the fire inside him with a single kiss. His hands began to tear at her clothes.

"Baby, I really missed you...

"I'm going crazy with missing you," he called out fervently.

He wanted her to meld into his very essence.

He buried his face in her neck.

Layla, barely holding on under the weight of his desire, protested, "Let go of me...

"I have something to say..." Layla shrieked, full of resistance.

"Let go!" she nearly screamed.

Samuel, with a dissatisfied expression, paused, panting. "What's wrong? I'll be gentle; I won't hurt you, sweetheart."

He thought she was worried about that.

"Don't you miss me, baby?" he whispered, his voice soft yet heavy with yearning.

"I..." Layla's throat tightened, the urge to capitulate washing over her like a wave. She longed to pretend as if nothing ever happened, that this aching break between them simply didn't exist-but that wouldn't be fair to him; she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Tears welling in her eyes, she summoned every ounce of resolve within her to be unyielding, to be cold.

This was the moment.

No matter how excruciating the pain, she knew it was time to cut the Gordian knot.

"We need to break up," she managed to say, straining to steady her voice, a voice that threatened to betray her shattered heart.

The words hit Samuel like a sucker punch. His expression remained frozen at first, then twisted into panic before he awkwardly mustered a hollow smile. "What's wrong? Are you mad at me? Was I too rough just now? I just missed you too much." He stumbled through his words.

Layla shook her head.

"Is it because I didn't take you on that trip abroad?

"Or because I haven't called these past couple of days?

"I rushed back as fast as I could," he pleaded.

However, Layla could only continue shaking her head, struggling to speak through the acidic lump in her throat. Her eyes stinged with unshed tears.

"Baby..." he said, his tone softening. "I know hormones can make you emotional, and young women sometimes threaten a breakup in the heat of the moment. I get it, I'm not taking it seriously."

Samuel tried to soothe her, "Don't be upset, okay? I promise I won't touch you. You hungry? Let's go grab some food."

The kinder he was, the worse Layla felt. She shook her head even more fervently.

He wasn't supposed to be this nice; he should have stormed out by now.

Her heart was like it was corroding in sulfuric acid-sharp, unbearable pain with a stinging aftertaste.

"First, dry your eyes, then let's go eat," offered Samuel, reaching to wipe away her tears, but Layla swatted his hand away and stepped back.

"I'm not mad, and I don't blame you," she said, her voice cold and detached. "But I've made up my mind. We are breaking up."

"Stop joking around!" Frustration furrowed Samuel's brow, unease mingled with anger evident on his face.

"I've thought it through," Layla inhaled deeply, her voice still quivering despite her efforts to control it.

"What happened? You've been acting off since before I left," he said, stepping back to give her space, hoping for an explanation but grappling with this harsh reality instead.

Was 'breaking up' just something one said on a whim?

"Being with you is exhausting. The pressure from your family, from the outside world-it's too much for me. I feel smothered by it every second of the day. I can't breathe. This isn't the life I signed up for. If it keeps up, I'm going to collapse. I've tried so hard to bear it all, but I can't," she confessed with a bitter smile, finally looking him squarely in the eye with her reddened, somber gaze.

"You can't feel it, can you? Because you're on the side that doesn't have to give in-or give up. But I'm struggling here, and it's wearing me down."

Samuel sighed, his tone growing softer, "I get it, you're under a lot of pressure. I've been careless, ignoring your feelings. I haven't been doing right by you, but from now on, I'll try harder, okay?

"You can voice your complaints, let it all out, but don't just throw around the idea of breaking up. You know that's not an option for us. Haven't we decided to get married, to raise our child together with love and care?"

"You cornered me into it! If you hadn't used my brother's life as leverage, I would have never agreed!" Layla declared with resolute rejection.

The softness in Samuel's eyes suddenly cracked.

These words truly enraged him.

He had used that as leverage in the past to convince her to keep the child. But he thought that after spending time together, their feelings had changed, deepened even. Had it all just been one-sided on his part?

What did she really think about their relationship?

"Are you telling me that you still feel coerced? That you have no feelings for me?"

"...Yes." Layla's voice trembled as she spoke.

"Then why are your eyes so red right now? Layla, I'm not a fool. I can sense whether you like me or not. You've admitted it yourself that you do."

Those endearing smiles, the sweetness in her shy glances - they couldn't all be faked.

"Yes... I like you, but I don't love you. I can't shoulder such heavy pressure for someone I don't love that deeply. This life... it's not what I want." Her voice broke with emotion. "I'm sorry. We are all selfish. I'm only twenty-one, and not mentally prepared. I thought I could handle it, but I can't. I don't want to force myself anymore."

Her voice was now distorted with bitterness.

"Let's end the pregnancy. I want to start over."

When she uttered the words "end the pregnancy," Samuel's restrained anger erupted.

He had rushed back eagerly to see her, only to be confront with a sudden breakup, a shock that left him feeling deeply disappointed and furious.

But what infuriated him the most was her seemingly nonchalant attitude towards terminating their child, a child he had already embraced as part of his life. Did it hold no significance for her at all?

"Say that again?" Samuel stepped forward, and Layla, frightened, stumbled several steps back, accidentally knocking over the vase on the cabinet.

Crash- The vase shattered on the floor, sending a jarring noise echoing through the room.

Watching her cower, Samuel's anger intensified.

Did she think he would hit her? Was that the kind of man she believed him to be?

All of it suddenly seemed so absurd.