Chapter 723
Jarred suddenly let out a faint smile, a hint of peace settling into his expression.
He looked down at Sienna standing quietly by his side, then pulled her behind a thick tree trunk.
Crouching down in front of her, he gently turned her shoulders so she faced him.
The moonlight cast pale shadows over his face; there were smudges of dirt on his cheekbones, and his lips had lost their color.
Yet his deep eyes remained as bright as day.
“Sienna,” he called her softly, his voice raspy. “Are you scared p>
Sienna stared into his eyes.
The sea breeze whipped the stray hairs across her forehead into a messy tangle.
Her breathing hadn’t leveled out, her chest still heaving from the run.
But her expression was incredibly serene, as still as a deep pool of water undisturbed by the wind.
“Everyone dies eventually. There’s nothing to be scared of p>
She paused, a flicker of melancholy crossing her gaze. “It’s just… I have some regrets p>
Jarred stared at her for two seconds, the smile on his lips deepening slightly.
But deep in his eyes, something heavy sank.
He knew her regret was Owen.
In this world, perhaps Owen was the only person she could never, ever let go of.
Jarred’s voice grew impossibly soft, so quiet it was almost swallowed by the howling wind.
“In your regrets… am I there p>
Sienna looked up at him.
A thin layer of night dew clung to his eyelashes, turning silver under the moonlight.
He crouched less than a foot away from her, the blood seeping from his shoulder having completely saturated his jacket.
Blooming into an inky darkness against the fabric.
Sienna knew exactly what kind of answer he was hoping for when he asked that question.
And he looked as though he had braced himself to accept whatever she said.
She didn’t want to lie to him.
Looking at the desperate hope buried in his eyes, she stayed quiet for a moment before shaking her head gently.
“No p>
All their tangled love and hatred had long been exhausted in countless nights of sheer disappointment.
The light in Jarred’s eyes instantly died out, it felt as if the freezing cliff winds had violently impaled his chest, unleashing a suffocating wave of despair that consumed him entirely.
He had known this would be her answer.
He had authored this ending himself; he deserved every bit of it.
But hearing the words out loud still caused unimaginable agony.
He had no right to complain, no right to feel bitter. He could only force himself to swallow the pain.
He reached out and pulled her into a gentle embrace, holding her so softly he was almost trembling.
It was as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones, clinging to this final, fleeting moment of tenderness.
“You must really hate me p>
His chest vibrated with a hollow, self-deprecating chuckle.
Sienna’s cheek rested against his blood-soaked clothes, the wet, metallic scent pressing against her nose.
Leaning into his embrace, she listened to the erratic thumping of his heart. She didn’t push him away, she merely forced her voice to rernain steady.
“I don’t hate you p>
Jarred’s arms tightened around her back.
He lowered his head, pressing his jaw against the crown of her hair, and gave a faint shudder.
It was barely perceptible, like something deep inside him had finally fractured.
He knew exactly what she meant, she didn’t hate him, but she didn’t love him anymore either.
Their love and hatred had canceled each other out, leaving absolutely nothing behind.
Jarred gazed down at her. Under the pale moonlight, her clear eyes were misted with a faint dampness.
She claimed not to fear death, but the subtle tension in her gaze couldn’t fool him.
She wasn’t afraid to die, but she didn’t want to let go.
She couldn’t abandon the loved ones she was leaving behind, and she couldn’t bear to let her life end in such a messy, unfinished way.
This man, who had always stood tall and unyielding, who had never bowed to anythilig io his life, now had a perceptible choke in his voice
Sienna froze slightly.
In every memory she had of him, Jarred was always omnipotent, always coolly controlling the board.
There was nothing in this world that could make him yield or break.