Delayed Passion: Miss Lynch's Unrequited Love-Chapter 96: She Was Always the One in the Wrong

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: She Was Always the One in the Wrong

When Ian pulled back his hand, Thea Lynch’s brow twitched slightly.

She didn’t speak but leaned back to find a comfortable position, simultaneously putting distance between them.

On the way here, Ian hadn’t really thought through how to bring up what happened back then.

During that time, they were all troubled by Aaron Lynch’s matters, which led to other issues being naturally ignored, causing problems to pile up and conflicts to escalate. Up till now, they haven’t had a good talk about it.

It would take a long time to explain everything, starting from the very beginning.

In the past, when facing similar events, he would always sort things out first before having an effective communication with the other party. But today, without any preparation, he rushed over here.

In his memories, he rarely acted so impulsively. However, counting them one by one, they all related to Thea Lynch.

"Back then, there was indeed an issue with the company’s cash flow, so that period was all about resolving it. And the arranged meeting with Nina Sinclair during that time was indeed true."

"..." Hearing the latter part of his statement, Thea’s heart skipped a beat.

At that moment, it was as if she was seventeen again.

Her reaction mirrored her initial response when she first heard about it.

No matter how composed she pretended to be, the brief moment of disorientation and the trembling heart couldn’t deceive herself.

She looked at Ian, her gaze a mix of slight sorrow and resentment, emotions she hadn’t even realized she had.

"There was a reason behind it. I wasn’t informed about the matchmaking event in advance. I thought it was a regular family dinner until I arrived and discovered outsiders were present. Strictly speaking, from the time I arrived until I left, it was less than five minutes, and I merely met Nina Sinclair once. Nothing more."

It was indeed a matchmaking event, but he didn’t stay.

Upon realizing the nature, he left at once.

"..."

Thea bit her lip.

She truly didn’t know about this. The version she had heard was that Ian attended a gathering with both his and Nina Sinclair’s parents present.

As for when he arrived and when he left, she had no idea.

Originally, she intended to ask back then, but he was genuinely busy at the time, and she could sense the weariness in his voice over the phone.

Initially, she didn’t understand why.

Later she realized that he was juggling work while taking care of Aaron Lynch.

During that time, it seemed like everything was hitting him all at once.

Disregarding the following events, at least at this point, she indeed should properly thank Ian.

Her lips moved slightly, but before Thea could speak, she heard Ian mention Aaron...

"I wasn’t initially aware that this incident had reached your ears, nor did I explain to you. Just as the company matters reached a conclusion, my elder brother had a problem. Besides his workplace and Uncle, I was the first to know."

"Whether you believe it or not, I did consider contacting you back then..." He paused, then added, "In the end, I did conceal everything. That was my decision."

"During those days, I was in the hospital constantly and didn’t make it to Westmere to see you, nor could I prevent my mother from finding you during that time."

"I’m sorry."

Those three words again.

Ian’s eyes revealed no emotion. As he gazed at her, his deep eyes seemed like an abyss, one that, though clearly an abyss, could still cause one to fall.

Falling while being fully aware.

Thea stopped fiddling with her bracelet, resumed her action two seconds later.

"There’s no need for Third Brother to apologize to me."

"If we’re talking about past events, it’s me who should be apologizing to Third Brother."

"Back then, I was young and naive, indeed heard things I shouldn’t have, and whether true or false, I shouldn’t have acted so impulsively. That slap was my fault."

"I was indeed impulsive and said and did many wrong things. Regardless of whether Third Brother minded or not, it’s a fact that I wronged him in the past."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his thin lips part, and Thea hurriedly interjected: "I’m not speaking in irony. I genuinely want to say these things to Third Brother."

"All these years, from the beginning until now, I never got the chance to thank Third Brother."

"I always remembered Third Brother’s kindness to me back then. Also, I very much thank him for staying by my brother’s side during the last moments of his life, seeing him through that final journey."

"After going abroad and as my health improved, I really began to understand all these matters."

"Neither Third Brother nor any other brothers were wrong."

"Quite the opposite, I am very grateful to my brothers now."

"Knowing my brother’s special profession, to be honest, after that night when he soothed me to sleep and left Coronet the next morning without a word, I had anticipated there would be such a day."

"If he had departed in some distant place, I wouldn’t have been able to see him one last time. Likewise, there wouldn’t be any familiar face nearby, it’d be just him alone, with potentially many unsaid words, leaving with regrets.

"So thinking back, the fact that my brother could hold on until he returned to his homeland and meet all of you, I think... It’s already a great ending. Far better than I had imagined."

"At least, a few of his close friends brought him home." At this point, Thea’s eyes were red, and her voice at the end was somewhat choked.

"As for my bit of regret, compared to all of this, it’s nothing worth mentioning."

"Even though I may not have fully let go, at least now I can try to see him."

"In the future, I will definitely reconcile with who I used to be on that day."

Thinking back to that day, she realized she never truly resented Ian, nor her second brother or Sean Bell.

It was always herself that she couldn’t forgive.

Because shortly before her brother’s incident, her aunt visited her once.

Her aunt said she seemed to be doing better than before and asked if she wanted to return to Coronet.

After all, she was more familiar with the school and living environment in Coronet.

At that time, her uncle was also busy, and fundamentally, she was living with her grandparents anyway. It didn’t differ much from staying in Coronet.

If at that time, she had gone back to Coronet with her aunt and returned to the compound,

she would have had the chance to know about her brother’s matters right away.

It was her own folly, her selfishness that if she returned to Coronet, in everyone’s eyes, it proved she was completely okay. In the future, regardless of Aunt Rong’s involvement or not, Ian might not care for her as much as he did anymore.

So, she refused her aunt, planning to return after the national exams.

She never blamed Ian. From beginning to end, the real problem was always herself.

A moment’s folly led to these consequences happening, her own folly.

The only thing she held against Ian was when Aunt Rong said Ian would never like someone like her.