“Mr.


    Walsh, this is far too precious for me to ept.


    ”


    “It’s a present for my girlfriend, and hopefully soon-to-be fiancée.


    Please, keep it.


    ” Domenic opened her clenched hand andid the ne in her palm, his seriousness only deepening her sadness.


    Clutching the ne tightly, Lindsey looked up into Domenic’s caring eyes with tears forming in her own.


    “Mr.


    Walsh, I’m sorry.


    I can’t be your girlfriend or your fiancée, so I shouldn’t take this.


    ”


    “Why? Didn’t we agreest night that…” Dominic’s brow creased with confusion.


    She had ki*sed him with such fervor, so why was she rejecting him now?


    Lindsey, usually fearless, found herself unable to confess her history to Dominic.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    She hung her head, scrambling for an exnation.


    “Aboutst night…


    I just wanted to show my gratitude for your support earlier.


    ”


    Dominic’s gaze turned stormy and detached.


    “Are you saying you ki*sed me just to say thanks, not because you have feelings for me?”


    “That’s right.


    ”


    “And if some other guy had helped you out, would you have thanked him the same way?” He scrutinized her eyes, trying to decipher her thoughts.


    Lindsey was at a loss for words.


    Tired of this discussion, she simply presented the diamond ne to him.


    Her eyes earnestly sought his.


    “Mr.


    Walsh, please don’t linger on me.


    You deserve someone better.


    This… This deserves to belong to someone else.


    ”


    The glow of the red diamond, once a token of affection, now seemed mockingly out of ce.


    Dominic’s expression darkened.


    He seized Lindsey’s wrists and pinned her against the sink.


    His breath was icy, his normallyposed eyes flickered with unrest, yet he maintained a rigid control.


    His gaze drifted to Lindsey’s now pale lips, and he leaned in to ki*s her.


    But she turned away abruptly.


    Stray wet hairs clung to her face, her lips firmly shut.


    Her refusal to ki*s him was unmistakable, not hidden in the slightest.


    A roughugh escaped him as he released her wrists and straightened up.


    “Lindsey, I’ve got a business trip abroad.


    I won’t be back for a while,” Dominic announced, his voice devoid of warmth.


    Lindsey froze for a second when she heard Domenic was going abroad for work.


    She blurted out, “When?”


    “I’m leaving now.


    ” Domenic emerged from the bathroom, grabbed a ck coat from the closet, and slipped into it.


    That was when Lindsey noticed he was all dressed up, as if he’d waited for her to get back just to hand her the ne before he left.


    “And this ne.


    .


    She nced down at the red diamond ne in her grasp.