He shook his head helplessly, disappointment flickering in his eyes. "You consider this and that, but not our feelings or how I would manage without you for the rest of my life."
Miranda was momentarily speechless, avoiding his gaze awkwardly.
Yes, a part of her heart had once been occupied by this man.
But she was clear-headed enough to know that forcing a relationship that wasn't right would only lead to endless friction and the eventual depletion of all good things.
It was better to let go of her obsessions from the start, to have mutual respect and emotional support so they could still meet amicably in the future.
That was her true thought.
"Why should I consider so much, Cason? I'm not interested in you. From the beginning, we were just partners, and you overstepped."
With that, Miranda stood up without hesitation, turning to leave.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, Cason suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed on the ground in agony.
Miranda paused, turned to look at him, instinctively reaching out to help him up, but ultimately only asked lightly, "What's wrong with you?"
Cason gasped heavily, unable to recover for a long time.
Miranda grew anxious, knowing she couldn't just stand by and watch him suffer, so she hurried over to check his pulse.
"You're hurt. What's going on?" She pulled back his shirt, revealing bruises on his back, marks left by the Sanderson family's strict ancestral rules.
Cason's lips were a vivid red, his gaze stubborn as he stared directly into her eyes. "You may not care about me, but I... I can't not care about you. I've told everyone that I want to marry you. They didn't agree, so I subjected myself to the family's severe disciplinary measures... I, I... "
He couldn't continue, the pain nearly causing him to faint.
Seeing this, Miranda was deeply shocked. She gently asked him to rest his voice and took out acupuncture tools to treat him.
Yet, Cason's hand wouldn't behave, gripping her sleeve tightly as if afraid she would disappear again.
Miranda sighed, her actions becoming much gentler.
Cason eventually fell into a light sleep, his complexion finally improving. "Miranda, I know you're decisive and cool-headed, but I want to ask you, could you give me a chance? I'm not someone you can just discard. I want to be good to you, and I can prove it with my actions."
"Enough, Miranda instinctively avoided his gaze, her mind flashing with the image of Lilah.
Lilah was experienced; she could ask her for advice.
Miranda temporarily settled Cason at a villa-style hotel next to the Harris family estate, arranging for a couple of people to help take care of him before returning home.
She recounted what Melvin had said earlier, leaving Lilah momentarily stunned.
"So Aunt Joselyn went through so much back then. How could that old lady be so... " Lilah shook her head in exasperation. She had long suspected the tragedy of those two was linked to the old lady, but having it confirmed was still hard to bear.