He Went Mad After I Left

Chapter 2 What Else Can You Do?

Orion let out an impatient sigh before kicking over the nearest bottle on the table. It crashed onto the floor, spilling liquid onto the carpet, drop by drop.

His voice was cold and sharp. "She wasted her time. What does that have to do with you? You sure talk a lot of crap."

He looked up at Celeste. "What do you want?"

Then, with a mocking chuckle, he added, "Are you in a hurry to marry me? I thought you'd finally come to your senses by now. Guess not. After all this time, you're still this stupid."

There were a lot of people in the room, and Celeste felt humiliated. Her face was red, her nose was red, and her eyes were even redder. She stammered, "Orion, why… why have you been avoiding me? We have an engagement, don't we…"

"Engagement, my ass!"

Orion stretched out his long legs, his brows furrowing.

Leaning forward slightly, he said, "Whether I avoid you or not, I'm never going to marry you. How much clearer do I need to make it? Besides, haven't I already told you? Our families are figuring out a way to break off this engagement without making either side lose face. Are you deaf or just dumb?"

The people around them hadn't expected Orion to be so blunt, let alone speak so harshly to a girl. They exchanged awkward glances before, as if by unspoken agreement, quietly standing up to leave—even those who felt sorry for Celeste.

Orion's close friends hesitated at the door, then turned back and said, "Orion, maybe take it easy on her."

The others followed suit. "We're heading out, Orion. You two… take your time."

In just a few moments, the room was empty.

Hearing Orion talk about "breaking off the engagement without hurting the families' reputation," Celeste felt her heart squeeze in pain. Her eyes welled up, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

But Orion acted like he didn't even see her crying.

"Maybe I've been too nice to you," he mused. "You actually had the nerve to crash my night out with my friends. That's not very well-behaved of you, Celeste."

Now that the others were gone, he didn't bother holding back.

Taking a deep swig from his bottle, he slammed it onto the coffee table with a loud thud.

"Celeste, since you came knocking on my door, don't blame me for being harsh. I have never liked you. Not once. If you have so much free time to cling to me every day, why don't you try improving yourself instead? You know damn well what kind of woman I like. Have you ever thought about changing, even a little? All you ever do is call me, asking where I am. Are you that desperate?"

His words hit her like a slap in the face, freezing her in place.

The tears on her cheeks felt colder than ever, stinging against her skin.

Orion leaned back into the couch, sinking lazily into the cushions. "All you do is cry… is that the only thing you're good at?"

"Let me give you a piece of advice," he said casually. "You can try crying to my dad again. Who knows? Maybe if he's feeling soft-hearted, he'll throw you a bone. Back then, he only agreed to the engagement out of respect for your grandfather, but now…"

Celeste felt like she had been drenched in ice water. Even her legs felt weak.

She had never been more humiliated in her life.

Covering her face with her hands, she sobbed quietly.

Orion had been gone for a year. She wasn't stupid—she had already guessed what he meant.

But guessing and hearing it straight to her face were two very different things.

Orion finished his drink in one gulp. "From now on, stop following me, okay?"

"Okay."

"I will never marry you. No matter what you do, it's pointless. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Stop asking my friends about where I am. They're not going to help you."

"Understood."

"Good."