After All The Betrayal We Chose Love

Chapter 3

She drew a shaky breath staring at like the serviette like it would help her out of this situation,Her throat felt tight the words now seeming to heavy to speak out loud, swallowing hard she met his gaze.

"Huh?" Derek frowned, clearly confused by the sudden tension in her expression.

Anna lowered her gaze for a moment before finally forcing the words out. "I'm getting married," she announced quietly.

The words hit Derek like a punch to the chest. He nearly choked on the piece of fish he had been eating, coughing slightly as he stared at her in shock. His lips parted, but no words came out immediately. He looked at her as though searching for even the smallest sign that she was joking.

But there was none.

The color slowly drained from his face, and he leaned back in disbelief, running a hand through his hair as he looked around the restaurant for a moment, trying to process what he had just heard.

"Belle…" he said finally, his voice low and unsteady. "Is this some kind of joke?"

Deep down, he already knew it wasn't.

Anna swallowed hard and shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "My dad said we can't get married. I love you so much, Derek… I really do. But I care my father so much, and I can't go against him." Her voice trembled with emotion as tears gathered in her eyes. "And I can never love another man the way I love—"

"Is it because of my family's background?" Derek cut in sharply, anger and pain flashing across his face. "Is that what this is really about?"

"No, that's not what I meant—" Anna tried to explain quickly, panic rising in her voice, but Derek cut her off again before she could finish.

"Answer my question, Belle," he demanded, his voice sharper this time. His eyes locked onto hers, filled with hurt and frustration. "Is it because I'm not rich enough?"

Before she could respond, he slammed his hand hard against the table, causing the plates and glasses to rattle. A few people in the restaurant noticed, glancing at their table before looking away

Anna flinched at the sudden sound, tears already gathering in her eyes. She bit down on her trembling lip, struggling to hold herself together.

"Yes," she admitted softly at last, the word barely above a whisper.

Derek stared at her in silence, his jaw tightening painfully.

"But Derek, please," she continued quickly, tears slipping down her cheeks now. "I don't want this. I swear I don't. But my dad… he's really sick, and this is his dying wish. I can't disappoint him. I can't lose him like that."

For a moment, Derek said nothing. The anger in his eyes slowly faded into heartbreak.

"I understand," he said quietly, though his voice carried disappointment and pain.

Without another word, he pushed his chair back, grabbed his jacket from the seat beside him, and walked away.

Anna sat there frozen, watching him disappear through the restaurant doors while tears streamed silently down her face. The emptiness he left behind felt heavier than anything she had ever experienced.

Annabel arrived home barely holding back her tears. The moment she stepped into the house, she hurried upstairs and rushed straight into her room before anyone could stop her. She slammed the door shut behind her and broke down completely, crying her heart out into her pillow as the pain she had been trying to suppress finally overwhelmed her.

Downstairs, Mr. Dutchman heard the muffled sound of sobbing echoing through the hallway and immediately recognized his daughter's voice. A worried look crossed his face as he quickly made his way upstairs to her room.

When he reached the door, he found it locked.

"Anna," he called softly, knocking gently at first. "Please open the door for me. What happened?"

Inside the room, Annabel wiped at her tears desperately, but her sobs only grew louder.

"Dad, please just leave me alone," she cried out painfully. "Please… I'm begging you. I don't want to see anyone right now."

Mr. Dutchman rested his hand against the door, his heart aching at the sound of her voice. He tried several more times to persuade her to open up to him, speaking gently and patiently, but Annabel refused each time.

Realizing she needed space, he finally let out a heavy sigh, turned around slowly, and walked away from the door, though worry for his daughter still weighed heavily on his mind.Two days later, the atmosphere in the Dutchman mansion had become painfully quiet.

"Did she eat anything today?" Mr. Dutchman asked weakly as he sat on the edge of his bed, looking toward Sarah with concern written all over his face.

Sarah shook her head sadly. "No, sir. Young miss has refused to eat for the past two days." Her voice grew softer as she continued, "I'm really worried about her health. She barely leaves her room anymore, and she seems so down."

Mr. Dutchman lowered his head heavily and let out a deep sigh filled with regret.

"This is all my fault I did this to her" he murmured painfully. "I honestly don't know what to do anymore."

Before Sarah could object to his self-blame,he suddenly began coughing violently, gripping his chest slightly as he struggled to breathe.

"Sir!" Sarah exclaimed in panic as she quickly rushed to his side. She grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table and handed it to him carefully.

After taking a few slow sips, Mr. Dutchman finally calmed down. He leaned back against the headboard and gave Sarah a faint nod.

"Thank you," he said weakly. Then his expression darkened again. "But I'm more worried about Annabel."

Just then, the bedroom door opened slowly.

Annabel stepped out looking pale and exhausted. Her once-beautiful dark hair was tied carelessly into a messy bun, and dark circles rested heavily beneath her swollen eyes. Her eyes were red and dry from constant crying, and her face looked drained of life.

The moment Mr. Dutchman saw her, guilt stabbed painfully at his heart.

"Honey…" he called softly before struggling to his feet and walking toward her. "I know this has been hard for you, and I'm sorry." His voice trembled with regret. "You can marry Derek, okay? If he truly makes you happy, then I won't stand in your way anymore."

Annabel lowered her eyes as tears immediately welled up again.

"Derek has already left the city, Dad," she whispered brokenly. "He left to pursue his dreams… and now he's gone."

A painful silence filled the room.

"Honey…" Mr. Dutchman breathed out shakily as a sudden sharp pain spread through his chest. His hand instinctively moved toward his heart while Sarah and Annabel hurried to get help.