“What else do I have left? Even if I try my best, I’m still powerless..."
The remnants of her conscience forced Adaline to cling to her last strength, trying to push him away. But this barrier turned out to be insurmountable. [Why did he make her out to be a villain, a kidnapper?]
[According to the plan, by now there should have been coldness, a quarrel, and detachment between Adaline and Shane.]
[But everything went wrong. She couldn't even argue with him, let alone move away. All she received was a confession of feelings, only even more persistent and sincere.]
[In the end - nothing. Empty.]
[Who would have thought that he would go this far...]
[He was persistent. I didn't give up. And, what’s most amazing, he remained happy, despite everything.]
Adaline never doubted that Shane's childhood confessions were sincere.
[But she believed that his feelings were just a habit, a fleeting affection.]
[Even if we assume that in his youth he truly loved her...How can he continue after everything that happened? After being deceived?]
[Doesn't he have pride? Doesn't he understand what's going on? If Shane were her little brother, Adaline would be packing his lunches and convincing him to break up with a girl like her.]
[She's a liar, stay away from her.]
[But the liar, it's me.]
[Shane Blanchard was a kind, gentle groom. But objectively, he is cold, proud and withdrawn.]
[He clearly knew what he liked and what he didn’t. I simply ignored everything unnecessary. And, despite his gentleness around her, he was generally unsociable.]
[He was so smart and talented that he simply did not consider incompetent people worthy of attention.]
[So it's not a matter of inability to count gains and losses. He understood perfectly well what was happening.]
[...Then why did I so confidently believe that he was kind?]
[Because he was always kind to her. I would give her not only my heart, but also my soul.]
[No matter how much she pushed him away, he remained soft and warm.]
Adaline remembered a very old memory.
Soon after their engagement...
---[Initially, Shane kept his distance. But soon he began to literally follow on her heels.]
[He was four years younger, so it sounds strange to say “followed her,” but that’s essentially what it was.]
[It was...tiring.]
[But he is so cute... A real puppy in human form.] - the adults joked.
[The eleven-year-old boy really looked like a puppy. ]
And for Adaline it was a burden.
[As a child, she did not seriously think about getting engaged. She simply considered Shane a childhood friend whom her family “gifted” to her.]
[But even the best friend, if you meet him too often, begins to irritate.]
[Should I play with a child at my age?]
[But Shane, as always, was persistent.]
[He still came. And somehow, he always knew where to look for her, even if she was hiding.]
When Adaline said she was busy or had things to do, he would just show up unannounced.
Over time, she realized that such “random” meetings were even worse. After several unsuccessful attempts to push him away, she stopped resisting.
[I thought: “We’ll play a little, and he’ll get bored, that’s all.”]
But with each meeting, she began to see Shane as more than just a cute child.
[It was cold. Cynicism. A real grown-up look.]
[He seemed to have a difficult relationship with his parents...especially his mother.]
[He didn't even cry at her funeral.]
Rumors circulated throughout all salons.
[The adults talked so that the child could hear: “He’s not acting like a child. It is impossible to love him."]
[Yes, Shane was amazingly smart and capable beyond his years.]
[But perhaps that is precisely why he looked at the world with disdain.]
[He got everything he wanted. Didn't know what failure was.]
This irritated Adaline, and she tried to tease him.
[Life must be easy for you. Everything is with you - from birth.]
[Oh, doesn't that mean you have more responsibility from birth?]
[…]
[It's easier to be someone who can just pass everything on to others. Decisions, consequences. If something goes wrong, you can blame those who decided everything for you. Of course, this is unfair, because your life was given into the wrong hands without asking you.]
[…]
[How does a person feel when someone else’s fate depends on whose decisions?]
[I didn’t choose to be responsible for others either. So...everything is mutual.]