THE Knight's Hidden Princess
Chapter 101: The Punch Line

Chapter 101: The Punch Line

Reagan led me to a place that was far away from the campsite. He led me through the dense forest, the sounds of birds and rustling of trees filled the air. I could also hear the sort crunch of leaves beneath our feet and the distant call of a raven circling above.

Reagan didn’t say a word but just strolled ahead with that stiff sulky stride that made me want to grab a rock off the ground and hurl it at his damn head.

When he was sure that we were far away from the ground. Reagan turned to look at me and I stared back at him expectantly, waiting to see why he brought me so deep out into the woods. There is also the fact that he interrupted me in the middle of a good breakfast.

For a minute Reagan simply stared at me, not saying anything. I was starting to get tired of the silence, so I arched a brow up at him while shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

"Well, are you going to say anything or are we here to practice your brooding skills?" I asked him with a slight shrug.

I swore for a moment I saw the tiniest bit of a smile appear on Reagan’s face before he schooled his expression. Clearing his throat, Reagan straightened. "I want to give you a proper apology, I’m sorry Dahlia." Reagan said staring at me, "I just realized I haven’t really apologized, so this is me apologizing now, for everything." He finished and all I could do was just stand there stunned.

I gave him a wary look because I thought I must have misunderstood his words.

Reagan Westward, apologizing?

Only confusion remained in my mind about his statement.

I mean sure, I knew he apologized last night but for him to apologize to me again. I instinctively crossed my arms while keeping my defenses up as I stared at him, while waiting the punch line for a coming joke because I still wasn’t willing to believe that Reagan was going to apologize just like that.

"But I still stand by what I said, you shouldn’t have come here!"

And there it is ladies and gentlemen, the punch line! I thought as I stared directly in those dark eyes of his. Gods, I hated those eyes! They always possess the ability to separate every defense I arranged to protect myself and see through the broken pieces that laid underneath it.

"You don’t belong here, Dahlia." Reagan said again, proving to me once again about how right I was about being something there other than the apology that he had said.

His words cut deeper into me than I had ever predicted they would.

A broken and tasteless chuckle escaped my lips. "You know, if this is what you call an apology, you suck at it!"

Reagan gave me a single nod in response. "I know, I’m sorry."

"And tell me Regan?" I said as I took a step towards him, "And what exactly is it you are apologizing for? The months of you acting like I didn’t exist? Taking my heart and stomping on it? Leaving me alone when I needed you the most or poor excuse of an apology that is just a waste of time?"

"Everything." Reagan responded looking remorseful and that pissed me off more than everything, "I am sorry for everything!"

"No." I said shaking my head at him and before I knew it, I was in front of him. "You do not get to use that word when you barely know what it means. You do not get to play the victim Reagan Hawthorne. You do not get to act like an arsehole for months and apologize when it suits you or when you remember that I exist! You do not get to stand here and look at me with those eyes that fell like you are saying a whole lot more than just I’m sorry."

Reagan still stared at me with a look of regret on his face. "I’m apologizing to you because I know I hurt you_"

"Fuck that!" I cut him off.

Reagan’s gaze narrowed in disapproval but he continued, "And I’m also apologizing because I never wanted this to be your life. Looking at it now, I understand that I was wrong about you. You are the kindest and bravest person I’ve ever met, putting your needs before that of others and it was selfish of me to hold you back, I never should have demanded that from you." Reagan said and I stared at him waiting for him to finish, "And that is why I’ve come to a conclusion, I’m letting you go."

For a moment, everywhere grew eerily silent. The only thing I could hear was a distant ringing in my ear. It was loud, piercing and it drowned out the world around me. Reagan’s words echoed in my ear till I thought for a minute he was still speaking.

Letting me go?

I blinked at him then with a scoff, I released a dry chuckle. "Um...Heh, wait a minute." I released another chuckle as I tried to get bearing together. "Letting me go? What does that mean? Like what the fuck does that even mean?"

"We are no good to each other." Reagan continued ignoring the fact that I was about to be a broken mess in front of him, "I think it’s high time we went our separate ways!"

Separate ways? I still didn’t know what that mean! I mean I suffered all through months of silence, months of accepting a marriage I had no choice in! Months of leaving me to rot in a marriage I never asked for, he wanted to let me go? Like what was I? Some burden he grew tired of carrying? And what in the hell did he mean by separate ways?

Reagan’s mouth continued to move but I wasn’t listening, the ringing in my ear continued to grow louder and louder till I suddenly felt my head was going to explode!