Chapter 210: Chapter 210: Blown Away in an Instant

The feeling of helplessness was like being pressed into the mud, without even the right to struggle.

And now they want her to continue sacrificing herself?

Dream on.

She let out a cold laugh, her lips curling into a mocking arc.

She is no saint, nor a sacrificial lamb.

Want her to bow her head again now?

No way.

She has had enough of this cycle of being used, being betrayed, and being hurt.

Caleb Shaw opened his mouth, but no words came out.

He stood there, his lips quivering slightly, his Adam’s apple moving up and down, yet he couldn’t make a sound.

He wanted to explain, to justify.

But when words were at the tip of his tongue, they felt pathetically pale.

These shackles weighed on him, making it hard to breathe, unable to easily break free.

He wanted to say something, if only a simple "I’m sorry."

But when he met her cold and disappointed eyes, all his words stuck in his throat.

"It’s Your Majesty’s command."

He finally managed to squeeze out this sentence, his voice low and hoarse, as if forced up from deep within his throat.

Selene Kane laughed, staring at him: "And if she orders you to kill me again, you would do it, right?"

Her gaze held no anger, yet there was a calmness that bordered on desolation.

Caleb Shaw’s heart suddenly contracted.

A suffocating pain spread from his chest, enveloping his entire body.

He knew what she said was true.

He also knew that if the command came again that day, he might indeed... pull the trigger.

This realization nearly drove him to collapse.

He has protected her for many years, guarded her for half a lifetime.

Yet he ended up becoming the one who hurt her the most.

He closed his eyes, his brows furrowed deeply, his temples throbbing.

These days, whenever he thought of it, it felt like he had lost his soul.

His face turned instantly pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

That scene kept replaying in his mind.

He held the gun, aimed it at her eyes, his finger on the trigger.

And she just looked at him quietly, neither crying nor begging.

The light in her eyes gradually extinguished.

Every night, he tossed and turned, dreaming of that scene.

Waking up, cold sweat soaked his shirt, his chest aching as if it were being torn apart.

Was he protecting the world, or destroying the person he should protect the most?

The stronger he became, the more dangerous she was.

The more loyal he was, the more painful she was.

But now, she was right in front of him, yet he kept hurting her himself.

He opened his eyes, his gaze falling on her.

But she no longer looked at him.

He remembered during the last mission, he was ordered to block her retreat, watching her being besieged without being able to help.

And that time, he took her into the interrogation room himself, listening to her being questioned, being humiliated.

Yet he could only stand silently on the side.

His protection was all harm.

Was this really the ending he wanted?

He murmured to himself, his voice nearly inaudible.

"I’m sorry."

But he still said it.

It was the only thing he could do.

He didn’t want to evade anymore, and didn’t want to use commands as an excuse.

He wanted her to know that he wasn’t indifferent, he was also hurting, also regretting.

"Forget it."

Selene Kane shook her head lightly, her tone calm.

As she said these three words, her gaze didn’t even waver.

She had long been tired of apologies, and seen through those insincere comforts.

Sorry?

Can these three words restore the trust that was taken from her?

No.

So she no longer pursued it, nor expected it.

Selene Kane waved her hand.

"What use is an apology? If it really worked, why would we need The Enforcers? I know you’re loyal, but loyalty isn’t a privilege. Otherwise, you should have divorced me long ago."

Her actions were decisive, without any hesitation.

She didn’t deny his loyalty.

But loyalty shouldn’t be a reason to hurt her, nor should it be a shield to evade responsibility.

If he truly believed in faith, he shouldn’t have married her.

If he truly loved her, he shouldn’t hurt her on one hand while maintaining the guise of marriage with the other.

This contradictory existence was the greatest insult to her.

The former Caleb Shaw was like a silent machine.

She remembered those years, he always silently completed tasks, executing orders with a blank expression.

He was like a puppet controlled by programs.

Even when she had a fever, he would go out on assignments as scheduled; when she cried, he would coldly hand her tissues, then turn away.

He thought this was "strong," thought this was "reliable."

But what she wanted wasn’t a cold machine.

It was someone who was flesh and blood, who cared about her.

Watching someone crumble, yet only silently stood by.

She once broke down crying in front of him, questioning why he treated her like that.

But he just stood in the corner, his gaze calm.

He neither explained nor calmed her, as if her pain was mere irrationality.

Being ignored like that was more hurtful than being beaten.

She finally understood that some people’s silence was not restraint, but indifference.

Their quietude was not gentleness, but ruthlessness.

Since he doesn’t love, why get married?

Selene Kane didn’t believe he could truly be forced to agree.

Wasn’t it just for the continuation of the bloodline?

She thought with a cold smile.

If that were true, he could have refused.

But he didn’t.

He accepted it and cooperated through all the rituals.

Why?

Wasn’t it because the family needed an heir?

She was just a tool for childbirth, a vessel for carrying on the bloodline.

After the child was born, she dared not gamble even the last shred of trust she had left.

She looked at the small life in the swaddle, yet felt no joy.

But the reality was, he remained unchanged, still that silent, obedient man.

She started to wonder how long this marriage could last.

Once the child grows up, would she become the redundant one?

If he felt he had no more ties, the first to be abandoned would be her for sure.

This thought coiled around her heart like a venomous serpent, never leaving.

She knew clearly in Caleb Shaw’s world, duty always came first.

If one day, the child no longer needed her.

If one day, her existence no longer held "value."

Would he let her disappear without a single word of retention?

She didn’t dare to gamble on it, nor dare to trust again.

Once trust is broken, it can never be pieced back together.

Watching Selene Kane disappear at the end of the corridor.

Caleb Shaw leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down.

He wanted to call her name, yet his throat felt choked, unable to make a sound.

In the end, he could only watch her leave helplessly.

He slid down the wall slowly until his bottom touched the ground, his back pressed against the cold wall.

His eyes fixed on a point on the ceiling, his gaze empty as if soulless.

It was a long-faded lotus design, mottled and worn.

No matter how he looked at it, the flower would never speak to him or tell him what to do.

His eyes lost focus, his pupils reflected no light.

In the shadows downstairs, the butler stood silently, his gaze passing through the dim light, falling on the familiar figure not far away.

"Master, you and the Female Master can’t really fall out. We males, in the end, depend on the favor of the Female Master. Without her favor, no matter how high the status or strong the power, it’s just a castle in the air, scattered by the wind."