Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 40: Shane Donovan, My... Boyfriend

Jasper maintained his outstretched hand, frozen in place.

He looked at the solitary diamond ring on the ground, feeling as though an invisible hand had tightly clenched his heart, spreading a suffocating pain.

"Stella..." He instinctively took a step forward, his voice carrying an unnoticed plea, "Don’t be like this..."

"Don’t be like what?"

Stella looked at him, her eyes devoid of hate or resentment, only a dead calmness that unsettled Jasper more than any intense emotion could.

"Jasper, put away your tricks. Your talk of making amends and so-called fresh starts means nothing to me."

She enunciated clearly, "Even if I, Stella Sterling, end up alone for the rest of my life, I will never look back at you again."

"You should give up hope."

These words were like the last bolt of lightning, shattering all of Jasper’s reason and composure.

He looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar woman before him, seeing the unmasked determination in her eyes, and an unprecedented sense of powerlessness surged up.

Why?

Why wouldn’t she forgive him?

He had already lowered himself!

He had already shown the utmost sincerity!

What more did she want?!

"Stella..."

Just then, a deep and familiar voice sounded from behind him.

Jasper and Stella both turned to the direction of the voice.

They saw Shane Donovan standing not far down the hallway, apparently having returned from an outing.

He wasn’t wearing a suit today, instead dressed in a well-tailored dark-gray cashmere coat, which made his figure appear even more upright and slender. He appeared to be holding a document folder in his hand.

His gaze first landed on Stella before shifting to Jasper, whose expression was unpleasant. Shane’s eyebrows subtly furrowed, his tone calm yet carrying an invisible pressure: "Attorney Hawthorne? Is there a problem?"

Jasper’s face turned exceedingly dark the moment he saw Shane, the air around him becoming alarmingly low in pressure.

Why was he here?!

Him again!

A ghost that wouldn’t go away!

When Stella saw Shane, a bold and resolute thought quickly formed in her mind.

Rather than being entangled with Jasper any longer, she might as well... completely destroy his hopes!

Before Jasper could speak, Stella suddenly walked over to Shane’s side, naturally looping her arm through his, and looked up at Jasper, "Attorney Hawthorne, I forgot to introduce."

She paused, glancing sideways at the man beside her, "Shane Donovan, my... boyfriend."

"..."

The air turned dead silent.

Jasper’s pupils shrank suddenly, as if he had heard something completely implausible, his incredulous gaze roamed between Stella and Shane.

Boy...friend?

Stella and Shane?!

How could this be?!

And at that moment, Shane also seemed surprised for a second.

He lowered his eyes, looking at Stella, who had voluntarily taken his arm. Her slender fingers gripped slightly, her fingertips somewhat cold from nervousness, transmitting through the thin cashmere fabric.

She was so close to him, close enough that he could smell the faint shampoo fragrance from her hair.

Shane’s gaze suddenly darkened, akin to thick ink that couldn’t be dissolved.

He nearly instantaneously comprehended Stella’s intention and then naturally placed his hand over hers on his arm, his fingertips lightly caressing in an assuring manner...

Stella’s body momentarily stiffened.

Shane raised his eyes, meeting Jasper’s shocked and cold gaze, his lips curved into a very faint smile.

"Attorney Hawthorne, we meet again."

He paused, his eyes sweeping over Jasper’s livid face and the lone ring on the ground, his tone carrying a sarcastic insinuation: "It seems, Attorney Hawthorne still harbors some... unrequited feelings for my girlfriend?"

The words "girlfriend" were enunciated with particular clarity.

Jasper’s face instantly turned livid, his eyes fixed upon Stella’s hand entwined around Shane’s arm, his chest heaving violently.

"No! Impossible! How could Stella like someone else?"

Shane’s gaze suddenly turned cold, the atmospheric pressure around him dropping instantly.

"Why couldn’t she like someone else?" Shane scoffed, "Jasper, I told you five years ago, those who betray genuine feelings deserve to swallow a thousand needles! You don’t deserve her!"

Five years ago?

Stella was slightly startled, subconsciously glancing at Shane.

Jasper’s pupils contracted again, his expression increasingly unpleasant, his fists clenched, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

"Shane Donovan! So you really... had designs on her from back then?!"

Shane, however, didn’t bother responding to him, merely shot him a cold look before putting his arm around Stella’s shoulders and walked her into the room, then slowly closed the door in Jasper’s face.

"Bang."

The sound of the door closing wasn’t loud, yet it was like a heavy hammer, thoroughly shattering all of Jasper’s hopes. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

He stared at the tightly shut door, only feeling a bitter taste rise in his throat, causing his vision to blacken intermittently.

...

Inside the room.

The instant the door closed, Stella quickly released Shane’s arm, stepping back two steps to create some distance.

The composure and intimacy she had forced a moment ago instantly crumbled, her cheeks uncontrollably flushed, even the roots of her ears burning fiercely.

"I’m sorry, President Donovan..."

She bowed her head, "Just now... in desperation, I used you... I apologize deeply."

Shane looked at the empty space where her hand had been, still feeling the soft touch lingering.

He nonchalantly retracted his hand, slipping it into his coat pocket, his fingers subconsciously rubbing together.

"It’s nothing." His voice returned to the usual calmness, devoid of any discernible emotion, "As long as it helped Counselor Sterling."

He walked over to the coffee table, placing down the document folder in his hand, seemingly casually asking, "How did things go? From the look of Jasper, it seems he won’t give up easily."

At the mention of Jasper, Stella’s gaze became cold, "The key evidence was excluded, and the waiter retracted his statement."

Upon hearing this, Shane’s brows slightly furrowed, "Do you need..."

"No need." Stella interrupted him, raising her head, her gaze already regained its sharpness and determination, "Thank you, President Donovan, but I want to solve this matter myself. Even if the evidence was excluded, I still have other means. I’m determined to win this case."

Shane looked at the rekindled fighting spirit in her eyes, nodding, "Alright."

He said no more, pointing to the document folder on the table, "These are supplementary materials for the previous case, Elias Peyton asked me to bring them to you."

"Thank you." Stella expressed her gratitude, her mind still lingering on Jasper’s words from earlier.

She hesitated for a second but couldn’t help but ask, "President Donovan, what Jasper mentioned earlier... five years ago, what did that mean?"

Shane turned around, his deep gaze falling on her face full of confusion.

He was silent for a few seconds, then unexpectedly curled his lips, earnestly saying, "If I were to say, I’ve had a crush on you for ten years, watching him take you away, so much that I couldn’t help but ’handle’ him once, would you believe it?"

"..."

—No one would believe that!