Forced Marriage: My Wife, My Redemption-Chapter 254: Cutting off his fantasy...

Davis let out a quiet sigh in helplessness at Alex’s reaction., his chest tightening under the weight of this truth.

He had known this moment would come, that revealing the truth would strike like a blade cutting through his heart. It was the very reason he had dreaded it. But now, there was no running from it. The only option left is clarifying the situation.

Beside him, Jessica let out a small, almost ironic chuckle. She didn’t blame Alex for doubting. Even after seeing her dressed in the signature elegance of Lady Bright, the disbelief still danced in his eyes.

And honestly, she understood. If the roles were reversed, she wouldn’t believe it either.

Hearing her chuckle, Alex’s gaze returned to her, his eyes scanning every detail, searching for fragments of a ghost he had been chasing.

The only thing remotely familiar about her that matched Lady Bright was her hair —those soft waves tumbling down her back like silk. Everything else? Unfamiliar.

He exhaled harshly and conflicted. He didn’t want to doubt Davis, yet he couldn’t bring himself to believe that the woman before him was the same Lady Bright he had longed and searched for so relentlessly.

His mind resisted it, rebelled against the image before him.This woman... this woman couldn’t be her.

"Not in my wildest dreams," he muttered. But there had to be proof—something to confirm she truly was Lady Bright. Was Davis just mistaken? If she wasn’t Lady Bright, then who was the woman he had encountered that day?

Davis noticed the turmoil in Alex’s eyes, the way his eyes narrowed in contemplation. That quiet storm of comparison of the Lady Bright etched in memory versus the one seated before him.

Alex exhaled deeply and reached for his wine glass, needing something to calm his fraying nerve, anything to silence the confusion.

But just as he lifted it to his lips, his hand paused mid-air. His breath hitched. His eyes froze, His gaze locked onto something—Jessica’s necklace.

Without thought, he set the glass down. Slowly, deliberately, he stood and walked toward Jessica uttering no word, as if drawn by an unseen force.

Jessica exchanged a quick glance with Davis. Before she could react, Davis spoke, voice low and cold laced with warning. "Alex."

Alex glanced at him briefly but didn’t stop. "I just want to take a look at that necklace," he said, his tone oddly calm—too calm as he moved forward.

At the mention of the necklace, Jessica’s hand instinctively flew to her neck—there it was, clearly visible and dangling over her chest.

Davis, surprised at his response, stared at him "Do you recognize her necklace?" He said quietly. Alex gave a slight nod.

She stared at Alex in disbelief. How deeply had this obsession burrowed into him, to recognize something so small, so easily?

Taking a quiet breath, she didn’t resist as he reached for it. She allowed him to lift the pendant. His fingers brushed it gently, reverently, as though afraid it might vanish.

He studied it carefully—every curve, every engraving—confirming what his heart already feared. It was identical to the one etched into his memory, even in his semi-conscious state that day.

"Are you really Lady Bright?" he asked, his tone quiet yet probing. Yet his heart devastated.

"How did you recognize the necklace?" Jessica responded. It was the first time she had directly addressed him during the conversation.

Alex stepped back, retreating to his seat like a man who had just glimpsed a painful truth. His gaze stared beyond the room, far into the memory of that night.

Slowly, the puzzle pieces began to click. He could now trace the subtle reactions and familiar traits he had observed while chasing Lady Bright across events.

"I never imagined you were so close all along," he murmured to himself.

Davis watched him closely "Does that mean you’ve accepted the truth?"

Alex looked up, a hollow smile tugging at his lips. His pain dressed in sarcasm. "Accepted? I don’t know," he said softly. "But I think... I think I’ve been chasing a dream that was never mine."

With this realization, Alex felt his heart struck with several daggers, the pain spreading to every part of his body.

He threw his head back, a mocking smile playing on his lips. He couldn’t believe it—after all this time, the woman he was obsessed with was already married to his friend. Still, his thoughts drifted to the gala night.

"She’s your wife," he said. "Jessica... Lady Bright... they’re one and the same."

Davis gave a quiet nod.

Alex felt his world collapse around him. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He had never imagined his love life would become this complicated. The only woman he had been willing to accept... belonged to someone else.

She’s married. She belongs to someone else. She was never meant for me.

"Does that mean I’ve lost? Without being given an opportunity to try? Was it all just a fantasy? Is she truly beyond my reach now?" he thought, his heart sinking with each question that offered no answer.

He felt like he was drowning in a sea of confusion. He wished he could try to win her over—but it was impossible now otherwise he would be undermining the friendship they have shared for years.

He sat there in silence, lost in the ache of impossible love, then reached again for the wine glass. He drank. And drank. Glass after glass, as if each sip might erase the truth—might dull the pain. Even when Davis tried to stop him, he refused any help.

Jessica’s heart ached for him, but she knew better than to offer empty comfort.

"Alex, this meeting was meant to build a cordial relationship," Jessica said softly. "Not to bring you pain." She genuinely felt sorry for what he was going through—but a short, sharp pain was far better than dragging it out endlessly.

As Alex continued downing glass after glass, Davis made a decision. Though he wanted to sever any lingering fantasies Alex had about Jessica, he also had to protect his friend.

He discreetly signaled Ethan, instructing him to sedate Alex and get him settled in for the night. It was too dangerous to let him leave in his condition.

Even in his unconscious state, Alex continued murmuring the one name that had brought light in his life.

Jessica sighed. This isn’t how I wanted things to end... but perhaps closure isn’t always neat or kind.

Alex was helped to a guest room near Ethan’s room for quiet monitoring.

Taking a deep breath, Jessica summoned Deborah. The young woman stepped into the sitting room, her expression composed and humble.

Davis cleared his throat and exhaled slowly. "Thank you for everything you’ve done for us," he began warmly, as if speaking to a close family member. To him, kindness to Jessica was the key to earning his friendship and trust.

Then came the unexpected.

"Deborah, my wife and I will be leaving Noveira in a few hours. Our business engagement here has been taken care of," Davis said gently.

Deborah froze, eyes widening in shock as tears welled up unexpectedly. She had come into accepting this little family like hers and thinking of the separation now, it still hurt a bit.

If given an option, she might have made a request. Why she was contemplating, Davis continued, "You can choose to come with us, or stay behind and take care of this house. The choice is yours."

A sigh of relief escaped her lips. It was unexpected.

"Thank you, sir," she said at once, before rushing to her room to pack their things, ready to accompany them.

Watching Deborah’s familiar figure disappear into the hallway, Jessica let out a sigh of relief, a smile tugging her lips.