And he had continued falling, even when she made it clear that she wished she had married someone else.
That was precisely why he had rarely returned to Emerald Villa during the past two years.
He preferred staying late at the office or travelling on business rather than coming home to face the woman he loved, only to be reminded that she considered their marriage a mistake.
Every time Eden asked him for a divorce, he felt as though something inside his chest was being slowly torn apart.
Yet he had always refused.
He had never intended to let her go.
Not then.
Not now.
Kira's jaw tightened.
"Eden, how many times have I told you that I would never let you go?"
His voice was cold and heavy.
Eden's shoulders instinctively shrank.
She had heard those words countless times before.
Whenever Kira returned to the villa, she would find a way to bring up their marriage. She would ask him to release her, insisting that she could never love him because her heart belonged to Jiro.
And every single time, Kira refused.
Back then, she had regarded his refusal as nothing more than an unreasonable attempt to control her life.
Now, she finally understood what she had failed to see.
He hadn't been holding on because he wanted to punish her.
He had been holding on because he loved her.
And she had repaid that love with rejection.
Eden lowered her eyes, unable to find the right words.
Her silence only made Kira angrier.
"Say something!"
His voice suddenly rose.
Eden flinched.
Kira turned sharply and slammed his hand against the table beside him. The sharp impact echoed throughout the living room.
Then, unable to contain his frustration, he kicked the table aside.
The sound startled Eden so badly that she stared at him with wide eyes.
In their two years of marriage, she had never seen him lose his temper like this in front of her.
He had always been cold, distant, and restrained.
Even when she hurt him, he would simply turn away or leave the villa rather than argue with her.
They were legally husband and wife, yet for most of those two years, they had lived like strangers sharing the same name.
Now, for the first time, she could see just how much anger and pain he had been suppressing.
And she knew she was the reason.
Her heart ached.
How could I have been so stupid?
She had spent so much time chasing after Jiro that she had nearly thrown away a man who had loved her for years.
She had been holding a precious diamond in her hands, yet she had mistaken it for an ordinary stone.
Worse, she had nearly exchanged it for a worthless piece of rusty metal.
Eden bit her lip.
She couldn't change the past.
But she could change what happened next.
Slowly, she stretched out her hand and caught the corner of Kira's blazer.
"Um…"
Her voice was soft and slightly hoarse from crying.
"Hubby."
Kira's body stiffened.
Eden looked up at him with watery eyes.
"Husband…"
The second endearment came out even more timidly.