To the Man Destined to Kill Me - Chapter 122

At Teddy’s words, Scarlett’s face twisted in disbelief.

The person who had saved Teddy last time wasn’t Noah, but a wealthy merchant. Yet Teddy insisted that it was Noah who had rescued him.

“This man… he’s the one who saved you?”

“Yeah! I like this man! He played with me.”

“Teddy, look carefully. Are you sure this is the man who saved you last time?”

“Oh, Mom, I’m not stupid. Of course I remember. This man used magic and whoosh—he saved me from the water.”

Scarlett firmly grabbed Teddy’s shoulder as he tried to run into the storage room. She knelt down and asked him,

“Teddy. That merchant man—did he always look like that?”

“Yeah. But his face was strange. It always shimmered around the edges.”

“Shimmered?”

“Uh-huh! Shimmered!”

If what he said was true, then Noah must have approached them while hiding his face. And since Teddy was also a mage, he must have sensed Noah’s magic. The shimmering he described must have been a magical disguise that only other mages could notice.

“Did that man say anything to you?”

“Um… I don’t know.”

Even as the child smiled sweetly, Scarlett couldn’t relax. Teddy wriggled, wanting to go play, but she held him tighter.

“Mooom.”

“Teddy, think carefully. Did he say anything to you? Anything at all?”

“Hmm… well… he hugged me…”

“He hugged you?”

“Yeah…”

Scarlett’s voice grew sharper, and Teddy glanced at her nervously before answering. She didn’t even realize he was getting scared, lost in her own thoughts.

Why would Noah hug Teddy? What reason would he have to do that to a boy known as Scott’s son? Unless… he knew Teddy was actually his son.

Scarlett clutched the fabric over her chest so tightly she forgot to breathe. The anxiety was unbearable.

“He didn’t say anything else?”

“Um… I don’t remember. Mom, can I go play with Isaac now?”

It was only then, as the child clung to her, that Scarlett realized she had been pressing him too hard.

As soon as she let go, Teddy darted off, and Scarlett was left alone, staring blankly at the portrait of Noah that he had sent her as an engagement gift.

Even though she tried to hold it back, her eyes turned red and tears welled up. It felt like Noah had completely abandoned her.

‘Scarlett White. Stop holding on.’

She was the one who had let go first—how could she feel this way now? Overwhelmed by self-hatred and sorrow, Scarlett finally collapsed to the floor, burying her face between her knees.

The situation was so twisted, her emotions tangled like a ball of knotted string. She felt like she was going to explode. Just enduring Noah’s presence was suffocating.

Scarlett wiped her damp eyes with the edge of her sleeve. She didn’t even feel like she had the right to cry.

Then, her eyes met the portrait again, now at her level on the floor. She couldn’t look away. The memory of the day she first sat down to paint Noah came rushing back.

Back then, her chest had felt like it would burst from hatred. But now, she missed him—and hated herself for it.

‘Noah…’

Scarlett reached out and gently brushed Noah’s face in the portrait. His gaze, the way he used to look at her, had been so kind.

Their first love had been innocent and passionate, like a balloon ready to burst with just the slightest touch.

Only she knew how deep and hot Noah’s affection had been.

‘I thought I forgot you…’

She had to. It was the right thing to do.

But could a mere one hundred days with him truly bind her for all these years? A single tear slid down Scarlett’s cheek.

She let out a choked sob and buried her face in her palms, breathing heavily over and over again.

‘I can’t be your lover again.’

Too much had happened for that. If she stayed with him, things would become confusing for Teddy, and Scott had been falsely accused of killing Julia Ashford.

After calming her heart, she got up and went to her room.

Scarlett took off the dress she had worn at the engagement ceremony and changed into her everyday clothes. Then she opened a drawer and took out a magic shocker.

The magic shocker had been improved over the past few years. It sparked with crackling energy and was designed specifically to subdue mages—its power was intense and dangerous.

“Young lady, where are you going?”

Maria looked surprised as she saw Scarlett getting ready to leave.

“I have some business. If anyone asks where I am, just say something vague. I’ll be back soon.”

Leaving that instruction, Scarlett slipped out through the back door of the mansion unnoticed. Naturally, she headed straight for the hotel where Noah was staying.

Standing in front of the hotel, her face looked determined—but without realizing it, she was touching her lips.

She remembered Noah’s breath from that night, just a fleeting moment. That heat, wrapped in reverence, still lingered. Her face flushed, and her expression crumbled.

She didn’t know why she was so shaken, just from seeing his face a few times after all those harsh words.

Even after six years, was this the rotting root of old love—or just leftover emotions?

The thought made her want to run away. To throw everything away, hold Teddy, and vanish where no one could find them.

If she did that… would Noah come to her side? No. The real question was—could she stand by his side?

‘Get a hold of yourself.’

Scarlett squeezed her eyes shut, ashamed of her thoughts. She couldn’t believe herself.

It had only been a few hours since her engagement ceremony. She had spent years building a relationship with Wilhelm.

Compared to Noah, Wilhelm had been with her far longer—faithful, responsible, and warm in his love. How could she think of betraying him?

‘You’re so selfish. You’re terrible.’

Slap. Scarlett lightly slapped her own cheek, took a deep breath, and entered the hotel.

Ten minutes later, guided by Peter, she waited for Noah in his room’s reception area.

While waiting for Noah to return from his walk, her heart thudded. Whether from nerves or something else, she didn’t know. But she firmly promised herself she wouldn’t get swept up like last time.

But the moment the door opened and Noah appeared… the scent that drifted in through the gap melted her resolve and loosened her heart.

“What brings you here? On a day as busy as today?”

His mention of a “busy day” clearly referred to her engagement ceremony. The subtle sarcasm stiffened Scarlett’s face.

Then, with unexpected gentleness, Noah asked,

“Did you like the gift?”

After all the cruel things he had said, now he was being kind. And yet the content of his words was cruel.

What was he thinking? What was in his heart? She couldn’t tell—just as he couldn’t understand her.

Scarlett searched for the right words. She had prepared so many on the way here, but now that he was in front of her, none seemed to fit.

“What is it that you want?”

“That’s an unexpected question.”

“Is it revenge? Your own happiness? Or—”

Noah cut her off.

“All I ever wanted… was your heart. At least, back then.”

He took a sip of tea to clear the dryness in his mouth.

It was true. Back then, all he wanted was Scarlett. He would have given up the throne, revenge—everything—if she was by his side. Until he found out she had survived and become Wilhelm’s lover.

“Back then…?”

“Yes. Back then.”

“So you hate me now.”

“You think I hate you? Are you serious?”

Noah’s feelings for Scarlett were impossibly complicated.

He understood why she had left him when she thought she was dying. He even understood how she had survived and had his child.

But keeping all that from him—and then getting together with Wilhelm—felt like the ultimate betrayal.

They had broken up. What connection could remain? And yet… they had Teddy. He told himself she did it for the child, but emotionally, he couldn’t accept it.

“Yes. I hate you. How could I not?”

Still, he loved her. He missed the days when their love had been mutual. Looking at her now brought tears to his eyes. He still longed for her love.

And at the same time, he hated her. Her selfish behavior wore him down. Her decisions, made without him, made him furious.

And on top of that, Scott White had killed his mother. Yet Scarlett had lived under the same roof as that man—and even allowed Teddy to be recorded as Scott’s son.

What he felt now was pure love and hate, twisted together. Love and hate share the same root, impossible to separate. So neither feeling could die, and both would continue to live in him.

“But Scarlett…”

Noah leaned slightly forward over the table. He reached out and brushed her cheek with his fingers.

The soft glide of his nails, the slow, soothing motion of his hand gave Scarlett chills. Her shoulders shuddered.

Noah’s eyes curled into crescents. His low smile, under long lashes, was sweet but bitter. Warm but cold.

The mix of love and hatred made her feel both pity and disgust. He loved her deeply, but was just as deeply disappointed.

Caught in emotions he couldn’t control, Noah’s fingers finally stopped at Scarlett’s lips.

“I still want you.”

His eyes twisted with pain.

Noah Ashford really was a complete fool.

To love this cruel woman… to look only at her. It felt like an endless nightmare.

Yet from beginning to end, he knew Scarlett White would always be in his life.

He just knew it.

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