Chapter 214: You Only Love Yourself

Chapter 214: Chapter 214: You Only Love Yourself

She had filled out quite a bit recently, losing her formerly thin and frail appearance. Her fair skin glowed with a dewy luster, and her complexion had grown softer and more radiant. Tenderly nourished by love, she exuded a gentle, steady tranquility.

Liam Hawthorne sat down on the sofa. From beginning to end, his gaze was glued to her, never leaving for a single moment.

"Vesper, have you been well?"

Before seeing her, he had a thousand things to say stored in his heart. But when he truly met her gaze, the myriad thoughts all got stuck in his throat, and in the end, he could only squeeze out that one flat sentence.

Vesper Grayson looked up. Her clear, almond-shaped eyes were calm and indifferent, long devoid of the lingering affection they once held.

"Quite well. You made a special trip here, so I doubt it was just to ask if I’m doing well."

A sharp pain suddenly gripped his heart. Liam Hawthorne’s voice was hoarse, and the rims of his eyes turned red.

"How many months?"

Vesper Grayson froze for a moment, then said flatly, "A little over two months."

"I heard you’re planning a wedding with him?"

She remained silent, watching him quietly, wanting to see what he truly intended by coming here.

With red-rimmed eyes, Liam Hawthorne stared at her, his tone laced with humble pleading.

"I really don’t have a chance anymore, do I?"

"Liam Hawthorne, why ask what you already know?" Vesper Grayson picked up the celadon teacup and took a light sip. "I’m doing very well now, and I don’t wish to be disturbed by anyone."

The implication couldn’t have been clearer: Don’t pester her anymore. Don’t entertain those unrealistic fantasies. She had truly moved on and would never love him again.

Liam Hawthorne let out a low, self-deprecating laugh, his eyes filled with regret and bitterness.

"I was a bastard. I’m sorry. I used to be so conceited, thinking you couldn’t live without me. But now I see that you’re actually better off after leaving me. You deserve all the best things in the world."

"I can’t accept it, and I don’t want to let you go, but seeing you so happy... I can’t bring myself to ruin it."

"Vesper, I love you. Even if you don’t love me anymore, I still love you. I just want you to be happy, to have a long and stable life with him."

Vesper Grayson slowly set down her teacup and looked up at him. "We will. You should also let go of your obsession and pursue your own happiness."

She paused, then bluntly exposed the deepest thoughts in his heart.

"The truth is, you don’t love me as much as you think you do. You’re just bitter about losing the me who loved you unconditionally and without reservation."

"If I were still devoted to you like before, back when you didn’t know my true identity or that I was secretly paving the way for you, you would have continued to despise me just as you always did. You would have looked down on me to your very core, thinking I was useless for anything besides my looks and managing the household, completely dependent on your every whim."

"So don’t bother saying you love me. From start to finish, you’ve been the ultimate egoist. The one you’ve always loved most is yourself."

Liam Hawthorne’s face turned deathly pale, his lips trembling uncontrollably as he tried to argue, "That’s not it..."

But every word Vesper Grayson said was an irrefutable fact.

His entrepreneurial journey had been too smooth. He had barely encountered any setbacks, and success came far too easily. The fame and status that were so readily available had inflated his ego, making him restless and overly ambitious. Gradually, he had cast aside the person who had weathered storms with him and stood by his side, discarding her like a worn-out shoe.

"You know best whether that’s true or not." Vesper Grayson had no desire to argue with him, her expression calm and liberated. "It’s all in the past. I don’t regret loving you. I just feel sorry for the Vesper Grayson of the past who gave you her whole heart."

"Liam Hawthorne, when it comes to you, my conscience is clear."

Liam Hawthorne was speechless, all his rebuttals caught in his throat. He slowly set down the velvet box he had brought. All his former pride and sharpness crumbled away as he turned and left, utterly dejected, his retreating figure looking bleak and lonely.

"Ma’am, he’s gone."

Joan approached with an exquisite fruit platter, reporting softly as she placed it in front of her.

"He specifically instructed that you should eat fewer cold things."

Vesper Grayson couldn’t help but curve her lips into a gentle smile. "He wants to control even the fruit I eat?"

"He’s just truly worried about you," Joan said with a smile. "What kind of soup would you like tonight? I’ll go start simmering it for you."

"You can decide."

Her morning sickness was severe right now, and her appetite was poor, so it didn’t make much difference what she ate.

"The worse you feel, the more you need to eat. The baby in your belly needs nutrients." Joan had given birth before and knew that every woman’s pregnancy is different. Some women have no discomfort at all, some have severe morning sickness in the early stages that eases later, and some can be tormented by vomiting for the entire nine months.

She had been one of the unlucky ones, vomiting from beginning to end throughout her entire pregnancy.

She would vomit as she ate, and her baby weighed just over four pounds when he was born.

Vesper Grayson nodded. "I know."

Two days before the wedding, Vesper Grayson finally received a call from Sebastian Kensington.

Sebastian Kensington’s voice came through the receiver, slightly rushed yet unable to hide its joy.

"Miss Grayson, I’ve gathered all the herbs!"

"So soon? Are you sure there are no issues with the herbs?" Vesper Grayson felt a sense of relief, but remained cautious. ’If there’s even the slightest mistake with the herbs, the efficacy will be greatly diminished.’

"Yes, I had Dr. Lawson verify them one by one. There are no problems."

To find this batch of rare herbs that were harder to find than gold, he had mobilized all his connections and spared no expense to finally gather them all.

’If Mr. Hitch confirmed they’re fine, then there shouldn’t be any problem.’

"I understand. I’ll contact you again once the Detoxification Pill is refined," Vesper Grayson said. Then, remembering something else, she asked softly, "How have Miss Sterling and Mr. Sterling been lately?"

"After taking Dr. Lawson’s Detoxification Pills last time, they both vomited a lot of black blood. But after expelling some of the toxins, their spirits actually improved a bit."

’So those two precious pills weren’t wasted, after all.’

After hanging up, Vesper Grayson immediately called Shiloh Sloan and asked her to come pick her up.

Shiloh Sloan arrived extremely quickly and looked at her as soon as she walked in the door.

"You called me in such a hurry. Did something important happen?"

"Come with me somewhere."

She gave her an address, and Shiloh Sloan drove on without asking any more questions. An hour later, they arrived at The Gilded Mortar, a pharmacy deep in the old city’s historic district.

’Such an old-fashioned name. It completely fit Mr. Hitch’s freewheeling personality.’

Seeing her about to walk inside, Shiloh Sloan quickly reached out and grabbed her, her voice tinged with worry.

"Vesper, if you’re not feeling well, don’t just get medicine or see a doctor at a random place like this. It’s safer to go to a proper hospital."

Vesper Grayson couldn’t help but laugh at her words.

"I’m perfectly fine. The owner of this shop is an acquaintance of mine."

Pushing the door open and stepping into the pharmacy, she was greeted by the faint scent of herbs. Vesper Grayson looked at the white-haired old man behind the counter, who was bent over, carefully weighing herbs. She called out in a warm voice, "Mr. Hitch, it’s been a long time. Have you been keeping well?"

"Vesper!"

Limping Lawson immediately put down the small scale in his hand and hurried forward to grasp her hand firmly, his eyes crinkling with a smile. "My, how you’ve grown. You get more and more outstanding."

Vesper Grayson smiled and squeezed his hand back. "Are the things I asked you to prepare in advance ready?"

"All prepared and ready. They’re all waiting in the back room. Follow me."

With that, Limping Lawson casually closed the shop door and led the two of them toward the back courtyard.