Chapter 46

Listening to Luke's words, I fell into deep thought. He was right; the reason his words stung was that they hit exactly where it hurt, exposing the vulnerabilities I didn’t want to face.

These days, I had been vaguely avoiding my own foolishness, blaming everything on Max’s cruelty and malice. But to end up where I am now, can I blame only Max? Don’t I bear some responsibility too?

One of human nature's flaws is the reluctance to accept criticism. We always believe we are right and make excuses to justify ourselves. Often, sharp remarks don’t just reveal the truth; they tear into our fragile and self-pitying pride.

Max and I had been together for seven years. If I was deceived by a bad man for seven years without noticing, wasn’t I being foolish?

The most absurd part is that when my father warned me that I didn’t really know Max, I instinctively thought he meant Max’s background wasn’t good enough for our family. I forgot what a noble person my father is! How could he care about s