Goodbye You Never Loved Me novel (Martha and Stefan)

But clearly, Stefan didn't want Martha to talk about the divorce.

And the expression of impatience on her face was pretty obvious while she was thinking about it. Stefan frowned, his eyes getting darker.

After a moment, he looked down and said in a low voice, "I haven't moved on."

"So what?"

Honestly, Martha was a bit surprised to hear these words. After all, it was the first time he had said this.

The old her wished so much to hear that but now she only found it ridiculous.

She looked calmly at him, who was standing in front of her. And she knew what he meant, but she just didn't care now.

Stefan's face darkened and then he added in a slightly husky voice, "Martha, I like you. And I've promised I'll let you go in three months. But I have confidence that I'll make you return to me within three months."

"That's ridiculous."

Martha looked at Stefan mockingly and scoffed.

Her mind drifted back to what had happened in the past, and she added at last, "I'm not Hollie. I don't need your pity love."

"It's not what you think between Hollie and me."

When it came to Hollie, Stefan was bugged, with a touch of sorrow in his eyes.

He knew it was hard for Martha to accept him again now.

But he truly cared about Martha and he did let her down.

After a long while, Martha raised her eyes at him, sneered, and then asked a question that she had been wanting to ask before- "I've been wondering, why do you have a soft spot for Hollie?"

Why had Stefan hurt her again and again for Hollie in the past?

Certainly, Martha was asking this for the old her. Now she didn't care about the answer at all.

Stefan's face darkened and he denied, "It's not that I have a soft spot for her. I was just paying my debt."

"Debt? What do you owe her?"

Martha said in a mocking voice. She frowned as she didn't understand what he meant.

Martha thought, 'He owed Hollie something? How come I don't know?!'

Stefan could tell the taunt in her words, wondering if she thought he was lying.

This time he was willing to explain it, but would she listen and trust him?

"I was in great pain when my parents passed away. I guess you could vaguely remember what happened at that time."

Martha had mixed feelings with her eyes down when he mentioned his deceased parents.

Of course, she remembered it, because she was the one who had been there for him during his difficult time.

But...

It seemed like he didn't care and he never talked about anything she had done for him at that time.

"Back then, Hollie was the only one who was there for me to help me get out of this agony."

Stefan talked about what had happened in the past slowly and peacefully.

"I just wanna be alone at that time. I locked myself in the room and didn't want to accept the reality of my parents' death. When Hollie found out, she wore a mask and stood outside my room to cheer me up, talk to me, stay with me until I finally moved past it."

"The experience of that time was important to me."

Stefan's eyes looked darker when he finished the last few words.

Before, he couldn't tell whether he loved Hollie or he was just grateful to her.

But now, he realized he didn't love Hollie and he simply felt he owed her.

In the past few years, he had thought Martha died and had guilt towards her. Seeing her again years later, the feeling of getting back what he thought he had lost reminded him that he truly loved Martha. Stefan was angry to learn that Hollie lied about having first sex with him at 18. But he could never forget how she helped him get through the difficult time. He owed her and he must repay her. Hearing this, Martha pressed her lips together with her eyes dark.

'The person who was there for him after he lost his parents... is me, not Hollie.'