?Chapter 928:


    As soon as she said it, Collin’s face tightened, like a storm brewing. “Come again?”


    His sudden shift unsettled Linsey, and she quickly repeated herself. “I’m telling the truth—I saw it around Haven’s neck. Honestly, I’d been meaning to talk to you, to ask for help. But the moment I saw her wearing that ne, I froze. I kept wondering if maybe I was toote. That’s why I looked so stunned when you showed up at the bridal shop.”


    Linsey’s words only carved deeper shadows across Collin’s face, his jaw tensing as the weight of it sank in.


    A bitter chuckle escaped him,ced with disbelief. “So someone really had the guts to rob me blind.”


    He reached for Linsey’s hand and held it with a steady,forting grasp. “When I won the Star of the Desert, I tucked it away in the desk drawer in my study. It just hit me—Haven had dropped by not long ago and used my grandmother as some excuse to slip into the study while I wasn’t paying attention.”


    Regret flickered in his eyes like a dying ember. “I should’ve been smarter. Should’ve checked the ce the second she left.”


    Everything clicked for Linsey atst, and a soft, ironicugh slipped past her lips as the truth unfolded in her mind.


    It dawned on her—she hadpletely misread Collin from the beginning.


    All this time, she had convinced herself that he was nning a future with Haven, and that belief had fueled the harsh words she had thrown at him.


    On the flip side, Collin had concluded she had given her heart to…


    Gorman.


    A single honest conversation could have straightened everything out, yet they let silence stretch the distance. So much time lost over nothing but a mimunication.


    When Linsey didn’t speak, Collin felt the weight in his chest press harder, the quiet gnawing at him.


    With guilt etched into his features, he dropped his gaze and murmured, “This is all on me. I should’ve made it clear how I felt from the start. Instead, I let you doubt, made you second-guess if you could even talk to me.”


    His words stirred something deep in her chest, and a lump tightened in her throat before she could stop it.


    She turned her head just a little and met his gaze, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. Her voice came out soft and measured as she said, “Four years is a long time, Collin. People change. And you never came for me during all that time. So how could I possibly know if your feelings had stayed the same?”


    Collin’s head turned slowly, and the shock in his eyes stripped away the usual calm. For once, he lookedpletely unguarded.


    His voice came out unsteady. “Are you telling me you never, actually tried to avoid me?”


    Linsey gave a small blink, caught off guard by the question. “I was hurt at first, badly. I wanted to put Grester behind me, leave you and everything else behind. But after a while, that hurt mixed with something else. I still hoped you’d show up. I kept wishing you’de and say you were sorry… like you meant it.”


    .


    .


    .