Renewal Of Love
Chapter 389 Making Amends

By the end of the whole farce, Cherry had lost her name. Shutters flashed nonstop, capturing her the moment of her defeat.

She refused to the very end, her head shaking wildly as she was taken away by the police.

With the culprit being exposed and carried off to prison, the action had died down and there was nothing left for the reporters. One by one, they left-lugging their equipment as they murmured to one another, none of them giving noticing the car where Sam was.

When everyone had gone, he opened the door. Anne darted out and stood, looking at Kevin from a distance. The weight of her gaze made him turn and their eyes met.

Kevin made no move to come to her. Was she here to laugh at him? It wouldn't be too far-fetched. It was her who colluded with Cherry to set him up.

These thoughts left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he could not help but look at her face.

For a moment, the world around them seemed to have stopped as both of them waited. Then Anne took a step, then another, and another as Kevin watched her, rooted to the spot. She stopped right in front of him, and Kevin saw the angry mark blooming on her cheek.

His eyes widened as he asked in restrained anger, "What happened to your face? Who slapped you?"

His voice hid nothing of his worry, and guilt sank in Anne's stomach. She shook her head and grabbed Kevin's hand. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Kevin. This was all because of me!"

Kevin was knocked backwards in disbelief. He searched her face, looking for answers. Anne took a deep breath and went on to tell him all about going to Sam's hospital. Kevin listened carefully, then his eyes went to his friend.

Sam only shrugged. "At the end of the day, it all worked out." Kevin nodded despite his confusion. It was true. What mattered the most now was that they were able to resolve things.

"I'm sorry," Anne repeated. "The drug... It turned me into someone else. My actions were the complete opposite to what I was feeling. It all makes sense now. I'm sorry for what you had to suffer from me. You must've been so confused. I..." Her voice choked up, as if unable to continue, but she couldn't stop now. "Kevin, you can blame me for this. Could you wait a little longer? After the effects are gone, I'll make it up to you, I promise." Anne's voice shook as she looked at Kevin's face. She fought against the sudden recoil that passed through her body.

Right now, it was impossible. No matter how much she wanted to make things right, her own body would not obey her. She had to wait until the drug was completely out of her system. Otherwise, she would just hurt him more. She steeled herself for his resentment. Anne would accept all of his grudge if it meant there would be another chance for them.

But Kevin only smiled softly. Slowly, he reached out and lightly trailed his fingers over the mark on her face, soothing the burn. "Anne, I won't blame you for this. To be honest, I just feel relieved and happy that you came to me."

His words sent another burn to her throat. Anne's eyes were hot with tears. She knew that she must have deeply hurt him, but once again, just as he had done so many times in the past, Kevin always protected her feelings, holding them tenderly in his hands.

She took a long and deep breath. "Kevin, I have something to ask." Her eyes were on his as she spoke.

"Anything," Kevin answered.

"I want to see Kim." Kevin's expression shifted uneasily at her request. Anne knew that Kim was behind all this mess. And she wanted to see him now?

Seeing the question in his eyes, Anne went on to explain,

"I want to ask him something. I want to know why he injected me with the drug, and why he forcibly changed my mind... I need to hear his answer from his own mouth." There was no fear or hesitation in her. Anne's eyes burned with anger at the man who almost took everything she loved away from her.

Kevin nodded quietly. Out of all of them, Anne was the one who had been most affected. It was no surprise that she demanded answers.

Truth be told, Kevin had the same questions. Kim had a distorted view on love. But was Kevin so different? He loved Anne as well. Would he have gone as far as Kim had if she had not return his feelings? Would he have been plagued by the same obsession that pushed the other man to his own detestable actions?

Perhaps hearing his answers would give Kevin more clarity. "I'll track him down and bring him to you," Kevin said. His arms longed to hold her, but he did not move.

This time, it was Anne who bridged their distance. She stepped forward and pulled Kevin to her. Kevin's body stiffened with surprise, but a pleasant warmth quickly ran through his body. Anne buried her face in his chest and breathed in his scent. "Thank you, Kevin. I'll get better, and it will be just as it was before." She looked up at him and grinned cheekily. "No drug in this world can make me lose my feelings for you."

Kevin laughed as he embraced her. The medicine was so potent that it was impossible for Anne to fight against it. It might take a long time, but for now, this was enough. She believed in him, and it was all he needed.

Sam watched the two as they held each other, and a smile tinged with pain came to his lips.

Emily's face came to his mind. Their problems had caused a rift between them. Sam sucked in a breath as he thought about the scene Emily came across, and at once he was at a loss for words to explain. It was as if they had become strangers. Their conversations turned into a one-sided exchange, with Sam speaking and Emily just nodded absently at his words. He could see it in her eyes-she didn't believe him, and that thought crushed Sam as he watched the dull light in her wordless gaze.

If he let things go on like this, Sam knew that it would only be a matter of time before the two of them would break. That was the last thing he wanted. He loved her, and yet he did not know what difference it would make against his damnable helplessness.

Anne turned to look at Sam and said hesitantly, guilt softening her voice, "Sam, I owe you an apology too. It's my fault that things have become strained between you and Emily. I can call her to explain..." Sam only smiled bitterly and shook his head. If Anne called her now, it would only make Emily feel worse. He was already walking on a tightrope as it was, and he didn't want to do anything to shake the delicate balance between them.

"Sam, you are husband and wife. You two should be talking things out instead of avoiding them. You need each other more than ever as support. Go home and talk to her. Are you fine with just leaving things as they are? Are you ready to lose her?" Kevin said in a steady voice as he looked at Sam.

At his words, Sam's eyes widened. The next moment, he turned around and left, without as much as a nod.

No, he couldn't lose her.

He had never been more sure of anything in his life. The thought of Emily sent a pang of pain through his chest. He had to fix this.

At Anne's request, Kevin took her to see Rose.

She was still in the hospital. Despite the trouble caused by her actions, Kevin promised the Luo Family that as long as Rose stayed in the hospital and helped them study the characteristics of the drug, he would not be filing charges.

It was the most favorable condition for the Luo Family, and they agreed.

Anne stood by the door and looked at the quiet Rose. She was thinner than Anne had remembered. Her eyes followed the line of the bones under her skin.

Some people and some things were completely different from what she had remembered.

Rose adored her after coming back, and Anne felt the same when she looked at her.

"Kevin, you stay here. I'll go in by myself," Anne said softly.

Kevin nodded. He watched Anne's back as she walked inside. The sight of it filled his chest with a heaviness that weighed down on his breath. He knew that she was still struggling with the drug's effects, and she had deliberately lowered her voice earlier to fight it.

A heavy sigh escaped him. Why was a year so long? How much longer would it take for the medical team to develop the antidote? It was torture. The woman he loved was beside him, and yet he was not allowed to touch her.

The door of the ward was pushed open, but there was Rose remained motionless. Blank eyes looked into the distance, as if oblivious to her surroundings.

"Rose," Anne called her name, her chest filled with myriad of complicated feelings.

Rose was the first victim to be injected with the hallucinogen.

Rose's body froze at the sound. Slowly, she turned and looked at Anne with cold eyes. "I haven't seen you since I came to the hospital. I was wondering why you hadn't come when you had the perfect opportunity to ridicule me. So? How is it? Are you satisfied now that you had finally come here?"

Anne only stood silently for a moment before she shook her head. She walked over to the side of the bed and sat down. "I was also injected with that drug. You treated me dearly back then. and now I have the same feelings that you had."

At her words, Rose was stunned in silence. Then, she laughed, the hoarse sound grating unpleasantly in the silence of the room.

She had been wondering why Kevin and Selma hadn't send her to prison. Now everything made perfect sense. It was for Anne's sake.

It was divine retribution. What she had suffered was happening to Anne as well!

A cold smile curled on Rose's lips. "Let me tell you something, Anne. You can't really feel the pain now. When the effect wear off, that's when the real torture begins. You're going to think about what you have done to the people around you, how much you've hurt them, and you're going to wish yourself dead." Broken laughter came from Rose once again. "I'm looking forward to that day!"

But Anne did not feel any anger towards her. She shook her head and said, "I'll be responsible for what I'm doing now."

Rose's laughter came to a halt at Anne's answer. Then, Anne went on to ask Rose about her feelings at that time. Rose hadn't wanted to answer, but Kevin's eyes were watching them, so she had no choice bu to speak.

Compared to prison, the hospital was a much better option.

Evening had already descended when Anne walked out of Rose's ward. Kevin took a long look at her tired form and took her directly to the Fu Family's house.

Today had been eventful, with intense feelings coming at them all at once, but Kevin counted it as a victory. Anne wanted to stay with him.

It was all he could have asked for, after everything that happened. Kevin decided to be optimistic. At the very least, it seemed that he didn't need to avoid going home anymore.

News spread quickly in the internet. Kevin's and Cherry's names were the stuff of pages and articles, with reporters labeling them as an item.

With a laptop in her hand, Selma's face darkened as she browsed through different webpages. Kevin had promised her that he wouldn't have anything to do with Cherry, so why did things turn out like this now? When Kevin returned with Anne, Selma's displeasure only grew. She had all but pushed the laptop to Kevin as he looked at him sharply. "Kevin, I have always believed you, but what is this now? Anne is your wife and my daughter-in-law! You have a family with her. Why are you doing this? I told you to stop having relations with this Cherry woman!"

Selma was very firm with her tastes, and once she had taken a liking to someone, she would stand firmly by that person. Before this, she had done some questionable things to Anne, but now things were the complete opposite.

Even if Anne was affected by the drug now, Selma would still take her side.

Kevin only smiled helplessly at his mother's reprimand. Anne, on the other hand stared at Selma in disbelief.

She looked at the older woman's face, and thought of how the two of them would always be at each other's throats in the past. She was moved that Selma could say something like that now.

"Mom, thank you," she said with all the sincerity she could muster. The corners of her mouth lifted in a smile as Anne looked at Selma, then at Kevin.

Selma raised her eyebrows and gave Anne a once-over. Something was different about her. A flicker of hope bloomed in her chest.

Was Anne finally well?

"It had nothing to do with Kevin. This mess is all my fault," Anne explained, unable to meet Selma's eyes. They spent the next hours talking about everything that happened. By the end of it, Selma was at a loss. So much had happened, and she had not yet fully processed the whole thing.

It turned out that Anne was the one who planned the relationship between Kevin and Cherry. And there was also the matter about the drug.

But Anne was here, and she was staying with Kevin. So was that a good thing or a bad thing? For a moment, Selma didn't quite know what to say.

Shaking his head slightly, Kevin smiled and said to her, "Mom, don't worry. From now on, Anne won't be doing anything like that again."

Looking at Anne, Selma nodded slightly. She had not yet decided whether things had gone better or worse, but perhaps that was the most fortunate thing today.