Page 311 of In Love with a Cruel Billionaire

Which he was, Matthijs knew, since there were times, when he was alone, and he was at his lowest fucking point, he would find himself thinking...

What if I had told her why?

What if he ignored logic and pretended the past didn't exist? What if he did tell her why? What if?

What if he told himself when push finally came to fucking shove, and shit finally hit the fan, it wouldn't be as he feared? She wouldn't wish to turn back time. Wouldn't wish he had listened to her and told her why.

Could you be that girl for me?

Would you still stay?

Would you still be there when everyone else was smart enough to leave?

Her

DIANA HAD KNOWN, THEmoment she stepped inside the forum hall, showing up was a big mistake.

But her feet kept moving, and soon it was too late for her to back out, with the professor calling her name out in clipped tones.

She came up to the podium, and all eyes were on her. Aside from the professor, there was also the rest of his panel: a retired priest and a Carmelite nun to represent the Church, Mr. Bakker and the university's resident therapist, and a pair of social workers from the local help center.

Her palms were cold and clammy as she reached for her iPad and connected it to the projector via Bluetooth. Clearing her throat, she began her presentation, and when it was over and the lights went back on, she took one look at her audience and knew.

I was right.

This was a big mistake.

The questions came at her all at once, their myriad of expressions ranging from perplexity to outright dissatisfaction.

"So do I have this correctly," the retired priest said heavily. "Are you insinuating that Catholics who commit suicide areselfish?"

"No, Father, that's n-not the case at all." So aghast was Diana she found herself stammering. "All I'm saying that they need to bemore selfless—-"

"In other words, selfish," the therapist pointed out.

She quickly shook her head in protest. "No, I promise, that's truly not what I meant. All I'm saying is that those suffering from depression be made to see that if they die, they might as well have killed the people depending on them."

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