Wendel stiffened for a moment. Instead of answering directly, he chose to avoid the question altogether.
"Who doesn't get married at a certain age? Don't be foolish—everyone needs to get married, and that includes you, right?"
Esther’s expression darkened.
Suddenly, she shoved her chair back, stood up, and stormed out of the house, leaving her untouched dinner behind.
"Esther! Esther, where are you going?" Stella called after her, but Esther never looked back.
Wendel panicked. He immediately got up to chase after Esther but hesitated for a moment as he passed by Iris.
He sighed and explained, "She's a young woman running out alone. I'm afraid something might happen to her."
Inhaling sharply, Iris chose to say the exact same words she had in her past life. "Do you really not know why she’s upset?"
Wendel frowned and scolded her. "Iris, Esther might be in danger. This isn’t the time for you to be stubborn."
Without waiting for her reply, he bolted out of the courtyard.
Before she knew it, tears welled up in her eyes.
Even after two lifetimes, watching Wendel defend Esther so fiercely still made her heart ache.
So he wasn’t indifferent or unfeeling—he simply never loved her.