Winning Her Heart Back

Chapter 927 Patricia and Bryan's Side Story

After Patricia returned to being Patrice Wade, she thought that her entanglement with the cold, heartless man from Eprand was over for good. She didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore.

A single glance had cost her a lifetime of regrets.

Because of him, she had broken off an engagement, left her family, changed her name, and followed him around without any status or recognition. She had to bear the world's scorn for "sleeping her way to the top". She even had to watch him court a young lady from a prestigious family that others claimed was compatible with him.

She had gone from being the "it girl" in Eprand to a debased mistress. Despite that, the man who knew about everything that she had sacrificed remained cold-hearted, too stingy to offer her even the slightest affection. least she had woken up in

She thought that she deserved it, as she had forced herself into this relationship. But time. It wasn't too late to turn back and reclaim her rightful place.

She was back to being a daughter from the Wade family, while he continued being the president of Swanson Corporation and the eldest son of the Swanson family.

Her parents had even arranged a blind date for her. If the marriage worked out, it would benefit both families tremendously.

Patricia didn't refuse. In fact, she was quite willing. After all, she had already hurt her parents once because of Bryan, and she wanted to make it up to them.

Besides, the guy, Alex Harrington, was a good match. They were of the same social standing, and they were similar in age. He had just returned from studying in Bredal. He was a handsome man, and overall, he was a solid choice.

After spending a few days getting to know him, Patricia thought that he was pretty decent. Most importantly, the young man confessed that it was love at first sight for him.

Loving someone else had always been too painful for her. Maybe it was time for her to experience what it felt like to be loved.

She dated him for three months. Everything was fine, except for one thing-she never really felt that spark.

However, Patricia had heard that most relationships and marriages weren't built on passionate love. How many people had ever experienced an earth-shattering love anyway? Most people just settled for someone who was suitable for them, spending the rest of their lives together.

By that standard, Patricia thought that she and Alex were perfectly compatible. Hence, they got engaged and then married.

On her wedding day, an unexpected guest showed up at the reception-Bryan Swanson.

Patricia hadn't expected to see him. For a moment, her meticulously made-up facade showed a crack. However, she quickly regained her composure, smiling as she and her new husband raised their glasses to Bryan.

"Thanks for coming to my wedding. Don't you have a congratulatory word for me, Mr. Swanson?"

The composed, mature man stared at her with an intense, stormy gaze, unable to say a word. At that moment, Patricia felt a rush of satisfaction.

How nice.

She didn't care about Bryan anymore. She had truly started a new life, while he, on the other hand, hadn't forgotten her. He was even losing his cool because she had so freely moved on and married someone else.

Bryan just stood there, his gaze locked on her. The tension was so thick that even Alex sensed that something was off. He pulled Patricia closer to him by the waist.

When Bryan saw Alex openly claiming what was his with his arm, his eyes burned with fury.

Eventually, it was William who pulled Bryan aside, while Patricia continued smiling as she walked to the next table

with Alex.

Patricia had keen hearing, and she overheard her cousin saying, "You didn't want her when she was chasing after you, and you let her endure all that ridicule. If you dare to make a scene at her wedding and make her the subject of gossip again, then you'll really be the worst."

When Patricia's throat constricted, Alex asked, "What's wrong? Is that guy a friend of yours?"

"Not really."

After the wedding, Patricia and Alex went on their honeymoon.

They were a real married couple, after all, and they had a fantastic time during their honeymoon. Every day, she posted on social media about where they had been, what they had done, and what they had eaten.

They traveled east from Nyxia to Hannarton, enjoying the unique southern Jaxonese culture and the long history of West Lake. After that, they headed south to Sammington and Giveon Bay, soaking up the sunshine, beaches, tropical vibes, and world-class scenery.

Then, they headed west to Linterbury and Dyver, experiencing the romance of the ancient city and Yapanese culture. Finally, they traveled north to Frostown and Kaygan, enjoying the Ice Festival, Louisian influences, and grasslands.

At one of their stops, Patricia ran into Samuel. They were old acquaintances, so they had dinner together. Before parting ways, Samuel handed her a recording. "It's my brother in the recording. Whether you listen to it or not is up to you, but it might affect your marriage if you do."

He also mentioned that Bryan had been in bad shape for the past few months. He had fallen seriously ill, losing over 20 pounds, and he couldn't even manage his company. He had only recently started to recover.

Patricia didn't comment. Although she took the recording, she never listened to it. When the honeymoon ended, she and her husband returned to Eprand to start their married life.

Less than two years later, Patricia and Alex filed for divorce at the courthouse. There was no major conflict between them as he had always been a good person.

However, one was a born-and-bred Cedonian, while the other had grown up abroad, shaped by Wyvernian education. He was practically a Wyvernian himself.

The differences in cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles-small things like daily habits and the food they ate seemed trivial at first. However, they piled up over the time they spent together and eventually became unbearable.

During those two years, they tried to work things out to find harmony. However, in the end, they just couldn't make it work. So, they parted ways amicably. After the divorce, they remained friends and even kept the split a secret from their parents to avoid any nagging.

Patricia then embarked on a journey of traveling the world, where she started coincidentally running into Bryan in various countries and cities.

By the third country, Patricia couldn't take it anymore and confronted him.

"I never realized that the president of Swanson Corporation had so much free time. Why do you keep following me everywhere?"

Bryan replied, "I'm not following you. It's just a coincidence."

"A coincidence that's this frequent? Do you take me for a fool?" Patricia sneered.

Bryan ignored the question. "Why are you traveling so much?"

Patricia, who was still wearing her usual sultry red dress, replied, "I have money and time, so I'm traveling. Do you have a problem with that?"

Bryan had lost a lot of weight. He was someone with a prominent bone structure, so the weight loss made his

features look even sharper. However, his eyes looked wary and cautious.

"Why isn't your husband with you?"

"He was invited to be a guest professor at Orford. He's busy working."

"So, you two are living apart?"

"And what if we are? He's busy with his work, and I'm busy enjoying myself. Just because we're married doesn't

mean we have to be glued to each other. Isn't it better this way?"

Bryan agreed. It would be great if they never saw each other again.

Patricia was growing impatient. "Bryan, what exactly do you want from me? We broke up over two years ago.

Don't tell me that you still haven't gotten over me.

"I'm a married woman now. Why are you sticking around me like this? Are you trying to tell me that you want to

be my lover?"

She had meant it as a jab, but to her shock, Bryan actually said, "Well, that could work too."

Patricia froze.

His intense gaze locked onto hers, deadly serious.

She gritted her teeth. "So, just like I was your secret mistress, you'd be my secret lover? My boy toy?"

She was trying to provoke him.

A man as proud as Bryan couldn't possibly tolerate that. Patricia fully expected him to storm off.

However, instead of leaving, his dim eyes seemed light up, as though something inside him that had been dead

for years had just come back to life.

"Really? Do you mean it?"

Patricia was stunned. Was he insane?Material © NôvelDrama.Org.

Yet somehow, he actually did become her secret lover.

For over six months, Patricia deliberately withheld the fact that she and Alex were already divorced. She just wanted to see Bryan, the eldest son of the Swanson family, sneaking around, making weekly trips from Weston to

Eprand to see her.

Sometimes, on a whim, she'd leave for a new destination within Cedonia or abroad without telling him. He'd show up to find her gone and have no choice but to sulk his way back to Weston.

Her friends told her that she was playing him like a fool.

However, Patricia enjoyed it. She loved seeing the jealousy and frustration in his dark eyes. She loved watching his upright face twist with irritation, gloom, and humiliation.

It was payback for all those years she had suffered by his side.

On a particular week, Patricia was set to fly off to Bredal. Bryan assumed that she was going to see Alex, but he

didn't say anything. Later that night, Patricia got up to use the bathroom and found him in the living room.

Having downed several bottles of alcohol, he looked all disheveled and utterly pitiful. Patricia's heart softened,

just a little.

She suddenly remembered the recording of Bryan that Samuel had given her long ago. She had never listened to it. At the time, she didn't want anything to do with him and was determined to focus on her marriage.

Now, she took it out and played the recording. It started with Bryan's drunk and incoherent mumbling. The

recording was from her wedding day when Bryan had gotten drunk

Samuel was trying to get him to stop drinking, but Bryan laughed in response and said, "She just walked past me. She walked right past me, holding her husband's arm, without even looking my way.

"Does she really think that I didn't care about her? That I didn't love her?

"That's not true. I loved her. I just wanted her to go home. She cut off ties with her parents and her friends-all for me. It wasn't necessary. She was too foolish. I wasn't worth that kind of sacrifice....

"It was my fault. I never should've let things go that far. I gave her the impression that we could be together, and that made her cling to me. I failed her, and it hurt her.

"But, how could she move on so fast? She dated before getting engaged and then married so quickly! I didn't even get the chance to do anything, and she was already someone else's wife. What can I do to get her back?"

Patricia had never imagined words like these to come out of Bryan's mouth.

It didn't sound like him at all. He was the heir of the Swanson family, but these words sounded like they came from some lovesick boy who had no confidence or control, speaking in the throes of regret.

However, it was also the most sincere thing that she had ever heard from him.

While Patricia was touched, she wasn't ready to forgive him just yet. He could stay in misery for another three

months. No, six months. Or maybe a year.

Then, maybe, she would tell him that he could graduate from her "secret lover" to her "boyfriend-in-training". However, if he didn't pass, she'd still dump him.

As time went on, Bryan passed all the tests-boyfriend, fiancé, future husband, and finally, pre-wedding scrutiny. He and Patricia eventually made it to the city hall to get married as he had wished.

It wasn't until they were registering that Bryan saw the exact date of Patricia's previous divorce and realized her

little scheme.

He felt both exasperated and amused, but he wasn't really mad. After all, those two years without her had been his own fault, and he deserved it. Being able to win her back made everything worth it.