Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Samantha, however, seemed to have expected that sort of reaction from him. She pressed her hand to the door to prevent Selby from moving it.

Selby applied more force but was taken aback when he realized that Samantha had great strength despite her delicate and gentle appearance. The door did not budge at all.

He could not help but gaze up at Samantha.

Samantha’s eyes were calm as she remarked straightforwardly, “The least you can do is give me an explanation, Professor Cornell.”

She was not going to let herself be waved off with a mere apology after such a serious incident had happened.

Selby pursed his lips and seemed adamant on resisting.

Samantha was not anxious at all and added bluntly, “I won’t leave even if you stop me from coming in, Professor Cornell. I’ll just keep waiting outside here until you’re willing to give me an explanation.”

Selby remained silent.

He looked at Samantha’s determined expression and knew she meant what she said.

That was the exact same reason he admired her before.

Selby closed his eyes, let out a deep sigh, then finally released his grip from the doorknob. He took a step back and said hoarsely, “Let’s talk inside.”

Samantha set foot into the house.

Selby took her to the living room and said, “Please just sit wherever, Ms. Larsson. I’ll get you a glass of water.”

She nodded and sat on the sofa. Although time was of the essence, she had no qualms being patient for a few more moments.

After half a minute, Selby came over with two glasses of water. He placed one glass in front of her and then sat on the sofa opposite her.

He clasped his fingers, placed his hands on his knees, and leaned forward. One could sense an extremely disheartened and dejected aura from him.

Samantha glanced across the coffee table. There was an ashtray filled with cigarette butts on top of it and a faint smell of smoke seemed to linger in the air.

She picked the glass up and took a slow sip of water. All her other emotions were suppressed, leaving only calmness and composure.

After taking a deep breath, Samantha calmly began, “Professor Cornell, netizens have exposed an accusation regarding you and your former student. I’d like to know what exactly happened.”

Selby had been lowering his head until she asked that question. He looked up suddenly and seemed puzzled, shocked even.

He stared at Samantha for a few seconds before finally asking, “Ms. Larsson, why…why are you questioning me about what happened instead of asking me if the accusation is true?”

“Do you really…believe me?”

The first question an average person—or rather 99.9% of people—would ask at that juncture was ‘are the accusations true?’ or something of the like.

Samantha really was an extraordinary woman.

She looked up and stared right into his eyes. “I don’t.”

“Then why—”

“I believe in the person I love,” Samantha interrupted before he could continue his sentence.

The person Samantha loved…was none other than Timothy.

Selby had some knowledge of the things that happened between Timothy and Samantha. Timothy had once abandoned her and renounced their marriage, but they ended up remarrying and she still believed in him so deeply.

Such feelings really were enviable.

“What did Mr. Barker say?”

“He said that you’re a very honorable man.”

That remark was the basis on which she fought for the chance to report the news. Furthermore, her interactions with Selby convinced her that he was a good man, and that was the reason she chose to speak on his behalf.

The situation might have come to a junction, but she still held the belief that Timothy would never lie to her and was certain that she had not misjudged Selby.

Selby’s expression seemed deeply moved.

At that moment, his eyes had a little sparkle when he looked at Samantha.

Sadly, that sparkle soon disappeared, only to be replaced by a complex set of emotions, including pain, conflict, and regret…

The man curled his lips in a self-deprecating manner and said, “Ms. Larsson, I’m afraid…I’ve betrayed your trust in me. That incident is true.”

He seemed so anxious that he concerned himself with his own thoughts without even giving Samantha a chance to interrupt. “I did…harass my female student back then because I was attracted to her and I couldn’t help myself. I… I’m no better than a beast. I’m a disgrace as a professor!”

His fists were tightly clenched and there were veins popping out from the back of his palm.

“Everything they say on the internet is true. People like me… people like me…are truly good-for-nothing in society. I don’t deserve to teach and educate others. I… I’ve let everyone down. I’ve let you down too.”

His eyes turned red as he spoke and he lowered his gaze immediately to avoid making eye contact with Samantha.

“I’ll take full responsibility for this. I’m really sorry, Ms. Larsson.”

Samantha listened quietly and waited for him to finish speaking. After a few moments of silence, she asked, “Why do you have to lie?”

Selby was taken aback.

He retorted enthusiastically the next second. “I’m telling the truth! Every single word I said is true!”

“I can understand how you feel after I dragged you down, but what I said is the truth. I cannot undo my actions and I can only offer you my deepest apologies.”

An evil person might regret their past actions and could still put on a sympathetic act in front of others, but no evil person would be willing to suffer in pain and insist on being condemned for their alleged wrongdoings.

Selby was not upset; he was in pain.

She had experienced such a situation before and could not have been more familiar with the feeling.

It was more painful than bewildering when her marriage was broken off and she was abandoned, because being hurt by someone that one loved was as painful as being stung by a million ants. The suffering was not something that could be easily described.

Samantha did not expect him to answer her and concerned herself with her own thoughts, just as he did to her earlier. “You feel sorry for that girl not because you harassed her, right?”

“Is it because of other external factors? Parents, perhaps?”

“Was it your parents who did something to that girl when she vanished without a trace after the incident?”

“The reason you chose not to speak up now is because you want to protect that girl, yes?”

Selby did not answer a single one of her questions. He even yelled, “That’s enough, Ms. Larsson! I’m tired. Could you please leave?”

As soon as he said that, he got up and went straight upstairs without caring whether Samantha left or not.

Samantha looked at his stiff rear figure and asked softly, “You love that girl don’t you, Professor Cornell? And she…loves you too, doesn’t she?”

Selby froze and turned around. His eyes were red as he shouted at Samantha, “Shut up! You don’t know a thing. Quit making up stories!”

Samantha’s expression did not change one bit and she stood up calmly to look at him. “I hit the nail on the head, didn’t I?”

Selby staggered a few times as if he had crashed suddenly into something.

A few seconds later, Selby laughed depressingly and said, “It doesn’t matter if you know the truth, Ms. Larsson. It’s already too late..”