Snare of Love

When she recalled that he had betrayed her, Maria felt very infuriated.

Was his love towards her an illusion?

How could he betray her and stab her in the back?

Maria stood by the door and her steps were shaky, "Sampson..."

Sampson walked towards her and discovered the bruises on her knees. He frowned while asking, "Have you gotten into a fight with someone?"

If not, why did she end up looking like this?

Maria shook her head as she stared at Sampson, "Sampson, is your love towards me fake?"

"How could that be?" Sampson really loved her as his sibling. Her disappearance in the past was somewhat his mistake too, so all the while he had been living with guilt, and now that he was able to retrieve her, all of his feelings towards her were never fake.

Suddenly, Maria launched into a fit of laughter, but all of a sudden all traces of her smile evaporated. She then let out an exasperated scream, "If you really love me and see me as your sister, why did you betray me for that woman's sake?"

"What are you talking about?" Sampson was confused by her words. "Come in first."

He pulled along his sister who was losing control of herself. Due to the fact that her marriage had been cancelled recently, Landon was especially unhappy about that. There was a dark cloud hanging over the house.

If Landon heard that she was throwing a fit again, he would no doubt be enraged.

Maria was dragged into the house by Sampson.

"You sit down first. I'll go get some ointments to disinfect your knees, so that you won't get infection."

Maria looked like she didn't understand a thing as she continued to sit there motionless and her gaze was focused on a spot in space.

She thought that by becoming a part of the Herbert family, she would be able to be together with Matthew, enjoy her high status, and possess a lover and also an affectionate brother. However, things couldn't be further from the truth.

Everything had changed. Yes, she did have a prestigious status now, but she had lost Matthew, and at the same time that woman was channelling away part of Sampson's love towards her. Dolores had ruined her love life and family life.

Her fingers slowly buried themselves deeply into the bed sheet, and veins could be seen bulging on her skin. She was really enraged now.

Sampson carried a first-aid kit in and then proceeded to clean and disinfect the wounds on her knees. He was doing all this with the utmost care, as if he was afraid of causing pain to her. "Sampson." Maria was looking downwards. "Are you this gentle towards Dolores too?"

Maria was really abnormal today.

"What are you trying to say?" Sampson placed the disinfectant in his hand onto the floor and decided to have a conversation with her about this matter.

"Maria, it's not like Matthew is the only man in the world. You don't need to dwell on him for too long. With your traits, you can find a better..." "Dolores is not the only woman in the world, so why do you still love him so much?" Before he could finish his sentence, Maria suddenly interrupted him. Sampson couldn't find any words to refute her.

She was right. While he was trying to persuade her sister, he had forgotten about his own stubbornness.

"Sampson, you could betray your own sister for the sake of the woman you love. Your love is really profound."

He could no longer ignore her anymore since she kept repeating the same thing, "Maria, have you met her?"

"Yes." Maria admitted. Sampson couldn't help but frown, "You have been accusing me of betraying you. Can you elaborate on that?"

Did this have something to do with Dolores?

"You're asking me this?" Maria sounded very sarcastic, "Are you not aware of what you have done?"

"I don't know what you are referring to. I never mean any harm to you in the first place." He was sure that he had never wronged his sister.

When he found out that Matthew was that man from that night long ago, he had tried to selfishly conceal this fact from Dolores. Later on, he learnt that Maria was his sister, and she loved Matthew, so this prompted him to hide this truth even deeper in his heart.

He didn't even say anything knowing that Dolores' children were currently lacking a father figure.

However, his sister was now accusing him of betraying her.

Sampson felt really disappointed and saddened.

Maria's words were too hurtful.

"You never mean any harm to me? Then tell me, how did Dolores know that I was the perpetrator of that accident six years ago?" Maria didn't believe him.

"Sh...She knows that you are the one who had caused that accident from six years ago?" Sampson sounded incredulous. Dolores had discovered something he had tried his best to hide from her.

After all, the one who had hurt Dolores was none other than his own sister.

If Dolores knew this, his relationship with her would definitely get affected.

Maria laughed coldly, "Don't act like you don't know what's going on. This matter is now six years old. Everyone who was in the know was no longer alive, except you and me. Are you implying that I was the one who had revealed the truth to her personally?"

Sampson was stunned for a moment. He then muttered, "I really didn't tell her about this."

He was simply nervous because Dolores had finally learnt of this truth.

Would she be angry at him?

He plopped down onto the sofa.

She was on the verge of accepting him now, but all of a sudden she now got hold of the truth about that accident.

He couldn't bring himself to explore this idea further.

Maria watched his forlorn expression and frowned slightly, "You're sure you're not the one who has revealed this to her?" Sampson laughed bitterly, "Why do I need to lie to you?"

"Then how did she know about it?" Maria couldn't figure out what had happened since in the first place, there were only a handful of people who knew about the truth. The other one in the know was now dead. The only ones left who were in the know were Sampson and her. If the two of them never said anything about this, how did Dolores learn about the truth about that accident?

"Take a rest for now." Sampson stood up and said. He needed some private moment and figure out how he would have to tackle Dolores from now on.

He would have to figure out how to explain himself.

"Sampson." Maria hugged him from behind with her face perched against his back, "Sampson, you are not young anymore, and I am no longer a teenager. We don't have too much time anymore, you should help me, for our sake..."

"How can I help you?" Sampson smiled bitterly as he was now in deep trouble. In that case, how could he ever help her?

"Try to consider my proposition last time."

Fearing that he would reject her outright, Maria hastily added, "Don't reject me now. Think about it carefully. If you want Dolores to be with you without any price to pay, that is impossible. You must be aware that the only way to force her into a relationship with you is to have an intimate intercourse with her. Women are always sentimental. When she has given her body to you, sooner or later she would harbour feelings for you. When you marry her later on, I would be able to be together with Matthew too. This would mean the bond connecting our family can be established. We are hitting many birds with one stone, so why don't you think about this carefully?"

Sampson continued to remain silent. He was really fond of Dolores.

It was not like he had only known her for one or two years. They had a bond that lasted a decade, so how could he bring himself to tarnish her using such backdoor means? How could he stain their precious bond?

"You are very familiar with the situation in our family. You and big brother are both inexperienced in business, and father is also getting older. This time, father wants me to marry Matthew because he is thinking about the future of the Herbert family. Don't you agree with me? Or do you want to see our family dwindling into nothingness?" Maria continued to convince him.

"That's not the reason I should do this." Sampson still didn't want to budge.

Although he was slightly older than Dolores, Dolores was the first woman he had liked.

He didn't want to destroy their memories.

Maria let go of him while taking a step back. She was staring at him with a disappointed look in her eyes.

"My happiness and the family's future... Aren't those things more important than your love for that woman?" She was interrogating him now, "You have been at the receiving end of the family's blessings, yet you have never done anything that benefitted the family. All the while, you were free to do whatever you want by going overseas. Our parents have been very understanding of you, yet in return, what have you ever done for them?"

Sampson felt himself petrify. She was right; he had never done anything for his family's sake.

"Sampson..."