No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

For love, I bent once, and that's all I could afford. Not over and over again.

"Ernest, seems like you forgot, we're on opposite sides of a feud. So, I've moved on from whatever we had, and I won't mess with your life... Whomever you marry, I won't mind, nor will I interfere. If you wish, I can even send you a wedding gift..."

"Ernest, you don't have to be wary of me. I'm not the kind to cling on hopelessly. Once Felicia lets go, she never looks back. Look at me with Conrad; ten years together, and when I said it's over, it was over. Let alone our few months."

"Also, your father is the man responsible for my parents' demise. I don't blame you for his sins, but that doesn't mean I can pretend it never happened. How could I possibly love you or be with you again? It would haunt my dreams, and my parents would never forgive me."

"Then there's the Clark family, they're also on my list. Just because I'm silent now doesn't mean it's over. I... I just..."

I stopped myself there, realizing I couldn't bring myself to say more to him.

After spilling my heart out, my throat felt tight, but my heart still had so much more to say.

"Ernest, look at all this bad blood between us. How could I possibly love you again? So, you don't have to worry about me sabotaging your love life. If Felicia seeks vengeance, it'll be through other means, not by wrecking your marriage."

"I wish you happiness, truly. May you and your beloved grow old together. If you doubt my sincerity, I can swear it on the moon."

I raised my hand, trying to smile through my tears.

And I saw it—the pain in Ernest's eyes, a moment of vulnerability.

Did my words hurt him, or does he still have feelings for me?

The latter thought was absurd. He was marrying someone else; what feelings could he possibly have left for me?

"I swear, if I ever do anything to harm Ernest and..."

"Enough!" Ernest cut me off coldly before I could finish my vow, then turned and walked away with heavy steps. My hand fell to my side, my body felt numb. I stood frozen until a jacket, still warm, was draped over my shoulders. This time, I couldn't refuse Dustin's gesture, as he had already sent his driver away and took me home himself.

The news of the Collins and the Clark family's alliance was all over the headlines, with Ernest and Yolande becoming the talk of the town. Yolande's achievements turned her into an idol for many young women.

Beneath those headlines, there was another piece of news-a man of mixed heritage had an emergency hospital visit after a snooker ball incident.

I clicked on it, and there he was, Brown from last night, clearly someone had taken revenge on my behalf. But who?

Ernest was off the table, marrying someone else. So, was it... Dustin?

He had left right after dropping me off, not saying a word, and even left his jacket with me.

I called a delivery service to send the jacket for cleaning.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

Fanny saw the news too and was furious over the call, suggesting I move on by going on dates.

The thought alone turned me off; I had no interest in repeating past mistakes.

Fanny tried to comfort me, worried L couldn't handle it all. After hanging up, I gazed out at the sunny sky, impulsively booking a flight to Houston.

Not to escape Ernest's wedding news, but I couldn't miss Jefferson's final game.

But just as I finished booking, a message popped up on my phone from Susie.

Opening it, I found a picture of a plane ticket. Zooming in, I froze.

Susie was also headed to Houston, on the very same flight as me.