No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

Chapter 623



For someone who's never dabbled in these things, it was surprisingly brain-taxing. Yet, somehow, I found myself getting really into it, all thanks to the deep dive I'd taken over the past month. My heart had finally settled.

When Fanny got back, she paused for a second, seeing me engrossed, didn't say a word, and just came over to hug me. "Welcome back," she said. I had only confided in her about Ernest. She was the sole person who knew where I had taken Ernest's ashes.

I leaned on her shoulder, the scent of disinfectant from her clothes filling my senses. "I'm craving a BBQ," I mumbled.

"Consider it done!" Fanny's words came with a nasal hint, a sign she was probably happy to see me making strides.

Yes, I was stepping forward.

After all, Ernest was gone, and I had to live on. There was still so much I wanted to do.

"Have you seen Conrad lately?" I asked Fanny while we were munching on grilled meats.

"Seen him? More like every day. Didn't he get bitten by an alligator? He's been getting treated at our hospital," Fanny's words made me pause mid- bite.

It had been over a month; any wound should have been healing well by now. "He's still undergoing treatment?"

"Yeah, there's this one wound that just won't heal properly. They say the flesh keeps festering, and they've had to operate several times," Fanny's words made the piece of meat I'd just picked up a bit hard to swallow.

Pictures of Conrad's alligator attack popped up in my head. "That rough, huh?"

"Do you want to visit him?" Fanny probed.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Yes, the alligator attack happened because of me," I replied, taking a sip of my juice.

Fanny served me more meat. "Eat up, you've lost a ton of weight this past month."

"Really? I've been eating my meals properly," I protested, not wanting to worry Fanny. I had been taking care of myself.

"Then it must be love's labor lost," Fanny teased.

They say a woman's face is a mirror. Looking at Fanny, I couldn't help but say, "You're glowing, must be all that love with Yates."

"It's alright. He's so busy all the time,

and so am When he's free, I'm in surgery. When I'm not, he's off giving lectures. We're hardly ever in the same time loop," Fanny tried to play it down, but I could tell she was content.

S

That's probably what enduring love is all about, not necessarily being together every moment.

"What's your plan? Going back to work, or..." Fanny trailed off.

Because for years, all I had ever done was work. It seemed that was all I knew how to do.

"Sure, I'll go back to work. What else, just lay low?" I cracked a joke.

"It's not like you can't afford to," Fanny's words reminded me of my hidden assets.

The amusement park, and the funds the Wagner family had set aside for me because of my father's project. Indeed, I had the capital to take it easy for a while.

"I'm not ready to take it easy just yet.

Work's great, having colleagues to chat and taugh with. Who knows, maybe even a chance encounter, said, making Fanny pause before she laughed and raised her glass.

"Here's to your chance encounter!"

As I lifted my juice, I noticed someone coming down from the upstairs of the BBQ place, dressed casually yet exuding an air of aristocracy.

"What are you looking at?" Fanny noticed my distraction and asked.

"If, apart from you, I happened to run into someone I know well today, would you call it a coincidence or premeditated?" My question made Fanny uneasy, and she followed my gaze.

"If it's him, then it's probably premeditated," Fanny said, just as the person in the distance turned to look our way.