I didn't look at Chris' reaction and walked straight to the designated street for my ride. Lulu and Queenie were waiting for me, and we had plans for a leisurely shopping spree and a carefree dinner.Chris, who once occupied a position above everyone else in my life, had finally relinquished his place, giving way to the people I truly loved and valued.All this happened because of the wrong choices I made and the misplaced trust I gave. Thankfully, everything was back on track.I even felt a strange gratitude toward Faye. If it weren't for her calculated interference, Chris and I might have continued our toxic entanglement for a while longer, which would have been truly terrifying for me.The car soon arrived. It was a white Haval driven by a young woman. I got into the back seat and saw Chris sitting on a bench, opening the round box and staring blankly at the birthday cake inside. Tears streamed down my face.Goodbye, the man I loved for five years.Goodbye, my false ideal of a
Winston was an acquaintance, so I thought hearing him out was fine."What is it? Go on," I said.Winston's eyes lit up with excitement. He took off the bag he had slung over his shoulder, unzipped it, and pulled out an old, slightly yellowed photo. He handed it to me, gesturing for me to look at it.I took the photo and scrutinized it for a while but couldn't make out anything significant. The photo showed more than a dozen men and women. Four children squatted in the front row, grinning from ear to ear.It seemed to be a family portrait, but everyone in it was unfamiliar to me."Why do you want me to look at this?" I asked, though what I really wanted to say was that I didn't recognize a single person, and asking me to look at this made me wonder if he was crazy.Winston remained silent and handed me another photo.The background of this one looked like a park, with many children in the frame. The kid grinning at the front had a missing tooth. The boy behind him looked older an
I finally snapped back to reality and blurted, "Winston, I'm a good friend of Luna. Don't joke with me like this."He grabbed the phone from my hand, scanned my WhatsApp QR code with his phone, added himself in one swift motion, and then placed my phone back into my hand.Winston said, "With God as my witness, I swear that every word I've said is true, and none of it is a joke. Consider this a heads-up. Go home, adjust your mindset, and I'll begin my pursuit tomorrow. I hope you'll take it seriously."I regretted not setting a password for my phone. Winston wouldn't have been able to add himself so easily if I had.After finishing his declaration, Winston slung his backpack over his shoulder, smiled at me, and walked away with a casual swagger. When he was about ten yards away, he turned back and waved vigorously. "Go home now. I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow."Although I was indeed a foodie, I couldn't believe Winston's plan to pursue me was to highlight my love for food right
Being with Chris for so many years, I knew I liked him. But surprisingly, I had never felt this kind of shyness with him, no matter what we did together.Perhaps it was because I never felt valued. Chris never gave me the chance or the right to feel shy, so naturally, I never experienced that feeling.I fidgeted, unable to decide which foot to move first. I stood at the door for two whole minutes, my face flushing red.Winston chuckled, his eyes twinkling like stars. He jogged up to me with a cheeky smile on his face. "What's wrong? Are you so happy to see me that you've forgotten how to walk? Were you up all night hoping I'd come? Oh, Zara, you're so adorable. I'm so happy!"Here, I got you breakfast. It's your favorite coffee and doughnuts, and they're still warm."It was no wonder Winston was crossing his arms. It turned out he was indeed holding something. I was touched. After all, for five years, I was the one bringing breakfast to someone who never said a kind word but acc
"Zara, what's your take on Winston? If you're sure there's no chance you'll like him, just tell him clearly and don't keep him hanging. With his good looks and family background, plenty of girls are interested in him. Yet, you don't seem to care about him at all," Lulu remarked.Lulu's words echoed my biggest worry. In terms of wealth and status, Winston was the legitimate heir to the Moyer family and mostly mingled with the upper echelons of society.As a woman from an ordinary family who was much older than him, I felt utterly unworthy of him.This insecurity gnawed at me. If someone like Chris could cheat, there was no way I could believe that a young and promising man like Winston would remain faithful.Life was long, and in such a tempting world, there probably weren't many couples who could genuinely support each other until the very end.As the saying goes, "Once bitten, twice shy." Moreover, I was putting myself at risk of being bitten by the kin of the same being again.
The Moyer family was in a frenzy, bringing in experts from all over the country to treat Chris. While his life was no longer in danger, he would never be able to have children. Whether he could even perform sexually in the future was up to fate.Given this situation, Faye's pregnancy suddenly took on enormous significance, making her child Chris' only possible heir. His parents treated Faye like a queen, showering her with endless care and attention.When Chris came to understand his condition, he tried to take his life several times. Only his parents' desperate pleas and tears managed to keep him from succeeding. Despite his profound reluctance, Chris eventually accepted the reality of his situation. To ensure the Moyer family line continued, he acknowledged Faye's status and married her although he adamantly refused to hold a wedding ceremony.When I heard the news, I couldn't help but feel a sense of poetic justice. The once-arrogant man was now in a pitiful state. It was a sta
It was the fall of my senior year in high school, and the weather had gotten chilly.Felix White's uncles, Duncan White and Eugene White, had brought their families over for a visit, and my family joined them. His family members and mine added up to about 20 people, and we were all gathered at his house for a meal.With the help of alcohol, the atmosphere that night had become rather lively.Since there were so many people present that day, the men were all seated at one table for drinks while the women were seated together to chat.Everyone was chatting excitedly, and it was an extremely joyous day.Somehow, the conversation had shifted to talk about me and Felix. This happened every single time our families gathered together. It was quite awkward at first, but it happened so often that I had gotten used to it. It didn't faze me anymore.They could say whatever they liked. It wasn't as if I could do anything about it.Melinda Priceton was Felix's mother, and I called her Aunt
My mother was a broad-minded and decisive person who took a direct approach to life.Meanwhile, Duncan had been sitting at the other table and was clearly quite drunk. He laughed out loud before he said in his booming voice, "That's right. Our kids have all grown up now. You are … Harper, right? When your daughter and Melinda's son get married, don't forget to invite us to the wedding as well!""Of course! You're Felix's uncle! You would certainly be invited!" Mom replied cheerfully.Just like that, the conversation quickly switched from what college we were attending to the ways everyone would be chipping in for our wedding. If I didn't know better, I'd have assumed I was getting married tomorrow!Everyone was now engaged in an enthusiastic discussion about the wedding. Even one of Felix's young relatives, a mere child, was excitedly declaring that he wanted to be the flower boy.I lost interest in this conversation quite quickly.I had heard it countless times before, so there