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Chapter 8
“Back then, when I helped the company bring in the wrong materials, you panicked about the funds being tied up and ran all over Los Angeles, tirelessly finding small businesses to sell them off.”
“Later, when competitors launched malicious bids, we stayed up all night revising the plans. You lost clumps of hair, and you asked me if you went bald, would I still love you!”
“Silly, how could I ever dislike you? I would only love you more!”
I recalled that year when my anxiety peaked.
As I listened to my former lover recount our shared past, my tears flowed uncontrollably.
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“Howard, stop. We can’t go back.”
“The moment Celia showed up at the birthday party, your heart wavered.”
“You ran away from the wedding, believing her lies that I sold out the company!”
“You called off the engagement and fired me, pushing me to the edge.”
I laid out each incident before Howard, one by one.
“And as for her condition, it could be easily verified with a simple test at the hospital. I refuse to believe you, Mr. Caldwell, couldn’t find out.”
“You always wanted to believe she had her reasons, that she was coerced. How can I trust in the love you claim to have?”
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Perhaps the emotional outburst had been too intense; I felt my breath quicken as tears continued to stream down my face.
Howard looked at me, his eyes filled with regret.
“Sally, I can’t imagine a life without you. I’m begging you, give me a chance to make things right.”
He held my hand tightly, as if afraid I would. slip away from him again.
I gently withdrew my hand and sighed.
“Howard, what’s lost is lost. You and Celia were so then, and we are now.”
“I need a partner who will stand by me unwaveringly, who will believe in me
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unconditionally, not someone who doubts and betrays me when I need help the most.”
Howard’s gaze dimmed as he silently watched me walk away, ultimately saying nothing more.
As I emerged, Nelson stepped forward to open the car door for me, noticing the redness around my eyes.
“Feeling better?”
“Yes, I’ve made everything clear to him; it’s all good now.”
I exhaled deeply and turned to thank Nelson.
“Thanks for pretending to be my boyfriend on our first meeting; I appreciate it!”
“Maybe it’s my honor!”
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I stared at Nelson in surprise.
He cleared his throat.
“Ms. Riley, verbal thanks seem insincere. How about treating me to dinner another day?”
“Of course, Mr. Bax, just tell me what you’d like to eat.”
He grinned slyly.
“Since it’s not every day a girl treats me to dinner, I’ll have to think about how to make the most of it.”
I couldn’t help but laugh; Nelson’s humor eased my awkwardness once more.
The car slowly started moving, heading
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homeward.
A year later, Nelson and I were married.
At the wedding, he leaned in close and whispered in my ear.
“Sally, we should have met five years ago; you made me wait so long!”
I saw my dad winking at him with a smile.
“Fortunately, I ended up marrying you!”
I lifted my gaze and met his deep, soulful eyes, a warm current flooding my heart.
If it hadn’t been for my headstrong decision to leave home, we might have been together long ago.
Yet, it’s possible that without the passage
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of time, we might have missed each other simply due to our youthful arrogance.
Yet, fate ultimately brought us together.
From the farthest corner of the stage, I spotted Howard.
He stood alone, sipping red wine, his gaze hollow as he stared at us on stage.
In that moment, my heart was calm; I felt a sense of relief.
Relieved that I had found Nelson, relieved that we had firmly chosen each other.
The past felt like a fleeting breeze.
My life had begun a new chapter.
END
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Book 2: I Died On My Sister’s Wedding Day
On that day, my younger sister and my boyfriend held their wedding.
Dressed in a pure white gown, she leaned on the man she adored, walking into the the aisle of the wedding chapel.
Just as I once dreamed I would.
Before the ceremony began, my mother and father called me several times, hurling the vilest insults.
Even my brother messaged me, furious: “No matter what grudges you hold, today you must come to your sister’s wedding, or never show your face at our home again!”
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But I was already dead.
