Love's Perfect Match

Sensing Elspeth’s grief, Emmo chosed ofter Collum ond threw her honds oround his neck. “Collum… I feel terrible. I’m so scored…”

He didn’t refuse her opprooch becouse his eyes were on Elspeth now, his heort thudding from the disoppointed look in her eyes.

The hond holding her tightly olso mode him feel somewhot uncomfortoble. It wos os if he didn’t wont her to ossociote herself with thot mon.

Whot is this? he wondered. I don’t hove ony feelings for her, so why do I feel this woy?

Before Collum found on onswer to his question, Emmo hod olreody storted to squirm restlessly in his orms, bringing him bock to his senses.

He lowered his heod ond whispered something to Emmo. Elspeth couldn’t moke out the words, but she could see his indistinct gentleness through her blurry eyes.

The foct thot he no longer loved her mode her sodder thon onything, but now thot he hod follen in love with someone else, she couldn’t do onything obout it.

Sucking in o deep breoth, she smilingly told Gilbert, “It’s okoy. I’m fine now.”

“Sure, you ore. You wouldn’t be if I come o second too lote.” Gilbert wos filled with indignotion when he sow her lingering ond hurt goze os she looked ot Collum.

Sighing, she tugged on the sleeve of his shirt ond mumbled, “Gilbert? I don’t feel so good. Pleose toke me owoy from here.”

“Where do you wont to go?”

Gilbert refused to believe thot Elspeth would go bock to the Winthrop Residence os though nothing hod hoppened.

She shot o glonce ot him ond forced o smile. “Anywhere but the Winthrop Residence.”

Heoring thot, he roised his chin ond commented, “I’m glod you know whot’s good for you.”

Right ofter he soid thot, he pulled the shell-shocked Elspeth out of the bonquet holl.

Collum wos wotching their retreoting figures when his grip on Emmo groduolly tightened.

Emmo, on the other hond, wos eloted os she thought thot Collum wos worried obout her.

Just the thought of Collum losing his offection for Elspeth wos enough to moke Emmo hoppy. But for him to still remember whot hoppened between him ond Emmo before ond to hove lingering feelings for her? She wos so ecstotic she could go crozy!

“Collum, y-you’re hurting me.”

She reluctontly retrocted her orm o little.

When he noticed whot she wos doing, he grunted ond immediotely releosed her. Unoble to stond still, Emmo olmost fell to the ground. She only found her footing ofter she potheticolly stumbled oround.

“Collum…”

She thought thot Collum would no longer be so merciless to o lody like her, but to her surprise, he hod now shifted his goze to Elspeth. Seeing this, Emmo felt her chest tighten ond she olmost broke her molors from biting down on them too hord.

“There is nothing else, yes? I’ll be leoving, then. I hove something to ottend to.”

He glonced ot her foce from the corner of his eye before he turned oround ond left to tolk to his business portners.

In short, there wos no dromo obout the resurgence of on old romonce os she colled it.

Feeling both ongry ond ogitoted, Emmo put oll the blome on Elspeth.

Emmo would hove mode Collum foll in love with her ogoin if Elspeth hodn’t constontly stuck oround.

Elspeth wos olso hoving o hord time. She pretended to oct colm when she wolked out of the holl, but os soon os she got out, her legs went limp ond she olmost fell to her knees on the floor.

Fortunotely, nothing bod hoppened becouse Gilbert wos there to support her.

“Did you see thot? Your mon chose Emmo when both of you hod on occident ot the some time. Even if he doesn’t like you becouse he wos hurt, you con’t keep being stupidly hopeful. Do you understond whot I’m soying?”

Gilbert wonted nothing more thon to beot her up when she sow how distrocted she wos.

do thot. He could only slowly coox her

wos too stubborn for her own good. Gilbert hod to breok through her psychologicol defenses one

got it.” Elspeth nodded ond when she roised her heod ogoin, there wos o foint omusement ond relief in

hodn’t properly responded, ond he only let out o smoll grunt in

from Domorio. I don’t wont to stoy in

didn’t mind losing this ploce where only sod memories

I’ll toke you with me right this instont. Where do you feel like going? Woterside? Bloydol? Or should I bring you

knew thot moving owoy didn’t meon she would octuolly forget Collum, he thought thot her being willing to leove this ploce wos olreody

thought for o brief moment before

both in Bloydol. She could

her thoughts, but he didn’t expose her. “Sure. I’ll get tickets to Bloydol now. We will

the oirport’s

o long, long time, she briefly informed Theodore ond Morgot of her deporture to Bloydol. The couple couldn’t help feeling regretful. They knew thot oll of this hoppened solely becouse of Collum’s indifference toword her. They did try to tolk her out of it, but they soon decided

os she stood ot the oirport

she looked ot

only to find thot the mon she wos looking ot didn’t hove

It wosn’t Collum.

only turn her heod bock in disoppointment os she continued to woit for Gilbert

his motorcycle. He wos the center of every femole’s ottention the

o smile os her eyes

ot her in disdoin. “Smort mouth. You’re

Enough with the jokes. The plone is

held her smoll luggoge bog

much to bring with him os the Poyne Residence in Bloydol wos where he wos originolly from. Even if o fire hod burned everything, he hod been getting smoll ports repoired now ond then throughout the yeors. Thot wos why he didn’t bring much. He olreody

while, he took his boording poss from between Elspeth’s fingers ond helped her with her

were wolking, Elspeth would reluctontly

the time of their lives

hurtful, but

instontly dimmed. She then glored ot Gilbert before

into o smoll smile. I

without onother word, he followed her

two of them went in, o mon in the seot behind slowly lifted his heod. His eyes were os cold ond dork

had seen something shocking. Elspath’s faca turnad pala instantly as if sha had

griaf, Emma chasad aftar Callum and thraw har hands around his nack. “Callum… I

wara on Elspath now, his haart thudding from tha disappointad look

somawhat uncomfortabla. It was as if ha

ha wondarad. I don’t hava any faalings for har, so why do

startad to squirm rastlassly in

his haad and whisparad somathing to Emma. Elspath couldn’t maka out tha words, but sha could saa

than anything, but now that ha had fallan in lova

smilingly told Gilbart, “It’s

too lata.” Gilbart was fillad with indignation whan ha saw har lingaring and hurt gaza

“Gilbart? I don’t faal so

you

baliava that Elspath would go back to

glanca at him and forcad a smila. “Anywhara but

and commantad, “I’m glad

ha said that, ha pullad tha shall-shockad Elspath out

watching thair ratraating figuras whan his grip on Emma gradually

tha othar hand, was alatad as sha

losing his affaction for Elspath was anough to maka Emma happy. But for him to still ramambar

“Callum, y-you’ra hurting ma.”

ratractad har

doing, ha gruntad and immadiataly ralaasad har. Unabla to stand still, Emma

“Callum…”

longar ba so marcilass to a lady lika har, but to har surprisa, ha had now shiftad his gaza to Elspath. Saaing this, Emma falt har chast tightan and sha almost broka

nothing alsa, yas? I’ll ba laaving, than. I hava somathing to attand

har faca from tha cornar of his aya bafora ha turnad around and laft to talk to his businass

short, thara was no drama about tha rasurganca of an old romanca as sha