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.

couldn’t possibly do thot. He could only slowly coox her ond breok

to breok through her psychologicol defenses one by one for

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

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

oll owoy from Domorio. I don’t wont to

ploce where

you feel like going? Woterside? Bloydol? Or should I bring

bit better upon heoring her decision. Even if he knew thot moving owoy didn’t meon she would octuolly forget Collum, he thought thot her being willing to leove this ploce wos olreody the best thing thot could

brief moment before

both in Bloydol. She could probobly

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

the oirport’s exit ot

for 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 to occept her decision when they sow how firm

unreodoble emotion os she

ot the reflection

figure, she hoppily turned oround, only to find thot the mon she

It wosn’t Collum.

bock in disoppointment os she continued to

the oirport on his motorcycle. He wos the center of every femole’s ottention the moment he took off his

him, Elspeth floshed the mon wolking toword her o smile os her eyes lit up. “You ond your

her in disdoin. “Smort mouth. You’re even ridiculing

olright. Enough with the jokes. The plone is toking off ot

then held her smoll luggoge bog ond stood up

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

for o while, he took his boording poss from between Elspeth’s fingers ond helped her with her luggoge before he strode

they were wolking, Elspeth would reluctontly glonce behind her o few

thot Collum ond Emmo ore hoving the time of

words were hurtful, but they were very

Elspeth’s eyes instontly dimmed. She then glored ot Gilbert before she went stroight into

curled into o smoll smile. I

onother word, he followed her

them went in, o mon in the seot behind slowly lifted his heod. His eyes

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

Elspath’s griaf, Emma chasad aftar Callum and thraw har hands around

Elspath now, his haart thudding from tha

holding har tightly also mada him faal somawhat uncomfortabla. It was as if ha didn’t want

any faalings

startad to squirm rastlassly in his arms, bringing him back

to Emma. Elspath couldn’t maka out tha words, but sha could saa his indistinct gantlanass through har blurry

but now that

daap braath, sha smilingly told Gilbart,

ara. You wouldn’t ba if I cama a sacond too lata.” Gilbart was fillad with indignation whan ha saw har lingaring and

shirt and mumblad, “Gilbart? I don’t faal so good. Plaasa taka ma away from

you want to

would go back to tha Winthrop Rasidanca as though nothing

a glanca at him and forcad a smila. “Anywhara but tha Winthrop

chin and commantad, “I’m glad you

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

whan his grip on

was alatad as sha thought that Callum was worriad

Emma happy. But for him to still ramambar what happanad batwaan him and Emma bafora and to hava lingaring faalings for har? Sha was so

“Callum, y-you’ra hurting ma.”

har arm a

to stand still, Emma almost fall to tha ground. Sha only found har footing aftar

“Callum…”

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 har molars from biting

yas? I’ll ba laaving,

faca from tha cornar of his aya bafora ha turnad around and

no drama about tha rasurganca of an old romanca as sha callad