Love's Tangled Web by Donna Taylor

Chapter 87

The greatest distance in the world was right there—she had always lingered near him, yet he never knew she had secretly loved him for seven whole years. With tears blurring her sight, the quickly turned away and fled in embarrassment.

It was late at night, and Ellie walked numbly along the sidewalk. As she looked at the sycamore trees lining the road, her eyes. blurred again. She never thought the sycamore trees in autumnould be so deeply beautiful, with golden leaves shaking in the wind and gently falling

Ellie stopped and stood under a sycamore tree, watching the leaves falling around her as her heart ached deeply. This winter must be especially cold; even the leaves know they can’t survive it and have willingly left the tree, drifting down, she thought bitterly.

Ellie wasn’t sure how she got back to her apartment. It felt like she had been seriously ill. She took leave from work, turned off her phone, and just slept for days. A few days later, she finally regained some energy and felt completely awake.

She knew that a woman couldn’t rely on feelings and empty hopes to get by–making money and loving herself should always come first.

She needed to earn money to buy medicine for her father and provide her parents with a better life. She was still young with so much left to do, and she couldn’t afford to waste time feeling down.

On Monday, Ellie returned to work at the hospital. As she hurried from the inpatient department to the clinic and stepped out of the elevator, she saw Alex. His cheerful expression made her chest tighten.

day?” Alex pulled Ellie to a

super busy and couldn’t get any

grabbed her hands again and said excitedly, “Ellie, I did

corners of her stiff lips, but no matter what, she couldn’t muster

I promised when you helped me get Haley to agree to date me? I said you could

pulled her hand back, and looked Alex in the eye. Despite her efforts to

you crying?” Alex lifted his hand

her head away.

“No, I have to do what I promised. How about I take you to choose a

shook her

about a mansion or a house with

her head

offered, “Then why don’t you just pick