No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

Chapter 35



"Girl." The voice on the other end of the phone was thick, familiar, yet distant.

A familiar face flashed before my eyes, and I called out, "Dustin."

I had thought changing my number would keep the Wagner family at bay, but I never expected Conrad's brother Dustin to track me down. Even more surprising was his decision to reach out.

"Looks like you saved my number. Didn't forget about me," Dustin teased.

He was only a few years older than Conrad. Before he went abroad, he always looked out for me, fondly calling me "little girl."

I was at a loss for words, detecting a hint of complaint in his tone. We'd occasionally talk during the first two years after he left, asking about each other's lives. Gradually, those calls faded. Dustin was never one to initiate, maintaining sparse contact even with his family, let alone with me.

must be about my broken engagement with Conrad. Despite Dustin's sporadic communication with his family,

get my number?" I'm straightforward by nature, preferring to

your phone bill." Dustin's memory impressed me. He remembered a number I gave him once,

When it got disconnected, I decided to pay the bill. But I was short on cash and too embarrassed to ask his parents for money, so I turned to Dustin. Concerned I might

to repay him for that bill, so when he called, I teased, "Are

right,"

his lead.

"Felicia," Dustin interrupted.

gripped my phone tighter

Dustin continued pleasantly, "My parents are worried about you. They can't find you and

clenched. I knew Herschel and Jacqueline would be upset, but I hadn't anticipated how severe their reaction would be. Guilt and

some high blood pressure because of all the stress," Dustin paused before continuing, "Felicia,

avoiding it. I had to face this question again. It seemed I would face this every

thinking about it gave me a headache. I massaged my temples, "Didn't