No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

Chapter 48



I had stayed there for several days and hadn't seen Ethel's kids come by to visit her. I didn't pry into it. It seemed Ethel treated me and Ernest like her own children.

One evening, while getting ready to sleep, I got a call from Fanny, asking when I planned to return.

"I haven't decided yet," I told her. "I'm genuinely happy in this little neighborhood. It's been the happiest days since my parents passed away."

I even considered extending my vacation until I got tired of being there.

"Are you sure it's not because you can't bear to leave Ernest?" Fanny teased.

Thinking of the few but heart-fluttering encounters with Ernest, I admitted, "It's not about not being able to leave, but my heart feels alive when he's around."

Hudson has quite the

a few seconds of silence, Fanny continued, "Has that jerk Conrad not tried to contact you? Not

my lips.

you can't live without

down. Looking at the moonlight, I whispered,

call had ended. Fanny had left me a message. [No one is irreplaceable.] Yes, I could live without Conrad.

small smile and about to drift back to sleep when my phone buzzed with a new message, Who

the anger in them. Had Conrad only remembered me today after all this time? And he assumed I was throwing a tantrum,

off my phone. But sleep had eluded me, so I got out of bed, opened the door,

Ernest stepping out with a backpack slung over his shoulder and a suitcase in

surprised to see me in the middle of the night and,

are you going?" I

of town," he answered without stopping, and soon, he was out of

there, dazed, before