No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

If he hadn't spoken up, I might have forgotten he was even there.

Ernest's face was a blank slate, emotionless, with eyes that seemed to hold depths of darkness. He mentioned the man was his father.

But then, Lord had said, his father's move against my parents was solely because he was bought off by Clark. And on our way here, Ernest himself admitted his father's actions were driven by money. So, this whole mess seemed unrelated to Herschel. Then why was Ernest confronting him?

My head was a whirlwind of confusion, throbbing as if a drill was boring through my skull.

I took another look at Herschel. He was completely unflappable, but Jacqueline seemed nervous, holding onto Herschel's arm tightly.

After a few seconds of staring down Herschel, Ernest finally got a response, "Your father's actions have nothing to do with me." "Really?" Ernest's tone was sharp, cutting.

"Ernest, Herschel has already spilled everything about what was done to Felicia's parents. If something was done to your father, there's no point hiding it," Jacqueline chimed in, defending her husband. Ernest's face hardened as he said, "My investigation shows that someone was behind Lord's buyout of my dad's company."

Herschel's eyes flickered away for a moment, and Ernest continued, "If I'm not mistaken, you did it to cut off Felicia's safety net. To ensure that after her parents' demise, no one else could take her in."

I was stunned, turning to look at Ernest, who now turned to me, "Because her blood could serve as a backup for your son, and by keeping her, you could atone for your sins."

After Ernest finished, he looked back at Herschel, "Felicia, from the beginning to the end, was just a pawn in your game."

that's not true. We genuinely care for Felicia, we truly love

said earlier, he kept Jacqueline in the dark about what he did to my

is that true?" I

silence was all the answer

thought was genuine, turned out to be a sham,

father signed, but because of the blood

could save

life was deemed invaluable, so much so that it warranted the exchange of my parents'

him, I had devoted

numbness creeping into

Hate me all you want, I wouldn't blink if you asked for my life right now Herschel said, his eyes filled with

this version of

act, and maybe he had tricked my parents too. My eyes filled with tears, making my view of him

palms tightly,

me erupted, "What

Can I rede

longer the compliant girl I once was, I was now fueled