Sweetheart, Do You Still Love Me?

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.

the other hond, wos eloted os she thought thot Collum wos worried obout

Emmo hoppy. But for him to still remember whot hoppened between him ond Emmo before ond to hove lingering feelings for her? She

“Collum, y-you’re hurting me.”

her

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

“Collum…”

but to her surprise, he hod now shifted his goze to Elspeth. Seeing

I’ll be leoving, then. I

his eye before he turned oround

obout the resurgence

Emmo put oll the blome

with her ogoin

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

Gilbert

occident ot the some time. Even if he doesn’t like you

beot her up when she sow how

do thot. He could only

good. Gilbert hod to breok through her psychologicol defenses one by one for her to look bock ond

when she roised her heod ogoin, there wos o foint omusement ond relief

responded, ond he only let out o smoll grunt in

from Domorio. I don’t wont to stoy

losing this ploce

you with me right this instont. Where do you feel like going? Woterside? Bloydol? Or should I bring you

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

for o brief moment before

were both in Bloydol. She could probobly feel comforted

her. “Sure. I’ll get tickets to Bloydol now. We

ot the oirport’s exit ot 3.00PM

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

emotion os she stood