Chapter 10
I walked past her without looking, but she called out, “Hannah Spencer.”
“What is it?”
Her smile looked worse than crying. “I schemed and plotted, but in the end I lost everything.”
I was suddenly a bit curious. I got a coffee and sat on a bench outside to listen to her quiet
confession.
“I fell for him the moment I saw him. Someone that brilliant–it’s hard not to be drawn in.
“I deliberately got close to him, showed him my stubborn and unique side, subtly winning his sympathy. After he was hooked, I pulled back to make him obsess over me.
“I was naive enough to think that if I worked hard enough, someday I’d be worthy of standing beside him. But it was impossible–I could never keep up with your world.
“That so–called reunion wasn’t fate–I orchestrated it. Every time he abandoned you to be with me, I felt triumphant. I actually believed he truly loved me.
“So when I heard about your wedding, I fell apart. I couldn’t lose him.”
She laughed bitterly at herself. “I thought I’d won when he left you again. But one mistake led to another–I kept sinking deeper until there was no way back.”
The story was tragic, but I couldn’t sympathize. “Staking everything on a man was your first mistake.”
“You could have been brilliant on your own. You could have lived an amazing life.”
“The first time I saw you, I felt so inferior and envious,” Lily said sadly. “So when I actually managed to steal Patrick away, I was smug about it. I wanted more and more–I wanted to live as glamorously as you did.”
Chapter 10
+25 Bonus
I couldn’t relate to her feelings, and certainly couldn’t forgive her. I simply said, “Everyone pays for their choices.”
She touched her stomach. “My child already paid the price for my foolishness, and I’ll live
with the guilt forever.”
I said quietly, “Try to look forward.”
I didn’t like her, but I didn’t hate her either. Because I knew that someone who truly loves
you can’t be stolen–if they can be taken away, they were never the right person.
She smiled with a kind of peace. “Losing to you isn’t really shameful.”
“You didn’t lose to me–you lost to yourself. You valued him too highly. Always love
yourself more than anyone else.”
Years passed. When I saw Patrick again, he had another woman by his side.
I heard she was a well–matched heiress from another prominent family. They looked good together, and the Luther family adored their future daughter–in–law.
“It’s been a while, Hannah.”
He initiated the greeting, and we exchanged polite small talk.
Lily had vanished from our circle long ago. Word was she was doing alright in another city,
though she’d never dared to fall in love again.
All that love, hate, and drama was ancient history now, buried by time.
After several rounds of drinks, Travis rested his head on my shoulder like a big puppy. “Darling, let’s go home.”
“Alright, let’s go home.”
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