“Huh, what about what?”
Dorothy was wiping her daughter’s mouth with a napkin after she was done feeding her so she did not pay attention to Germaine’s tease.
After Dorothy realized what Germaine was talking about, she glared at the mischievous woman helplessly and said, “Cut it out, Germaine! Don’t you know how I feel about Juelz after all these years?”
“Of course I do. That’s why I feel sorry for him. He has proposed to you six years straight, but you’ve never accepted him. He loves you, but can’t have you. It’s all just so sad…
Dory, think about it. Now that you and Credence are back together again but he’s still single and lonely, not to mention, he doesn’t care about pursuing other girls. It will probably take him a few years to get over this unrequited love.
He’s almost forty now. His peak is coming to an end. Even if he does eventually meet a woman willing to take him out of pity, she will have to constantly live with the fact that he still has someone else in his heart. She would essentially be rendered a widow, wouldn’t she?
Alas, just that thought alone is miserable enough. How unlucky for him.”
Germaine shook her head and sighed as she held the red marriage certificates.
Dorothy smiled bitterly at Germaine’s comment, “Germaine, there’s no one I owe more than Juelz in this lifetime. Even if I give him everything I could, I know I would never be able to repay his kindness. I owe him far too much.”
So much that she would never be able to repay all of it for the rest of her life!
Dorothy knew that Germaine had always spoken straightforwardly so she did not blame her at all. However, as blunt as her words were, she was right. It seemed that she needed to find Juelz and have a proper chat with him.
Since it was hopeless for them to have a romantic relationship, she should come clean and tell him to stop pursuing her instead of selfishly letting him keep his hopes up.
When she returned to Talco City from Monticello to treat Belle, she did not expect Credence to completely change his attitude towards her. His temper was the opposite of the man from their four-year marriage.
As if they were just a couple who had just separated for a while and had reunited once more.
As if Dorothy’s name had long been engraved in Credence’s heart from the very beginning. Just that because he was blinded by Rosalie as well as that so-called hatred, he could not tell that she was who he truly loved.
At the thought of Credence having loved her from the very beginning, Dorothy’s breath stuttered as happiness flooded her soul.
She could not refuse his tenderness and his deliberate attempts at pleasing her.
Even if it was all fake, she was willing to accept it.
She wanted to drown herself in this lovely dream and never wake up ever again!
When she had fallen in love before Credence did, she was already doomed to lose this game of love!
After all, whoever fell in love first would suffer a crushing blow and become thoroughly defeated in front of the one they loved.
Dorothy was just an ordinary woman. Like the other hundreds and thousands of women, she could not bear to constantly be ruthless towards the man she loved.
In the end, Germaine looked at Dorothy and shrugged as if she did not care at all. “Dory, don’t feel too bad. Juelz is the stubborn one. You have already refused him so many times, yet he still won’t give up. After all, no one can fully control themselves when it comes to relationships.”
Outside the unlatched door, Juelz stood upright in the corridor, gripping the door handle with his right hand. No one knew how long he had been standing there, only that he looked stiff.
He was accompanying a client to a meal nearby and happened to come across Dorothy’s delicate figure as she got out of the car through the floor-to-ceiling windows. He couldn’t help but feel elated the moment he saw her.
He really missed her. He missed her crazy!
Juelz immediately made an excuse to leave his client and hurriedly ran out of the restaurant. He thought that Dorothy’s movements were a little strange, so he decided to follow her quietly from behind.
Ever since Belle’s kidnapping, apart from the drinking competition with Credence last time, he hadn’t seen Dorothy at all.
Whenever he called her, her phone would always be off. He could never get in touch with her.
Now that he thought about it carefully, he realised that Dorothy and Credence must have already gotten back together after she asked Benjamin to take her to Jenciga to rescue Belle and Germaine.
So, to prevent Juelz from harassing Dorothy, that cunning man had blocked his number in her phone.
However, after so many days, Dorothy hadn’t realized it at all.
What did all of this meant?
It meant that Dorothy did not care about him at all. She had never tried to look for his number, much less took any initiative to call him as well.
This meant that he never had a spot in her heart at all.
The only feelings she had towards him were gratitude and sibling love. She had never loved him romantically.
He should have realised that a long time ago, shouldn’t he?
But when he heard Dorothy say that she merely felt that she owed him, Juelz’s heart, which had already been aching, felt as if it had been pierced and pain flooded his entire being.
He shut his lips so tightly that there were no gaps visible and the inside of his mouth had long been stained with the smell of fresh blood.
He had already fallen for her long ago, how could he let go so easily?
He was reluctant. He really couldn’t do it, he didn’t want to!
Inside the ward, Germaine was cleaning up the leftovers from their meal and was going to throw them away into the trash can in the corridor. She was met with Juelz’s unpredictable gaze. She blinked in bewilderment and asked, “Juelz, how long have you been standing here?”
Oh sh*t, this was bad, she thought. Did he hear everything they had been blabbering about?
Dory’s words would have killed all hope Juelz had for a relationship with her. If he really did hear everything, he might get depressed to the point of jumping into the Talco River…
Juelz on the other hand was not aware of Germaine’s train of thought. He nodded and merely replied, “I just arrived.”
Germaine did not quite believe Juelz’s words. However, she was at a loss. So she turned to look at Dorothy for help, who was slowly walking up to them after she heard the commotion. Germaine then forced out a smile and announced, “Dory, Juelz is here.”
With her back to Juelz, Germaine tried to hint at Dorothy with her eyes that the man might have been standing there for a while and had heard their conversation. Only heavens know just how much he had heard.
Having been good friends for so many years, Dorothy immediately understood what Germaine was trying to tell her. She was shocked to find Juelz behind her best friend, then smiled from the bottom of her heart, “Juelz, I’m sorry. I have been looking for a chance to speak to you, but I haven’t found a good time. Well, since you’re here, I think it’s time I made things clear.”
“Alright.”
Juelz nodded bitterly as she followed Dorothy into the room.
Belle’s ward was well designed. There was even a guest room attached for her to receive guests.
Belle had already fallen asleep in the hospital bed, so Juelz did not attempt to disturb her. He followed Dorothy into the guest room quietly.
As soon as Germaine noticed the atmosphere had suddenly become awkward and tense, she hurriedly used the excuse of buying some food and clothes for Belle, then left as fast as she could.
Only Dorothy and Juelz were left standing facing each other in the spacious room.
The atmosphere got more and more awkward as the silence stretched on. It made the two of them feel at a loss.
Juelz was the first to break the silence. With his throat constricted with emotions, he began to speak in a hoarse voice, “Dory… tomorrow is your birthday. So, I want to ask… Will I still have the chance to gift you the diamond ring.”