No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

Turning around, there was Conrad, locking eyes with me. But his first words were directed at Deborah. "Where are you headed?"

"Felicia has a mouth ulcer; I'm off to grab some ointment for her," Deborah replied. At that, Conrad strode over to us.

"Have you been drinking enough water?" he asked me, with an intimate knowledge of my habits. I tend to get inflamed easily, so I mostly stick to soups and make sure I drink lots of water. Otherwise, I'd end up with either nosebleeds or painful sores in my mouth.

After ten years of knowing each other, Conrad was well aware of this. Yet, his comment felt like a jab, reminding me of something he once said to Jefferson about being "too familiar."

Familiar to the point where he seemed disinterested in me, captivated instead by a widow.

"Is there a reason you're here, Mr. Wagner?" I responded, deliberately avoiding his question and adopting a formal, almost icy tone.

Conrad, faced with my cold demeanor, visibly frowned. He was about to speak when he noticed Ernest standing next to me. "Come over here; I need to talk to you," he said instead.

Although I was curious about what he had to say, with Ernest around, it felt inappropriate. So, I followed Conrad a few steps away.

But I didn't let us get too far. "I'm on a tight schedule, Mr. Wagner. If you have something to say, please, be quick."

Conrad stopped in his tracks, his face clouded with obvious irritation. "You're doing this to get back at me, aren't you?"

"What?" His remark came out of nowhere, leaving me confused.

"Felicia, you can throw a fit about not wanting to get married, fine. You want to make me jealous by flirting with other men, go ahead. But don't involve people we both know. It'll make things awkward among friends," Conrad's words carried a lot of weight.

It took me a moment, but then I got it, especially his last comment made me think of Jefferson.

It seemed someone had informed Jefferson about us, but I hadn't expected Conrad to misinterpret my relationship with Jefferson.

His own guilt made him suspect others, which annoyed me. "Conrad, do you think everyone acts like you?"

He didn't seem to catch my drift, squinting those attractive eyes at me. I couldn't help but scoff, "Even going after your brother's wife."

Conrad's expression darkened instantly. "Felicia, I've told you, Haley and I aren't what you think."

I was tired of this topic. "Whether you two have something going on or not, it's not my business anymore.."

"Felicia, are you just tired of me? Is that why you're making such a big deal out of everything?" Conrad accused, turning the tables on me.

"If that's what you think, then so be it. Didn't you say we're too familiar? So familiar that there's no interest?" I was bringing up this issue again because it hurt me deeply.

Conrad's hands, hanging by his sides, clenched into fists. "What do you want, then?"

"I think it's clear we're over, Mr. Wagner. Quit clinging on, sending me texts just to delete them later. And stop grilling me every time I chat with someone else," I was blunt.

Conrad had never been confronted like this before. Over the years, I had always been the compliant, docile partner.

He probably didn't expect me to become so sharp, his face turning an ugly shade of red. "Felicia, do you really think I can't live without you?"Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

"Of course not, Mr. Wagner. You're

wealthy and handsome, with no shortage of women after you. Why would you be hung up on anyone?" My sarcasm was palpable

But then, Conrad suddenly stepped closer, "If you acknowledge that, then why can't you let go of the small mistakes I've made?"

Small mistakes? To him, his ambiguous relationship with Haley was just a small mistakes.

At that moment, I was more convinced than ever that leaving him was the right decision.

His words also revealed a truth to me; he was so sure of my feelings for him, convinced I couldn't leave him.