When There Is Nothing Left But Love

The more desperate I wanted to study, the less I could focus. My mind was wandering off to cloudland. I only snapped out of it when I felt a familiar warm hand on mine. I lifted my head, and my eyes met Ashton’s.

“Still upset?” Ashton broke the silence.

I lowered my eyes and shook my head. “No.”

If I had any anger, it was directed at me. For ten years, I lived under the protective wings of these two men. I allowed myself to stagnate and cease to flourish.

“Marcus had approached me for help,” Ashton started sharing. “It was before I went overseas. I already promised him I would help him, on the condition he shall not tell you about it. Yet, he still came and stayed a long time with you. And those securities did not notify me. Imagine how disastrous that would be if anything untoward happened, and those irresponsible securities failed to inform me.”

He began to sound resentful, but he suppressed his emotion in front of me. In the end, everything boiled down to him wanting to protect me.

mind when he made those decisions, and he kept things hushed to protect me. On the other hand, I wanted to help

bitter smile. “I used to feel indebted to Marcus

own dignity and pride. Nonetheless, we cannot deny the fact that if Marcus had not met me, she would

a stranger like Yvonne, yet I was not as forthcoming when Camelia needed help. I could not forgive myself for this. Even if Camelia and Toby were to return safely, I

I felt nauseous. I instinctively covered my mouth, brushed Ashton aside, and ran to

basin and had one hand clenching my tummy. I looked at myself in the mirror,

through pregnancy twice, so I was familiar with morning sickness. Deep in my heart, I knew the in-vitro fertilization procedure was a

first child passed away, the whole world was against me. Only Marcus was by my side, and he saved me. However, time and again, I stood by and

feign ignorance and innocently continue to nurture