Chapter 10
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Whatever Nolan had done, Skylar hadn’t shown his face around me since that day. But Nolan himself haunted my steps like a persistent shadow, always lurking nearby. His burning gaze followed me everywhere, making it hard to breathe.
That day started like any other at work, with Nolan maintaining his usual post at a distance, his eyes seeming to pierce through everything in their path. I tried my best to ignore him, throwing myself
into my work with forced concentration.
Suddenly, movement caught in my peripheral vision – Nolan was sprinting toward me, my name
tearing from his throat: “Lily!”
I froze, my body refusing to move. Before I could process what was happening, he tackled me to the ground. The massive studio backdrop came crashing down behind us, slamming into his back with devastating force. Only then did reality snap back into focus.
Nolan had used his body as a shield. I lay beneath him, completely unharmed, while he let out a pained groan. Blood began trickling from his hairline, running down his forehead in crimson rivulets. My breath caught in my throat, my heart feeling like it was being shredded to pieces.
Nolan held me tight, managing to force a weak smile despite his pain. “Lily… I’m just glad you’re
safe.”
The words had barely left his lips before he collapsed on top of me, unconscious.
I pushed against him with trembling hands, but he didn’t respond.
The crew rushed to help, and within minutes, paramedics whisked Nolan away to the hospital. As I stood there watching his pale, lifeless form on the hospital bed, my emotions became a tangled mess. If I’m being honest, I never imagined he would risk his life to protect me like that.
When Nolan finally regained consciousness, his eyes lit up at the sight of me.
“Nolan, I’m grateful you saved my life,” I said quickly, my voice steady and resolute, “but there can never be anything between us.”
The light in his eyes dimmed instantly. After a long pause, he let out a bitter laugh. “Lily, don’t worry. I won’t use this to pressure you.
He took a shaky breath, his voice trembling slightly. “But please, could you give me just one chance to win you back?”
I shook my head, my gaze unwavering. “Nolan, if you knew what happened that night at the bachelor party, you’d understand why I can never be with you.”
He looked at me with confusion written across his face. Meeting his bewildered expression, I forced myself to recount every excruciating detail of that night.
The vagrant’s twisted face still haunts me the panic I felt as he tore at my clothes, the revolting sensation of his hands on my skin. Even after all this time, the memories of that night plague me like a recurring nightmare, jolting me awake in cold sweats.
Nolan’s pupils constricted as he listened, his lips parting slightly as a single tear traced down his
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10
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He covered his face and broke down, his voice shattering with raw anguish. “Lily, I’m so sorry. I had no idea. God, I regret everything so much. If heaven gave me another chance, I swear I’d never treat you that way again. I’m such a bastard, Lily. I’m the one who wronged you.
I gazed at him calmly, my voice soft but crystal clear: “Nolan, just go home.”
He kept his face covered, his shoulders slowly crumpling as if the weight of the entire world had come crashing down on him.
As he was leaving, he called out to me one last time. “Lily, do you hate me?”
I didn’t turn around, my voice steady and resolute: “Nolan, I don’t hate you. But I never want to see you again.”
The moment I closed the door, I heard his broken sobs echoing through the hallway, like the mournful cry of an abandoned animal in the night.
Goodbye, Nolan.
We had our passionate moments, countless nights filled with kisses, and the memories of our passion still burn bright in my mind. But all of that is over now.
I didn’t look back, each step forward more determined than the last as I walked out of his world forever.
Just as I reached the entrance, I spotted Mindy waiting in her sports car. She cocked her head at me, a playful smirk dancing on her lips. “Been waiting forever for you, gorgeous. Ready to hit the town?” I laughed as I slid into the passenger seat. “Hell yes, let’s go right now!”
Life is long, and loving the wrong person isn’t the end of the world.
Having the courage to end a relationship that isn’t right is what opens the door to new beginnings. Like seasons changing, love comes when it’s ready. My time just hasn’t arrived yet.
But somewhere out there, in the not–so–distant future, the right person is waiting for me.
