After Nathan's confession of love and Haisley's acknowledgment of what Nathan did to her on Gilbert's birthday, both chose to remain silent. It was only a few moments later that they stared at each other and burst into laughter simultaneously. "You pervert!" Haisley exclaimed. "Sly girl," Nathan replied. "I'm sly because I learned from you," Haisley retorted, unwilling to be outdone. "And I love you," Nathan declared firmly. Haisley fell silent, gazing at him and observing his expression for a few moments. Not to question whether Nathan's declaration of love for Haisley was true or not, but to understand how he felt in the current situation they were facing. "What are you going to do after this?" Haisley asked again, curious. Clearly, Nathan's issues were not resolved until his situation with Loretta was clarified. Nathan shrugged with an indifferent expression. "Dad has hired someone to investigate Loretta's situation," he answered matter-of-factly. "I don't want to avoid it a
Nathan shook his head. "No. I took the initiative to come here on my own. I tried to reach you because I couldn't contact you directly." Nathan said, and Haisley nodded. "I changed my phone number and deleted all contacts because I didn't want to suddenly have the urge to contact you." Haisley's response made sense. Nathan nodded. "I then tried to find out about you from Crystal, and you know, she absolutely refused to help." Nathan said frustratedly. "She even cursed me and said I'm the source of all your sadness. "Fortunately, Juan is more communicative. He told me that you're now working, mentioned where you live, and the hotel where you work. Then, I prepared a flight ticket to Miami. Somehow, he knew everything," Nathan complained again. "He then discussed vacations to Miami and more. I told him to restrain himself, and he threatened again to send me to jail. "I'm not afraid of his threat, but I'm afraid that my issues with you aren't resolved, and you might leave with someon
"Not yet, but that doesn't mean I won't," Haisley gently rejected. "He has fought for me until now; I think, as a sincere response to his efforts, I can give him a chance. I just have to think about all the goodness he has, and I know that love will come because of familiarity. That has been a common saying we've heard for a long time, hasn't it? "Even though for some people, love comes after quite a while, I'm sure I can bring that feeling for Dean because he's not a difficult person to love." "But with him, your life will feel bland, flat," Nathan commented again. Haisley shrugged. "For someone like me, comfort is paramount. You know I'm not one to speculate. So, Dean has already made me calm with everything. "I don't need to worry that he will take impulsive actions like Gilbert. I also don't need to puzzle over what's in his head like I do with you. And Dean is also a person who expresses what he feels right away, so I won't misunderstand because he keeps everything to himself
Haisley rests her forehead on Nathan's shoulder again. She takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, never letting go of her embrace around his neck. "I'm sorry," she whispers softly. Nathan also falls silent and chooses to listen. His hands are clasped at Haisley's waist, and he places his chin on top of her head. He, too, takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. "No need to apologize. I'm the one who should apologize here," he responds softly. And those words make Haisley feel breathless for a moment. "I asked too much from you, yet I've never given you anything. No kindness, no hope. I haven't planted a single goodness all this time, but suddenly I'm asking for all that goodness from you. I have no shame," Nathan says with a sad smile on his face. "But I want you to know, I've fallen in love with you. And perhaps you can say this is some kind of punishment that God gives me because I've wasted you all this time. So now, He wants me to know that this has been your feeling toward me.
Now, only Haisley and Nathan remained. Haisley chose to sit in a chair by the pool, feeling the breeze in silence. Nathan placed a thin blanket over his shoulders before sitting beside her and hugging her. He wrapped his arms around Haisley's stomach and rested his chin on her shoulder. "What are you thinking?" Nathan asked curiously. Haisley remained silent for quite some time before answering. "A lot," she whispered. She then lowered her head, covering her face with both hands, and soon Nathan felt the girl's body shaking, her soft sobs heard between her fingers. Haisley was crying. Nathan reached for her shoulder and shifted his position so that Haisley now sat sideways on his lap. One of his hands lifted, pushing Haisley's head to lean on his shoulder before gently stroking her head. Meanwhile, his right hand caressed Haisley's arm slowly. "Shhhhh," he whispered, trying to comfort her. "Everything will be okay," he assured in a soft tone. Now his hand moved up and down her ba
Haisley knew she was wrong. She didn't think that far. She knew her father would be disappointed if she got married without asking for his blessing. But Haisley believed her parents would understand her actions. Something then flashed in her mind. "I can ask Juan and Crystal to bring them here. I can also contact Aunt Monica, and you just need to call your father. He's the farthest from here. We can process the wedding in two days if you tell your father right now. At least he can take the earliest flight and arrive here as soon as possible." "You're crazy, Haisley," Nathan groaned. Haisley's thoughts clearly seemed unreasonable. Haisley froze, standing still with her eyes locked on Nathan. "I am indeed crazy, Nath. But at least my craziness doesn't exceed Loretta's. It's your fate to be surrounded by crazy women like us. "I leave all decisions to you, Nath. If you really don't want to marry me soon, don't blame me if I never want to see you again for the rest of my life," she sa
Haisley then reached for the pillow she had used earlier. She pulled out a flat object from it and showed it to Nathan. "G gave me this before they left," Haisley said with a smile on her face. "He said I should hide it from you and contact him if I need help," she explained, shrugging. "What do you mean?" Nathan asked, not understanding. "Well, he would run away with me if I wanted. Dean also said that if you did anything, anything I didn't like, he would come back here and take me away from you," she said, causing Nathan to instantly tense up. "Don't do anything foolish. I definitely won't allow it," Nathan growled. Haisley nodded. "That's what I told him too. But Dean said he could report you to the police for kidnapping. That way, he could also send you back to England to face charges along with Loretta's affairs," she continued, making Nathan even more furious. "Dean really cares about me more than he does about you," Haisley insisted, making Nathan raise an eyebrow in confu
The next day, Nathan's parents came along with Gilbert. Nathan's mother was clearly ecstatic when she found Haisley, joyfully embracing her tightly. The same joy was evident in Haisley's mother as well, as the women who had been friends for years finally came together. Nevertheless, a hint of sadness could still be seen on Haisley's face, though not too prominently. They then discussed their plans for the next day, including the blessing, the pastor, the wedding venue, and the post-celebration feast. While the parents were discussing the tight schedule, Haisley took the opportunity to inform her two friends about her hastily arranged wedding the next day. Abigail and Flavia were clearly surprised by the news. Abigail even bluntly asked if Haisley was pregnant out of wedlock. However, Haisley firmly replied 'no' to her friend and briefly recounted what had actually happened to her and Nathan, leading to their decision to get married quickly. "If you want," Flavia said in her usual s