Chapter 83

"I will marry you!"

"What?" I gasped in shock, my heart racing.

Had I heard that right? Was I just hallucinating?

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

Didn't two people need to love each other to get married? But… Troy had never said that he loved me. However, his actions always made my heart flutter.

Troy took a deep breath.

"By marrying you, the gossip will disappear on its own. They won't think badly of you anymore," Troy said, still facing me, his eyes locked on mine.

My heart sank when I heard his reason.

"Oh, so you want to marry me just to stop the gossip!" I leaned back against the seat. Now I stared out the window. A sudden tightness gripped my chest. I tried hard to hold back the tears welling up in my eyes.

"No, that's not what I meant. Please, look at me!" Troy reached for my chin to turn my face towards him. But I refused. I kept staring out the window. I didn't want him to know how sad I felt, how the pain was spreading in my chest. I didn't want him to see my