Ezra thought for a moment. He would have indeed used Lake’s help through Coco, but then he had to be a man to clean up his own mess.“You already have a lot on your hands too. Just focus on your relationship, and I will take it from here. Thanks a lot for the information.”Ezra hung up and did not dare to call Landon for anything about Michelle, as that might lead to him getting fired.Her safety was more of a concern to him than having her in his arms.Michelle was still at her parents' house, and though this was not how Ezra wanted to meet her parents again after her return, he still had to start from somewhere.He was just glad that his wound was healing well, and he felt not much pain.At Madison’s house, she invited Margo in, recalling that Lake was with Coco. This was his chance to get the woman he always had a crush on, and Margo should not be there as a third wheel.Together, they arrived in front of Madison’s door to see that not only did the girls not just come to deliver th
“You and Lake seem to be good friends, so are you friends with Ezrah too?” Margo asked. Madison frowned a little.Margo did not seem to be as simple as she thought and replied, “Yeah, he’s my boyfriend.”The shocked expression blended with sadness said it all. “Your boyfriend? How? When?” Margo asked all at once.Since Madison got what she wanted, she spoke honestly. “Just kidding. He’s my boss.”“And you are crushing on him,” Margo accused painfully, due to how Madison had claimed Ezrah to be her boyfriend earlier.Madison had had her fair share of seeing a lot of women crushing on Ezrah and wanting to gain his attention but was glad she was not one of them.“Never. I’ve never felt a thing for Ezrah, never would.”Margo found it hard to believe. Madison was not even rich or anything but was making it look as if Ezrah was beneath her.“He’s a hot guy. You say it as if he’s some ugly toad.”Madison shook her head, as the understanding of everything was slowly sinking in.“No. Ezrah is
“Lake asked me to pick up Coco on his behalf,” Ezrah said politely, his expression sad.Michelle was upset, feeling that Lake was using Coco to give Ezrah access to her life.“That is uncouth of him. My opinion of him just dropped from ninety to zero. As a first date, nothing should matter to him more than his woman.”Michelle did not want the same thing to happen to Coco as had happened to her. If Lake truly wanted her, then he would jump every hurdle to pick her up himself and not send Ezrah.“It’s not what you think. There is an emergency, and he couldn’t disappoint her, so I’m only here to pick her up and send her to him.”Ezrah’s voice remained polite and calm, as he hoped that Michelle would believe him. He had his own intentions, but this was impromptu and not what he had planned.Michelle still could not believe him. “You know what, Coco would not see him.”About to turn and leave, Ezrah spoke behind her, knowing how easy it would be for her to convince Coco not to see Lake.“
A slap met Lake’s cheek as Coco broke down.“You think this is a joke? Did you want me to die of a heart attack? You scared me, Lake.”All the fears from before scurried through her mind again.He must have gone to the extreme to propose to her, but she felt rather scared of if it had been real.“I’m so sorry. After getting everything ready, I couldn’t think of anything else to make it different and remembered when I saw something like this in a movie.After talking to Ezrah about it, he helped me organize the people. I just intended to surprise you.”Coco was so touched by the man kneeling in front of her. Though he had not said it with words, his love for her was pure and unadulterated.Knowing the difference between a genuine and toxic relationship, she would be damned before she lets him slip from her fingers like that.“Yes, I will marry you, but don’t give me a heart attack next time.”Lake sighed with relief, rose to his feet, took the ring from her, and slipped it onto her fin
“Whatever you want to discuss, let’s do it here in the car. I would not go anywhere with you,” Michelle took her stand.Had she known that Ezrah picking up Coco on behalf of Lake was to help with a grand proposal, she would not have followed them and would not have ended up in this mess.All she wanted was to make sure that her best friend was fine, not expecting to end up alone with her ex-husband.Ezrah was saddened that his surprise was ruined, but at least he got to talk to her.Also, he considered his ruined surprise as part of the punishment for the number of times she waited, just for him to not show up.“I will be honest with you, Zora. I want you back. Let’s get married again.”Michelle laughed bitterly. The first time was just like this. “Let’s get married. We can divorce when the news about the scandal dies down.”By then, Michelle was so in love with him that she did not hope for a divorce, which happened eventually.“You are mad, Ezrah. If that is your reason for sending
Michelle clapped mockingly, and Ezrah felt embarrassed. She seemed like a thick shell, preventing his words from taking root inside her.“I would rather die than go on a date with you, and as for sleeping at my house, you are welcome only if you are comfortable sleeping at the gate.”Ezrah was shocked. When she dressed his wounds, he thought she cared, but it seemed to be the direct opposite. Was she acting?“Ezrah, there is nothing you can do to make me love you again,” Michelle spoke with a bitter expression, draining the color from Ezrah’s face.“I faced your negligence even in the office when you treated me like just a regular employee,” she reminded him, adding,“I faced loneliness when I got home, waiting for you to come back when we both worked in the same company. You only had Piper on your mind.”Michelle was getting more and more agitated at the remembrance of everything.“Ezrah, when I was cold at night, I faced it alone with the duvets and heater. You weren’t there.”Ezrah’
Ezrah could not miss this chance, speaking hopefully. “I will do anything, just mention it.” Michelle forced a smile, knowing he misunderstood, and began to explain it slowly to him. “Ezrah, Zora died the moment her unborn child died.” Ezrah smiled bitterly, half guessing what she was up to. Yet, he listened intently to her demand. “Our unborn child died untimely. If not for Piper, I would have been a mother. If you can bring my dead child back, then you can have me, Michelle. Until then, unlock this door if you won’t take me home.” Ezrah had thought about that part, but he knew his suggestion would upset her at this moment. No longer wanting to keep her for so long from her home, fire returned to the ignition, and he stepped on the accelerator. Michelle sighed with relief that her trick worked, and he was driving in the direction of her home. She felt that the understanding of how impossible it was for them to get back together finally sank in, but how wrong she was. Ezrah ar
“Zora, I thought you were sleeping. What are you doing here?'Did you come from outside?” Her mother questioned with worry. Then she noticed her reddened eyes. “Have you been crying? What happened?” He led Michelle to the sofa, not happy about her condition. Michelle had not shown any sign of weakness ever since her return, so this was strange to her mother. “It’s nothing, Mom. I’m fine. Please have a good night.” She was about to stand, but her mother pressed her hand on her thigh, forcing her to remain in her position.“I know you, Zora. What is the problem? Is it Ezrah? I hope you are not going to leave again.”After reuniting after almost three years, she could not bear to be away from her daughter again.“My life is in Los Angeles, but even there, Rush would trouble me. I would find somewhere else,” Michelle revealed. Her mother was unamused. “Michelle, the Ezrah you told us about seemed different from the one we saw after you left, especially when he came to claim your fake c