All Chapters of When Love Wilts and Blooms Again: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

As the gathering came to an end, I waited for Eustace in the lobby downstairs. Just then, a call came in from a friend back in Riverdale. "Roxy, what’ve you been up to these days? Haven’t seen you around." "I’ve been dealing with some personal matters." "How about meeting up later?" I smiled faintly. "No, you guys go ahead." "Wait, don’t hang up just yet," the voice on the other end said hesitantly. "Actually... it’s Nathan. He’s in a bad mood tonight, got drunk, and won’t listen to anyone. If you’re free, could you come check on him? We’re worried if he keeps drinking, he might end up with gastrointestinal bleeding again." "Call Sophia instead," I replied flatly. "Roxy, Nathan just kicked Sophia out." The voice softened. "We can all tell he still has feelings for you. He regrets it." "Enough, Zane," I said, gripping my phone tightly, my voice calm. "Nathan and I are over. His problems have nothing to do with me anymore, so don’t call me about him again." The mome

"Nathan, are you trying to kill yourself with all this drinking? Do you know how worried everyone’s been about you lately?" A friend grabbed the bottle from his hand, trying to reason with him. "We just called Sophia. She’s on her way to take you home. Stop drinking, okay?" The mention of Sophia’s name suddenly filled Nathan with disgust. He shoved his friend aside and sent the bottle crashing to the floor. "Who told you to call her? Did I ask for her?" "She’s your girlfriend. If not her, then who else should we call?" "My girlfriend?" Nathan sneered. "Do you even know who my girlfriend is?" His friends exchanged uneasy glances. "Nathan, have you forgotten? You and Roxy already broke up..." "Yeah, and you even told us in the group chat to start calling Sophia your fiancée." "Roxy left the group after congratulating the two of you." "Aren’t you and Sophia getting engaged soon?" "There won’t be an engagement," Nathan said flatly, signaling for someone to open a ne

"I am allergic to peaches! Even Dad knows that," Sophia cried, clutching her face, her tone thick with grievance. "It was Roxanne who had the housekeeper smear peach juice on my bed. Dad even investigated and confirmed it!" "Liar!" Nathan suddenly stepped forward, grabbing her by the collar. He was tall and imposing, and with that one motion, he nearly lifted Sophia off the ground entirely. "Nathan… stop! I can’t breathe!" Sophia gasped, clawing at his grip. Nathan glared down at her, his sharp features darkened by anger, his handsome face twisting with a rage that grew fiercer by the second. "Sophia," he said, his voice low and cold, "did you forget that you’re wearing Roxanne’s favorite perfume? The one I bought her countless times?" He paused, his lips curling into a bitter, self-mocking smile. "And yet, I forgot… I’ve forgotten so much." He loosened his grip slightly, but his voice grew heavier, almost regretful. "I forgot how deeply Roxanne cared for me, how much

But the man who had once doted on her, the "father" she relied on, didn’t spare her even a glance. Charles waved his hand dismissively, as though swatting away an annoying fly, and ordered for the mother and daughter to be thrown out. At the front gate, Sophia still refused to give up. Clinging desperately to the doorframe, she screamed hoarsely, "Nathan… you can’t do this to me! You can’t—I’m pregnant! The baby is yours! You have to take responsibility!" By the end, her voice had cracked, and she looked utterly deranged, like a madwoman. "Nathan?" Charles turned to him with a questioning look. Nathan felt an overwhelming wave of disgust. He wanted to laugh, but the bitterness in his chest wouldn’t let him. How had he ever been attracted to someone so revolting? "Mr. Evans," Nathan said, stepping forward to face the older man, whose hair had turned noticeably gray. "I never touched her. I swear, I’ve never slept with her." Charles exhaled deeply, relief washing over h

The wedding that day was breathtakingly extravagant yet impossibly romantic. Neither Nathan nor Charles was allowed to step foot inside the ceremony itself. Still, neither of them chose to leave. Charles didn’t make it to the end of the wedding. Partway through, he suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. Though his life was saved, he remained in a coma. However, Nathan stayed until the very end. For reasons he couldn’t quite understand, Cassie had never blocked him on social media. Through her posts, he saw nearly the entire wedding unfold—photo after photo, video after video. Nathan had already known before the wedding that Roxanne’s groom was Eustace, her accomplished senior from college. Back then, in the early days of their relationship, when they were still figuring things out, Roxanne often spoke highly of Eustace.Every time she mentioned Eustace, Nathan would get jealous. Eventually, Roxanne stopped bringing him up altogether and went out of her wa