It wasn’t her place to interfere any further. The reason Ashlyn had been heartbroken was because she believed Khalid didn’t love her. But now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, Katelyn felt that no matter how much they argued, things wouldn’t end too badly. Just as Katelyn was about to leave, Ashlyn grabbed her hand firmly. Sensing Ashlyn’s nervousness, Katelyn turned back and gently patted her hand. Katelyn whispered softly, “The rest is up to you. Since you love him, go after what you want, so you won’t have any regrets in the future.”
Though Katelyn said this to Ashlyn, her words were also meant for Khalid. If they truly loved each other, what obstacle could stand in their way?
Katelyn gave Ashlyn a smile before turning to leave. Once inside the car, she turned to Vincent and said, “Let’s go back.”
The rest was up to them. Staying any longer would only make her a third wheel, offering no real help to them.
Ashlyn had assumed that Katelyn would wait nearby, but Vincent drove off instead. She was at a loss for words. Had she just been abandoned and left to Khalid like this?
Khalid gazed at Ashlyn and said softly, “Ashlyn, I know my past may be hard for you to accept, but I want you to know that you’re always in my heart.”
Even if Ashlyn chose to leave him in the end, there was nothing he could do. After all, he was powerless to change the past.
Ashlyn paused, looking at Khalid in confusion. “What part of your past do you think I can’t accept? So what if you were with Sophia? As long as I’m in your heart, I will stay by your side. But when I said we should break up, you didn’t say a word.”
That was what hurt Ashlyn the most. She had initially believed Khalid had no real feelings for her—that he was only with her because her looks resembled Sophia’s. But now, he was saying he loved her.
Ashlyn realized that all she had been waiting for was just the simple answer. Those words alone could silence all her self-doubt. They would give her enough courage to continue on with him.
? ? g﹒
Only now did Khalid realize that he and Ashlyn had been thinking differently all along. Ashlyn was worried about his feelings for her, while he had feared that she wouldn’t accept his past. So, had there been a misunderstanding between them?
Khalid’s deep eyes locked onto Ashlyn’s as he asked, “So… you don’t mind my troubled past? I’m not talking about Sophia—I mean other things I’ve been through.”
He and Sophia had talked about those things in the living room, and Ashlyn must have heard it all. So, did none of that matter to her at all? Ashlyn blinked, stunned, as she looked at Khalid in confusion. “Why should I care about your past? I care about who you are now and who you are becoming.”
Ashlyn had caught enough of Khalid and Sophia’s conversation to piece together that Khalid’s past wasn’t exactly spotless. But none of that mattered. She loved Khalid—not his past, not his mistakes, just him.
Khalid’s breath hitched, his chest tightening as if a sledgehammer had slammed into it. For a moment, words failed him entirely. A storm of emotions crashed over him, joy so fierce it left him breathless.
.
.
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