“Neither was I,” I admitted.
“Thea, I need to explain. What happened on the island… At first, I didn’t realize Lana’s true motives. She convinced me it was all to help you.
But the moment I discovered what she was really planning, I stole the flash drive and sent it to you.”
I stayed silent.
“When Lana involved me, she said you were too modest to publish your novel yourself,” Eric continued. “She claimed you didn’t believe in your talent and needed someone to surprise you, to push it forward. I thought I was helping.”
“A surprise?” I shot back.
“You mean taking my work behind my back?”
“That’s what I thought at first. The moment she told me the truth, I grabbed the flash drive and went to find you, but you were already gone.”
“So, what I overheard wasn’t what it seemed?”
“It wasn’t. Thea, I chose you the second I understood the truth.”
I let the silence settle, waiting for the familiar anger to surface.
But it wasn’t there anymore. Lana’s manipulations were in the past, and the novel had been published on my terms.
“She always envied you, you know,” Eric said quietly, breaking the silence. “Even back in university, she felt overshadowed.
This time, she saw an opportunity and used both our trust to try and take what wasn’t hers.”
“And now?”
“She’s gone. Disappeared from every circle I know. She couldn’t face the fallout after I refused to back her lies.”
“You made the right choice.
That counts for something.”
“Does that mean you’ll give me another chance?”
“One date,” I said, holding up a finger. “Don’t mess it up.”
His grin widened. “Deal.”
As we left the café, I caught myself smiling.
That one date turned into another and then another. Before I knew it, I fell in love. And that time, it wasn’t one-sided.
What started with betrayal had blossomed into a relationship built on understanding, forgiveness, and, yes, love.
Source: amomama
