Chapter 5

His voice grew louder, more desperate with each call.

I watched him stumble, fall, and scramble back up, his figure becoming smaller and blurrier.

He, along with our past and the years we spent together, was left far behind.

I was moving forward, toward something new and untainted.

His cries, along with all the pain and humiliation, disappeared into the wind.

Ahead of me was a path lined with roses and a red carpet—a road to a new chapter.

When the car stopped, my mother was already waiting. Seeing me step out in my wedding dress, her eyes glistened with tears.

“My Serena has grown up... I thought you’d never forgive me.”

Holding back my own tears, I hugged her tightly.

The rift and pain from seven years ago melted away with that embrace.

Finally, unable to hold it in, my mother began to cry. She gently stroked my back and said, “Don’t be afraid, Serena. Life is full of wrong turns and poor choices. What matters is that you’ve stopped the losses in time and are boldly moving forward.”

“My daughter is so beautiful and kind—she’s bound to live a happy, joyful life!”

Uncle Kinsley and several of my mother’s friends also came with wedding gifts.

No one mentioned Brandon. It was as though he had never existed in my life at all.

My mother led me to a lounge to touch up my makeup.

But when we opened the door, I was startled to see Wesley waiting there.

A childhood friend who, seemingly overnight, had become my husband.

I froze awkwardly in place, unsure of what to say.

Wesley, however, approached me calmly, with a warm smile on his face. “Serena, I’ve waited so long for this day.”

Still in a daze, I looked at my mother, who gave me a teasing glare and laughed.

“You silly girl. Don’t you know Wesley has liked you since you were little? But you were too blinded by that scumbag to notice. He’s waited for you, without complaint, all these years.”

I had waited seven years for Brandon, nearly my entire youth.

But Wesley—he had waited for me even longer.

Feeling my cheeks flush, I lowered my head in embarrassment. “How could I ever deserve such unwavering devotion?”