Chapter 14
However, the reality was exactly that.
Enola nodded solemnly, as if she was making an oath. She looked into Robert’s eyes with a hint of confusion in her gaze, yet there was not a trace of hesitation as she said, “Yes, I love him. I want to marry him.”
With these words, she completed the vow Robert had interrupted earlier.
His face turned deathly pale in an instant when he heard this. His lips trembled, his eyes reddened, and a pain as sharp as a blade spread from his chest.
Enola saw the anguish in his expression but couldn’t understand where it came from. She simply called out to him again, “Robbie, is there anything else?”
In the end, Robert failed to take Enola away. He sat among the guests, watching as she made vows to another man. They exchanged rings and sealed it all with a kiss amid the cheers of the crowd.
His phone screen lit up again and again with Chloe’s name. However, he ignored it. He merely let the calls ring until they automatically disconnected, only for her to redial moments later.
Eventually, his phone ran out of battery and shut down, granting him a brief moment of peace. Robert had once thought he could handle all of this.
He had believed his greatest wish was for Enola to let go of him, to accept love from someone her own age, and to return to the path she was supposed to walk. To make that happen, he had steeled his heart and sent her away to Melcian, never contacting her once in the past four years.
And now, everything had gone exactly as he had wished. She had moved on, and she had married another man.
“The groom and bride look so perfect together. They’re truly a match made in heaven!”
“I remember hearing about their love story back when we were in school. I figured they’d get married eventually, but I didn’t expect it to happen this soon!”
“Of course! Parker chased after Ennie for two whole years before she finally said yes. Now that they’re at the right age, of course he wouldn’t wait any longer.
“Just look at him–his eyes haven’t left her for a second. How could he stand to wait?”
Seated among the guests, Robert listened to the conversations around him, hearing the admiration and blessings for the couple on stage.
So, their bond had already run so deep, and they had been together for two years. She had truly, completely let go of him.
Robert thought he should be happy about this. So, he forced himself to smile, but the expression on his face looked worse than crying. It was at that moment that he realized he couldn’t do it.
He couldn’t just stand by and watch her let go of him. He couldn’t remain indifferent as she married someone else.
After the wedding ceremony, Enola made her way backstage alone to change out of her wedding gown. As she walked through the corridor, a sudden force yanked her into the stairwell
Her heart pounded in shock, but it slowly steadied the moment she saw that it was Robert. “Robbie, what is it?”
Robert didn’t respond. His gaze dropped to her lips, and his eyes darkened.
The stairwell was so silent that their interwoven breaths were the only sounds filling the space. Just as Enola was about to grow impatient waiting for him to speak, he finally did. “What do you like about him?”
The unexpected question caught her off guard. It seemed strange, but she still chose to answer patiently. “He treats me well. I like him as a person. I like everything about him.” Hearing her speak of Parker, Robert could actually hear happiness and contentment in her voice. She was smiling, and her eyes were filled with warmth. But the sight of it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
If Enola loved Parker, then. What about him? What was he to her now?
“You’ll always be a guardian to me,” she said gently. “Robbie, you raised me for ten years, and I’m grateful to you for that. No matter where I settle in the future, I will never forget that it was you who brought me up.
“And I’m also really glad you came to my wedding today.”
She smiled at him softly and kindly, yet there was an unmistakable distance in her tone. The Enola standing before him was composed, polite, and detached — completely different from the girl she had been before she turned 18 years old.
She had grown up. And now, she no longer needed him.
“Why?” he asked.
Why did she fall in love with someone else? Why did she say he was just her guardian? Why did she choose to marry another man?
Enola tilted her head slightly, and her clear eyes looked captivating without effort. Then, she spoke, pulling hini out of his thoughts, “Isn’t this what you wanted, Robbie?”
Silence filled the stairwell once more. She waited for his response, but when none came, she turned to leave.
Just as her hand touched the railing, his voice finally sounded behind her, “Ennie, I regret it.”
