Loving You Too Long

Haisley smiled and shook her head. “No, Auntie. Nathan isn’t lost. He knows exactly which path he should take, and Loretta is his choice. I don’t want to keep hoping. I’ve waited long enough for Nathan to erase the name Crystal from his heart and mind. Even though that name wasn’t replaced with mine, I am grateful. At least Nathan is no longer hoping for something that will never be his.

“And now, it’s my turn to realize that Nathan isn’t meant for me,” Haisley said with full confidence.

Mrs. Monica shook her head. The woman stood up again and paced back and forth in front of the two young women with a troubled mind.

“Nathan is just not thinking clearly, and his foolish father is the same. How could he agree to his son’s marriage based on business?” the woman grumbled angrily. “In the end, Nathan will realize that marrying for business reasons is not a good thing.”

Gilbert straightened up and looked at his mother with a mocking gaze. “Come on, why should Mom worry about him so excessively? Even if he regrets it, Nathan will be the one to feel it. Not us,” he said dismissively, met with a glare from his mother.

“You should be helping your brother to see reason. Not letting him go even more insane,” his mother said harshly.

Gilbert shrugged. “There are things we can and cannot interfere with, Ma. That’s the principle.”

“Nathan chose, which means he’s ready for all the consequences. He’s an adult, not a child. Whether he’s happy or not in the end, it’s his choice. We should be thankful that Haisley finally has an open mind. She finally realizes that loving Nathan is not good for her,” he said flatly.

Mrs. Monica looked at Haisley with hope. “But I’ve always dreamed of making you my daughter-in-law, Haisley,” she said pleadingly. “Can’t you change your mind and fight for Nathan again?” she asked, full of hope.

Haisley looked at the woman hesitantly. Should she admit that she still wanted Nathan?

No. Haisley couldn’t be a fool for the umpteenth time. She had to stop hoping. She had to stop begging for Nathan’s love.

“I’m sorry, Auntie,” Haisley replied softly.

Mrs. Monica groaned in frustration. “Why couldn’t you just fall in love with Haisley?” She accused her youngest son. “And why did you have to fall in love with Nathan instead? Why not just fall in love with Gilbert?” She said to Haisley, making Gilbert struggle to hold back his laughter.

His mother and her absurd thoughts were truly unique.

“If only you two were in love, Mommy would be much happier,” she grumbled angrily.

Gilbert sighed. “Come on, Mom. Even though Mommy can’t make Haisley a daughter-in-law, you can still make her a sister-in-law. At least you can still arrange a match between Haisley and Dean,” Gilbert replied flatly.

“Dean?” Mrs. Monica asked her youngest son. Gilbert nodded. “You mean Dean, ‘that’ Dean?” she asked incredulously, to which Gilbert nodded again. “Why Dean?” she asked, confused.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“Because Dean clearly loves Haisley,” Gilbert asked his mother.

Mrs. Monica shook her head vigorously. “Oh God, does the Smith family really have to be taken over by your cousins, G?” she sighed in frustration.

“Well, because my cousins know which seeds are good and which are not,” Gilbert replied confidently, which was met with a pinch from Haisley and a kick from his mother. “Come on, Mom, Haisley. Just open your minds. What’s so great about Nathan? Your sister already realized and chose Juan over ‘perfect’ Nathan. So, what’s wrong with you choosing Dean too? Didn’t I say being loved is better than loving?”

“No, no, no,” his mother objected again. “Mommy is still convinced that Nathan likes Haisley; he just hasn’t realized it yet because he’s too obsessed with advancing his business.”

“In that case, let him be,” Gilbert said, irritated. He then stood up from his seat and glared at his mother. “Stop Mommy’s chatter and belief that Nathan has feelings for Haisley. Because even though I know and believe those feelings exist, I won’t allow Haisley to marry Nathan,” he said with restrained anger. He looked at Haisley and his mother, both of them staring at him in confusion.

“What do you mean?” his mother asked, puzzled.

“Mama has no idea how that jerk has been treating Haisley all this time,” Gilbert said harshly. His patience seemed to have reached its limit. Haisley pulled his shirt, urging Gilbert to stop talking about what had been happening between them, about Nathan’s cruel treatment she had endured. “He’s cruel. He openly insults Haisley, not just verbally but also non-verbally,” Gilbert said passionately.

“What do you mean?” his mother asked.

“It’s one thing when he compares Haisley to Loretta; Gilbert could still control himself. But sexual harassment?” Gilbert shook his head. “He’s crossed the line,” he said angrily.

Haisley referred to the incident of sexual harassment mentioned by Gilbert, the moment when Nathan tried to kiss her in the alley where they last ate, resulting in Haisley being rushed back to the hospital due to a tear on her back. But she was wrong.

“Remember the morning when I mentioned there was an additional schedule?” Gilbert asked Haisley. She was still trying to recall it when Gilbert continued, “I came back home because I forgot something. And there I saw him, he was hovering over you while you were sleeping,” he said with a shallow laugh that instantly made Mrs. Monica’s eyes widen in shock, and Haisley’s face transformed into anger.

“Why didn’t you stop him?” his mother asked, wanting to know.

“For what? To embarrass that man and Haisley?” Gilbert asked sharply. “He did it because he wanted to, didn’t he? So I thought, fine, I’ll let it happen because apparently Nathan wants Haisley too.

“The jerk likes her. If not, he wouldn’t have done it, especially to a sleeping girl.

“And then, he suddenly shows up when we were about to go on vacation, willingly accommodating all of us and suddenly providing luxuries by renting a yacht and an equally luxurious villa.”

“He did all of that for whom? For you, H. He only used Loretta as a camouflage because he didn’t want to admit his feelings for you. He regretted not knowing that you developed aquaphobia. He didn’t know because he never bothered to get to know you, never wanted to know about you. And he replaced his guilt by saying harsh things to you. Especially when he found out that you knew he used to like your sister.

“He felt ashamed, guilty, and jealous all at once.

“If he really had no feelings for you, he wouldn’t be feeling all of that. But yes, he does have those feelings, but he’s unwilling to admit it. He doesn’t want to admit that he’s fallen for your charm.”

“Do you wonder why he went berserk at the flat and accused us of having a relationship? If he didn’t have feelings for you, he should be happy because you have someone else to love, so you wouldn’t bother him anymore.

“But that’s not the case. He’s jealous, especially when Dean came and talked about his feelings for you. He got even angrier. He’s afraid that you might eventually turn to Dean. And you know why? Because he wants you for himself but refuses to admit it.

“It’s clear he deliberately let Loretta say those things because he wanted to make you jealous. But Dean is smarter. He knows what Nathan wants, so he said what Nathan didn’t want to hear. And you got the reaction Nathan didn’t want you to have.

“If he wasn’t jealous, he would let you go to Dean. Regardless of whether Dean is his rival or not. If he had no feelings for you, him losing you from his reach would be something he should be thankful for. But the fact? He just doesn’t want to admit that he has fallen for you, H.”