Winning My Ex-Crush

Fenella’s POV

My mouth hung open in disbelief at everything Laird told me. So, Amy was behind all my bad luck all this time? My bully was the one who had been the wall between Laird and me.

I had suspected Amy for a long time that she was the cause of my plan’s failure at prom night. But I never expected her to accuse me like that in front of Laird.

“So, is that the real reason you rejected me back then?”

He sighed deeply. His cigarette was finished, the story had been pieced together, and now all that was left was regret that came too late. Laird shrugged.

“I’ve been a jerk, Fenella. My mistake all this time was jumping to conclusions too quickly and getting angry without confirming things with you. Even now, I admit my anger still leads me to make irrational decisions.”

“So, about the type of girl you like being a model or Charlotte McMillian-”

“It was all nonsense that blurted out. I told you, I just randomly pointed at a billboard.” Laird cut me off.

I pressed my lips tightly together. My breath felt heavy, and I struggled to digest all these revelations. The truth really is hard to swallow, especially when it makes you realize you’ve wasted seven years chasing after an empty validation.

The worst part was that validation could have been gained much sooner by just having an honest, heart-to-heart conversation! My ego and pride, which I’d held so high all this time, now make me feel incredibly foolish!

“I feel so ridiculous,” I murmured.

“Don’t. I’m the ridiculous one. Even now, I’ve treated you poorly. I just can’t control my jealousy.” He clenched and tugged at his hair.

“I can’t control it. Since prom night, I’ve always thought I would be betrayed by any woman. I don’t want to end up like my father.” His hands trembled as he gripped his blonde hair tightly.

“Especially by you. I can’t lose you again. If you chose another man while I am still deeply in love with you like this, I-” His voice choked, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Seeing him so vulnerable, my heart ached too. His heartache must have been so deep since his teenage years. My mind flashed back to memories of us sitting on the morning bus, his usually strong and firm shoulders slumping and weakened.

“Laird.” I moved closer to him.

I kneeled down to meet his gaze. My hand reached for his hand, still clenched tightly on his head. My tears flowed gently down my cheeks.

“Forgive me. Maybe I’m just half a man. I’m a mess and not as great as you’ve always imagined. In truth, I’m the one who needs saving, and I’m the ridiculous one,” he squeezed my hand.

Without thinking much, I hugged him. I let his head rest on my shoulder so he could find some peace. A man as tough as him could still cry at this age. He was scared, and so was I.

“Hey, Laird, it’s okay. We can get through this together,” I said, hugging him tightly as my vision blurred with my own tears.

He hugged me tightly, as if he never wanted to let go again. I kept whispering the same words-that everything would be okay-in between my sobs. Just like before, I would always be by his side, and we would get through this together. This time, for real.

After a while, he released me. He cupped my face and looked at me for a long time, as if searching for sincerity in my expression. Without warning, he kissed my lips gently. Our wet cheeks added a salty taste to our lips.

All the misunderstandings were gone. All the negative thoughts had been resolved. The anxiety and restlessness in our hearts were revealed clearly, with nothing left unsaid.

We learned to express all our feelings honestly, no matter how bad they might be. I think that’s the only way to eliminate misunderstandings between us. Communication is what we needed all this time to save our love.

***

“Hey, Fenella.”

Laird whispered in my ear. We stood on the balcony, enjoying the view of the clear night sky. He hugged me from behind, warming me while I wrapped my arms around his to give him warmth.

“Yes, Laird.”

“I think I really need to investigate Alan’s background after this. If necessary, I’ll hire a private detective,” he said softly.

“Huh? Did I hear that right?” I blinked.

“Yes, I’m serious,” he replied with a stern voice.

I knew he still didn’t like Alan. Even though he had come to understand my selfishness about Mallory, which had made him furious, we both agreed that none of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for Alan’s reckless behavior in spreading lies about our relationship.

“I don’t know; I feel like we should slowly distance ourselves from him. I don’t want to cause too much trouble, Laird. I’ll start looking for ways to leave Gene.” I shook my head.

“Besides, he hasn’t committed any crimes. It’s just a publicity stunt that might attract reporters,” I shrugged.RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

I really didn’t want to cause any more problems. My career was still at stake, with Alan, my boss, being the one controlling my way. One wrong move, and I didn’t know what would happen to me.

Even though I was starting to lose motivation to pursue a career as a model, I still wanted to find new opportunities around me. At the very least, my modeling career still gave me money to survive.

“No, I’m going to investigate it thoroughly until I’m satisfied. I need to know what the relationship between Alan and Amy is. I can’t let him keep bothering you and our relationship,” said Laird.

“Why did he show up when we met again? Why does he keep bothering you?” Laird squinted his eyes, furrowing his brow deeply.

“Wait a minute, what exactly is the connection between Alan and Amy?” I asked.

Laird stepped back and looked at me with a confused expression. He studied my eyes, which clearly didn’t understand what he was saying.

“You haven’t realized it?”

“No. What is it?” I asked. Uh, yeah, maybe I was too slow to notice something.

“I’ll tell you, and don’t be surprised,” he said slowly.

Hearing that, I took a deep breath. “Alright, I’m ready,” I said firmly.

“I just realized it now after confirming our stories. Alan and Amy have the same last name, Schmidt. Alan is an alumnus of our school, and he said he was our senior, right?”

Hearing that, my heart felt like it was jumping out of my chest. I covered my open mouth with both hands. My breath caught, and I felt my brain buzzing loudly as if an alarm was blaring. I came to the only conclusion I could draw from Laird’s explanation.

“Are they siblings? Does it mean Alan is Amy’s elder brother?” My voice stuttered.

“Maybe.”

“But that didn’t make sense. Alan is charismatic, has a lot of talent, and he’s popular and handsome. Amy should have been showing off Alan as her proud brother.”

“That’s why I still need to investigate whether they have a biological relationship or if their shared last name is just a coincidence. What’s clear is that I need to investigate this with all the contacts I can ask for help.” His eyes gleamed with determination.