Ellen held her breath, expecting for Edrick to try and talk her into it again. Part of her believed he would, that he wouldn’t let this end so easily. She had seen the way his eyes had looked at her—full of longing, desperation, a stubbornness that seemed impossible to break.
If he only knew the woman he wanted so badly wasn’t even around.
But what she saw now wasn’t that determination. It wasn’t the fire she expected. Instead, his shoulders slumped, and his gaze softened.
He gave her a sad smile, his lips curving upward, though it didn’t reach his eyes. It was a smile that said he was over it, as if something heavy had landed on him, making him face the truth. Ellen watched, her heart aching as his eyes met hers—his eyes now full of sadness that made her feel uneasy.
"I know," Edrick said softly. "I know I lost already." He let out a bitter chuckle, the sound weak, more of a sigh than a laugh. "I just... I just didn’t know when to give up."
He shifted his feet, hands still clenched, but he looked like he had given up the fight. He looked down at the floor for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts, before looking back up at her. His eyes had a softness that made her heart break a little more for him.
"I just needed to hear it from you," he continued. "I needed to hear you say it, Ellen. That you’ve moved on. That you want this marriage. That you want him." He stopped for a moment, his throat moving as he swallowed. "I had to know... from you."
"Edrick..." she began, but she didn’t know what to say. What could she say? She had already told him everything she needed to. She had already broken his heart. There was nothing more she could give him, nothing more she could do to ease his pain.
He shook his head, cutting her off before she could continue. "It’s okay, Ellen," he stopped her. "You don’t need to say anything else. I understand."
He sighed deeply, his chest rising and falling as if the weight of it all was finally too much. "I’ve always been stubborn, haven’t I Always thinking I could change things, that I could make you see..."
He let out a slow breath, his chest rising and falling as if the weight of everything was finally crashing down on him. "But I can’t change this, can I?" he asked. "I can’t make you love me again."
"I just wanted you to know," he said, his voice steady now, though the sadness still lingered in his eyes. "That I loved you, Ellen. I loved you with everything I had." He paused, his gaze locking onto hers, the intensity of his emotions clear in the way he looked at her. "And I probably always will, in some way."
He gave her a sad smile, the corners of his mouth turning up just slightly, as if trying to reassure her, even though she could see the pain in his eyes. "But I’ll let you go now," he said, his voice barely a whisper, the words hanging in the air between them. "I’ll let you be happy. With him."
"You know, you’ll find someone, Edrick. Someone who’ll love you the way you deserve. A good woman who’ll make you happy." She paused, her lips curving into a small, sincere smile. "You deserve that."
"Thank you, Ellen,"
Edrick straightened, his shoulders rising as he took a deep breath. "Looks like I’m done here," he said as he got up and headed for the door.
She stood up as well, following him towards the door. When they reached the front door, his gaze locking onto Ellen’s. Gerald hesitated, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he were considering walking away, but then he seemed to change his mind.
"I just wanted to warn you." Ellen raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a lazy smile as she tilted her head slightly to the side.
"Warn me?"
Edrick, catching her expression, gave a slight nod. "Do you know Gerald?" he asked.
Ellen’s smile widened, though there was no humor in it. Her smile hinted at frustration, hiding some anger right beneath the surface. "Gerald?" she repeated. "Yes, I know him. What about him?"
Edrick adjusted himself, his face getting tense for a moment before he talked. "A while ago," he began, his gaze holding hers, "Gerald came to me. He asked me to come between you and Mason." He paused, his voice dropping slightly, as if he were unsure of how she would react. "He must have had an informant... he knew about our relationship, and he wanted to use me because of that."
Ellen’s jaw clenched, her eyes flashing with anger as she took in his words. She could feel her heartbeat quicken, the frustration bubbling up inside her. "That jerk," she muttered under her breath, her hands balling into fists at her sides.
Edrick watched her carefully, his eyes searching her face as if trying to gauge her reaction. "I didn’t say yes to him," he added quickly. "But I didn’t say no either. I just... left." He paused, his gaze dropping for a moment before meeting hers again. "My intention was always to win you back, Ellen. It wasn’t because of Gerald or anything he said. It was because I wanted you."
Gerald pulling dirty tricks to ruin her marriage? She felt no surprise whatsoever. In fact, it almost felt expected, as if this was the exact kind of stunt Gerald would pull. Manipulating others, playing his little games.
A tiny voice in her mind was relieved, thankful even, that Edrick hadn’t been as stubborn or as desperate as she’d once thought he might be. At least he was honest with her now.
"Why do you think Gerald wants to ruin his best friend’s marriage?" Edrick finally asked, breaking the silence. His voice was filled with confusion. "Why would he do something like that?"
Ellen looked at him, looking calm and collected. She gave a little shrug, brushing it off, even though inside she knew exactly what Gerald was up to. "Who knows?"
Ellen was determined to make that jerk pay, and she wouldn’t let it go easily.