Chapter 8
On our wedding day, Jackson and I were both so afraid the other might run that we kept video calls going to make sure we were both gerung randy
When the ceremony began, my father walked me step by step toward Jackson, placing my hand in his. Ilis palm was broad and warm
Through my veil, I could see the man whose face seemed ready to burst with joy.
Lucas and Olivia were right about one thing–Jackson and I initially got together just to form a couple, to make all those years of unrequited love seem less pathetic.
But later, we genuinely wanted to make it work, to go the distance.
We provided each other with emotional support that neither Lucas nor Olivia ever could. When hiking, we wouldn’t argue about whose idea it was–instead, we’d appreciate the scenery along the way, take photos together, and celebrate reaching the summit.
Months later, Lucas and Olivia’s relationship didn’t last–infidelity destroyed them both.
Though it’s hard to say whose came first–whether it was Lucas with his company secretary or Olivia with her college senior during a “business trip” sharing the same hotel room, their affairs multiplied and changed partners repeatedly.
Anyway, they both gathered evidence of each other’s cheating.
They both created such a messy, public spectacle that it made the local news. The scandal was so humiliating that his parents were absolutely mortified–they practically became hermits, too embarrassed to even show their faces in public.
Around this time, I returned home to find Jackson had prepared dinner. Watching him busy in the kitchen, I couldn’t help but hug him from behind.
He smiled, asking: “What’s this about?”
I pressed my face against his back and said quietly: “I finally understand how difficult it is to follow that advice: ‘Be faithful to your lover, be patient with love, and be conscientious in the end.“”
“Riley, are you cheating on me?” he asked in mock panic, turning around with a spatula.
I rolled my eyes: “Have you lost your mind?“
“You nearly gave me a heart attack,” he pretended to sigh with relief.
I asked, “If we had ended up with them back then, do you think they would have cheated on us too?”
“Change ‘would have‘ to ‘definitely would have,” he replied, not even wanting to mention his brother anymore. “He’s already driven my parents to their wits‘ end. The company’s shareholders have held several meetings trying to remove him as VP, and my dad can’t protect him this time.”
“Thank goodness I started my own business, or I’d be furious too. The stock has completely tanked.”
People who don’t take relationships seriously won’t change their behavior regardless of who they’re with.
I watched Jackson preparing my favorite garlic chicken and swallowed hungrily.
Last year, we finally visited Crescent Bay together.
Though it’s a coastal city famous for seafood, I fell hopelessly in love with all their chicken dishes–roast chicken, fried chicken, BBQ chicken, chicken wings, and chicken tenders…
I especially loved the BBQ chicken, with its rich flavors soaked into every fiber of the tender, juicy meat.
One bite, and you’re forever hooked.
“Thanks, babe,” I said, standing on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.
He froze for a moment, then pointed to his lips: “These guys are feeling left out.”
-19 Hara’s My Return Eternal Remorse!
39.19
I made a grand sweeping gesture: “Come get all the sight your want .
