Dustin's eyes narrowed suddenly, and he could no longer maintain his composed facade, his grip on my hand gradually loosened.,

"Do you look down on me even more now?

" His voice was low and heavy.,

"Back when it was between you and Conrad, I chose him not because I looked down on you but because he set my heart racing. And now, Dustin, what you've done has truly disappointed me,

" I spoke my truth.,

"But do you know why I did it?

" he asked softly., I let out a mocking laugh.

"Dustin, you seemed so sure of yourself when you left four years ago. Why do you seem more confused as time passes?

", From the moment I started my relationship with Conrad four years ago, Dustin and I were set to be nothing more than friends, even if Conrad and I parted ways.,

"Felicia, you've loved Rad for ten years, and so have I,

" his words made my heart tremble., This trembling wasn't out of being moved, but it reminded me of my past., Loving someone is hard, and unrequited love even more so., I could empathize, but I still made it clear to him,

"I loved him for ten years because I could see a future with him. But Dustin, you knowingly walk into the darkness; that's your own folly, a bitter pill you chose to swallow.

", I admit, my words were harsh, but that's just how things were., Now, he even dared to covet everything that belonged to Conrad and kept the truth he knew hidden, all for his selfish desires., I was truly disappointed in him.,

"Foolish,

" he mockingly repeated the word,

"Yes, foolish.

", It was self-mockery, but I could hear the sarcasm directed at me. My ten years of loving Conrad were equally foolish., At this point, there was no need for further words, but I still reminded him,

"Dustin, you and your brother can fight for power, but don't use me as a catalyst.

", Ernest had been waiting outside for me. Seeing me come out, he came over and took my hand., He didn't ask anything but led me away., Today, Ernest played a voice recording on his phone for me, which he had obtained to help me. After I realized Dustin had dealt with Jimmy for me and guessed Haley's feelings, I sensed something was amiss I just mentioned it to Ernest, and he helped me look into it discreetly, bringing the recording today as a precaution., He remained silent but took on everything he could to ease my burden.,

"Where's Susie?

" He had led me quite a distance, and we hadn't found Susie yet, prompting me to ask.,

"She's playing in a quieter spot,

" Ernest explained, which I didn't doubt., Susie had just recovered, and a less crowded place suited her better.,

"How much farther?

" I asked Ernest.,

"Tired?

" Ernest always caught the underlying meanings in my words., I didn't play coy,

"Yeah.

",

"Shall I carry you?

" Ernest offered., I laughed,

"Carry me? Do you think I haven't attracted enough attention already?

",

"What's wrong with attracting attention? Some people wish they could but can't,

" Ernest indulged me to the extreme., I pointed at a tandem bicycle not far from us. How about we ride that instead?,

"If you want to ride, let's ride,

" Ernest said and led me to it., We scanned the code and started pedaling away. At first, it was all smooth, but then I noticed more and more cyclists joining us, forming a sort of convoy. ,

"What's happening? This isn't about what went down earlier, is it? Those people aren't coming to mob me, are they?

" I asked Ernest, on edge., , He smiled lightly.

"Scared?

",

"A bit,

" I admitted cautiously.,

"Don't worry, I'm here,

" Ernest said indulgently., After observing for a while and, seeing that these people were just cycling behind us without any other suspicious behavior, I began to relax. , QUMS,

"Mommy, why are there words written on the back of these bikes?

" a child suddenly pointed at our bicycle and asked., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.