No More Waiting, She Chooses Love
Chapter 273

Why's Conrad all bloody? Did he get hurt?

Dreams like this usually mean something, right? Like this one time, the night before my folks had that terrible car crash, I dreamed my two front teeth fell out, blood everywhere, scared me half to death. And then, the next day, my parents... they were gone, just like that.

In my panic, I nearly missed the concerned gaze from Ernest. Only when his hand touched my forehead, wiping away the cold sweat, did I snap back to reality.

"Had a nightmare?" he asked gently.

That made me realize that when I was calling for Conrad in my dream, it was Ernest who heard me.

But I don't want him getting the wrong idea, so I explain, "I dreamed Conrad was standing at the end of the bed, covered in blood. I asked him what happened, and he wouldn't answer me."

"Dreams can be deceptive sometimes. If it worries you that much, why not give him a call now?" Ernest suggested, surprisingly encouraging me to reach out.

Wouldn't he feel a twinge of jealousy under normal circumstances? Had it been Conrad beside me, I was sure he would've been jealous. I glanced outside at the dawn's early light, snuggled deeper into Ernest's embrace, and murmured, "I'm so tired; just want to sleep more."

"Sleep then," Ernest whispered softly, his large hand stroking my hair with the usual tenderness, showing no sign of anger or irritation.

I was too exhausted to think anymore and quickly fell back asleep. In my drowsy state, I felt Ernest's kiss on my forehead and heard his whisper, "You're still worried about him."

When I woke up again, it was already nine in the morning; I was definitely late for work. Ernest had left, and my body ached as if it had been torn apart and put back together. I lay there recalling last night's moments with Ernest, the unsettling dream, and his whispered words.

Closing my eyes, I was frustrated that even after a sweet night with Ernest, Conrad was still causing disturbances. But the vivid image of him bloodied in my dream was too disturbing to ignore. Even though there was no romantic tie with Conrad anymore, over ten years, he had become like family.

I needed to be sure he was alright, not by calling Conrad, but Dustin Wagner. Since I had turned down Dustin after he confessed his feelings, he had been considerately distant, making it even harder for me to approach him now.

Still, I needed to know.

"Felicia," Dustin answered, his voice gentle and soothing.

"Dustin," I greeted, hesitantly. "How have you been?"

"Good, what's up?"His voice was light and cheerful, immediately easing my anxiety about Conrad.

"It's nothing major, just wanted to ask if you knew when the amusement park is planning to open?" I found myself making an excuse to keep the conversation light.

Dustin probably knew it was a pretext; calling Deborah Walker would have been my usual approach for such inquiries. Nonetheless, he responded, "We haven't gotten the final go-ahead from Conrad's side yet."

I was surprised. The park's opening was supposed to be scheduled right after the lights were fixed, which would be about a week from now. However, Dustin's comment suggested that there was no movement on that front yet, despite the lack of visible advertising or preparations that are usually rampant before such a big event.

"Is there a problem?" I couldn't hide my concern for the project.

"No problems," Dustin assured, his position as the park's manager lending authority to his words.