No More Waiting, She Chooses Love
Chapter 727

"You've had your suspicions about Dustin for a while, but what about Conrad? You both were working together, yet when he was surrounded by alligators, you didn't step in to help. Why was that?" I voiced my confusion. Now that Conrad and I had parted ways, his fate shouldn't concern me anymore. Yet, the scene replayed in my mind, sometimes even haunting my dreams.

I had asked Conrad about it, and though he gave me his perspective, I knew Ernest's explanation would hold the true insight.

"Testing him," Ernest replied tersely.

"Because he's Dustin's brother?" I probed further.

"Yes, but that's not the whole story. I had other reasons to be suspicious," Ernest admitted, piquing my curiosity.

"Like what?"

From my angle, I couldn't see Ernest's wounds or his expression as he spoke.

"It all seemed too orchestrated, with all suspicions directed at Dustin, as if someone was pulling the strings," Ernest's words took me back to that time.

Indeed, it felt like that. Moving into Dustin's mansion, then the mishap. The danger seemed aimed at me, yet it was Ernest and his team who bore the brunt.

I realized then the trap wasn't set for me but used me as bait for Ernest.

In that whole kidnapping fiasco, I was the only one who emerged unscathed.

"Dustin had feelings for you, and Conrad knew that. But once you two were apart, he had no reason to stop Dustin directly. The best way to keep you apart was to make you believe Dustin was the villain," Ernest pointed out.

"Jumping into the alligator pit served two purposes. To show you how much he loved you, risking his life, and to clear himself of suspicion. After all, who would suspect someone attacked by alligators?"

Following Ernest's reasoning, I said, "So you thought Conrad was playing the martyr, and you wanted to see his reaction by not intervening."

"That's part of it," Ernest admitted, hinting there was more.

"Hmm?" I turned to look at him, inadvertently catching a glimpse of his wounds just as the doctor finished up and left.

"Why did you have the doctor treat these wounds? I think a nurse might have been gentler," I suggested to Ernest.

Ernest looked at me intently. "I didn't want any woman but you to see me like this."

I was momentarily speechless.

That came out of nowhere.

I gave him a playful smack. "Be serious, Ernest. What else was Conrad up to?"

"All his schemes were ultimately driven by one thing - you."

They might have been fighting over me, but it wasn't just about me. It was about their own ambitions and interests.

I didn't feel the need to argue that point with Ernest. What mattered was the here and now, the person in front of me.

Recalling how I was left hanging in danger while Ernest just watched, I couldn't help but ask, "Ernest, how could you claim to love me yet ignore my life hanging in the balance?"

His jaw tightened. "Are you holding me to account?"

"Yes, it bothers me deeply. I'm angry and, of course, hurt," I confessed.

Ernest gently grasped my fingers. "It was a tough decision."

He brought my hand to his lips for a tender kiss. "The situation in Houston was the bomb you unwittingly planted for me. I'm not afraid of dying, but I couldn't drag you down with me. So when they used you to test my limits, had to be ruthless to keep you safe."

I had suspected as much, and hearing him confirm it helped me let go of my resentment.

But back then, I was truly

heartbroken. Looking into Ernest's

eyes, lasked, "Weren't you afraid I'd

misunderstand and never forgive you?"