MY EX'S UNCLE LOVES ME

done for. The intensity of the situation was overwhelming, and the last thing she expected was Zach's reaction. The man she h

y man she had slapped in anger was here, not to retaliate but to propose. Audrey's heart

of him kneeling there, waiting for her response, made her pulse quicken. She had expected him to fight back, to yell or

t?" she asked, her tone deliberately laced with arrogance. She didn't want him to think she had

e so much hate from you." He paused, gathering his thoughts, trying to find the right words that could possibly reach the heart he knew he had wounded. "I know I forced this marriage

lump form in her throat. She could hear the sincerity in his voice, the despe

rked on transferring you to a different college, one where I hoped you could find p

kered with pain. She could see how much he meant every word, and it scared her. It scared her beca

u, and I don't know if I can ever make up for it. But I hope, somehow, you can find a place in your he

h she had believed to be as strong and unyielding as iron, begin

g from a place deep inside. It was as if his words had

Or... do I love him? The thought alone made her dizzy. No, that can't be possible. The only person I've e

've fallen for Zach long before I even realized it, she thought, her mind racing. But my love for Frank blinded me. I couldn'

st, on the pain Frank had caused her, that she hadn't noticed the gentle, persistent presence of Zach. He had

d her for so long began to dissipate, replaced by a sense of calm, a sense of understanding. "What are you doing, Zach?" she aske

lapped you earlier," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I did it beca

ow did she know? he wondered, panic setting in. He ha

ar creeping into his heart. He had wanted to tell her himself, to explain everyth

to find the words to express what she was feeling. "

ed, his heart poun

lightly. "The truth is, I only did it because...

she was? Hearing Audrey's confession, a smile slowly spread across Zach's face, the corners of his mouth lif

er voice steady now. "

ssolve, replaced by an overwhelming sense of joy. "Well," he said, his voice thick with emotion, "I'm also sorry I kept my pas

est spreading as she realized how much she wanted that, too. "That soun

ch suggested, his eyes t

uttering at the thought of spending more time with him, of fi

ile widening. "Let's get r

ughts of what she would wear, what they would talk about

than it had been in a long time. But just before he could tak

before he could say anything, she leaned in and gave him a soft, l

se, his heart skipping a be

through him, a happiness he hadn't felt in years. He smiled back at her, his heart full