La Novels
Chapter 1468
Stephen could sense Simona's distraction. He could also tell she didn't seem excited about their kiss.
It had been like this lately. He wondered what the point was in letting himself get carried away by his own feelings if she couldn't share them.
He released Simona and asked with frustration, "Simona, are you still angry at me? Do you not want to be with me anymore?"novelbin
The question sent a wave of panic through Simona. "No, I'm not mad. How could I be? We agreed not to bring up the past when we reconciled. You even promised me our future would be bright and that no matter what, you'd always only have eyes for me, right?"
Stephen seemed satisfied with her explanation and nodded. "I knew I could trust you. You're worth my trust, Simona. My promise to you will never change. We'll be together forever, and no one can come between us."
Simona felt deeply moved. "Stephen, we'll never be apart."
He glanced at the darkening sky. "Look, it's getting late. Why don't we skip going back to campus tonight? There's a hotel nearby. I can book a room online. How about it?"
His tone was gentle and alluring, coaxing her into a decision she wasn't sure she wanted to make. Simona stared at him, lost in thought.
Two voices battled in her mind. One urged, "He loves you, and you love him. What's there to hesitate about? Rejecting him now will only drive a wedge between you two."
The other insisted, "No, not yet. This isn't how it should be."
If they went to the hotel and crossed that line, there would be no turning back. Something in her gut just didn't want to take that step yet.
"I..." Simona hesitated.
Stephen's patience snapped at her hesitation. His eyes fixed on hers, his tone turning sharper. "Simona, if I can't figure out what you're really thinking by now, then I must be stupid. I see it now. You don't want to be with me, do you? You still don't trust me."
The fear of losing Stephen suddenly struck Simona. "No, no, that's not it. You've got it wrong. I'm just scared. I haven't told my brother about us yet.
"He still thinks we broke up. I haven't been home in a while, so I never got the chance to explain everything to him. If he finds out we stayed at a hotel together, he'd be furious. It's not that I don't want to be closer to you. I just need a few more days, okay?"
Conflicting voices battled inside Simona's mind. The pain in her head surged in sharp, uncontrollable waves, leaving her feeling completely powerless.
She said, "My head hurts so much. Stephen, I think I'm sick. We should go to the hospital. I can't take this. It hurts too much."
Stephen finally noticed how pale Simona was. Beads of sweat had broken out on her forehead.
He asked, "Why the sudden headache? I'll take you to the hospital right now."
Realizing he couldn't push her any further, Stephen decided to step back for now. After all, he understood better than anyone why Simona had come back to him.
Patience was key. He would wait.
A few days later, Skylar received a call from Janine as she was finishing up at work. Janine asked her to come home, mentioning that there was something important to discuss.
Even Steven would be bringing Mona with him. Charles was busy filming and couldn't get time off, while Harvey had a tournament and couldn't make
it.
On the other hand, Joe was so busy that he barely had time to breathe, and he was on a flight back to Jipsburg City.
Skylar and Steven had an idea of this
important matter. For a while, she and Steven had suspected that
Janine intended to make her relationship with Ted official,
possibly giving him a rightful el
ul place
in their family. They both needed to brace themselves for the idea of having a stepfather.
As Skylar drove, she spoke with Steven on the phone. They had known about Janine's relationship with Ted for a few months, but they had been waiting for her to break the news herself.