Love's New Bloom by Simone Hastings

Jack’s words made Erin look up again, and right at that moment, Tessa threw the envelope to Erin

through the small window.

The envelope wasn’t sealed, and the dozen or so photos inside were sc attered on the ground.

Tessa smiled brightly. “Well, Erin. I can say with confidence that I’m not too cruel to you. At the very

least, I won’t deceive you. I’ve told you everything you wanted to know. Whether you accept it or not is

up to you. And I’m not like the man you deeply love, saying one thing to your face and doing another

behind your back. After he left Mufrana and returned to the country, he completed a significant life

event. He

got married! But you’re not the bride.”

As Tessa’s malicious laughter rang in her ears, Erin stiffly crouched down to pick up those photos from

the ground. Hearing about Tessa and Jack’s killing spree didn’t make Erin collapse on the spot, but

what she saw in the photos on the ground was enough to make her feel. a kind of pain so suffocating

that she felt asphyxiated!

Unable to control her movements, she sat paralyzed on the ground. With trembling hands, she picked

up each photo from the floor. The contents of the photos showed images of Chandler getting married to

Jazzlyn at the Frost residence.

In the photos, Chandler and Jazzlyn toasted each other and respectfully toasted their elders as well.

The timestamp on the photos indicated that they were taken after Chandler left Mufrana.

Erin couldn’t accept everything she was seeing with her own eyes. She couldn’t believe that Chandler

had been playing her for a fool!

With teary eyes, she hysterically shouted at Jack, who hadn’t left yet. “What are you playing at? I’m

already trapped here with no means of escape! Yet, you’re using these photos to deceive me! You’re

too malicious-”

Jack remained in place. Although Tessa had exposed the truth about Chandler’s deception to Erin a

little too prematurely, she would find

out sooner or later anyway.

“Miss Lane, there’s no need for us to deceive you with this kind of thing. The photos were secretly

taken by a maid in the Frost residence. Chandler betrayed his promise to you and married this woman

named Jazzlyn. When Chandler got married, Hans, Kyle, Sean, Alana,

Roman, and me We were all aware of it.”

“Get lost!” Heartbroken to the extreme, Erin could only shout those two words out loud.

Jack’s expression changed slightly, but he didn’t linger any longer. He knew that Erin needed time

alone, so he left. As soon as Jack left. Erin uncontrollably picked up all the photos from the floor. She

rushed to the iron gate and threw all the photos out through the small

window.

She didn’t want to see those photos for even a second longer.

With tears running down her face, she walked over and lay down, holding herself and closing her eyes

to build her own fortress within her heart. The shaky fortress had collapsed completely after she saw

the photos of Chandler’s wedding.

Earlier, she could use her strong conviction to convince herself that she had to wait for Chandler, who

loved her, to rescue her. But what about now? Did Chandler know that she had gone missing and had

been kidnapped? Was he still in the country with his new wife? Did he

love that woman?

Countless questions swarmed her mind, breaking her heart into pieces, while her brain felt like it was

about to melt down in agony.

She cried out uncontrollably. “Why did you deceive me? Why-”

Even though she appeared as if she didn’t believe the contents of those photos in front of Jack, she

knew deep down that they weren’t digitally manipulated images since she was a designer who had

retouched thousands of photos before.

Recalling Chandler’s grandfather, Gaston, and the hopes he had for him, Erin finally understood one

truth-everything Chandler had done

for her during this past month was backed with a reason.

Unbeknownst to her, she had walked into the trap he’d set for her. Ironically, she still hoped that the

people of the Frost family would accept her one day. All of this was nothing but a wishful dream, a

deceitful illusion she’d created for herself.

Erin finally understood Sean’s hypothetical question about her and also understood Roman’s story

about his best friend.

She was, in fact, that “good friend” mentioned by Roman.

Everyone knew the truth-except for her.

Her sincere heart had been deceitfully manipulated by the man she loved the most, and even in the

name of love, Erin couldn’t justify his actions at that moment. After all, she was flesh and blood, a

living, breathing human being with emotions and principles, not a puppet to

be manipulated.

Chandler put wool over her eyes in the things she cared about the most. Erin no longer knew if it was

still worth waiting for Chandler to come and save her. Perhaps she would really die on this uninhabited

island. She, along with the unborn child in her womb, would end up getting killed by this deranged and

psychotic couple.

Helpless and desperate, Erin gradually lost her mind. She no longer suppressed her innermost feelings

and proceeded to vent all the unhappiness that she’d experienced up until then. Her cries were

mournful, hysterical, and shattered. Amidst her hoa rse and desperate screams, there was fear and

confusion, as well as indignation and unwillingness to accept the cruel fate as it is!

At the end of the cold and dark corridor stood a woman smoking. Tessa had one leg bent, with her left

foot propped against the wall behind her, and her face showed an expression that seemed both gleeful

and agonized at the same time.

Upon hearing Erin’s heartbreaking cries, Tessa’s eyes turned red.

She murmured to herself, “Erin, do you feel despair? Do you feel like the whole world seems to have let

you down? The despair you’re feeling right now was the only feeling I had when I was abused years

ago-“