Chapter 402: HER CHOICE

“Then what do you plan to do about your feelings for Sebastian?”

After Veronica asked the question, there was no sound inside the carriage. Only from outside, people’s voices reached their ears.

Time passed. No one talked.

Veronica stared at her friend without pressuring her.

‘If she is thinking about Sebastian, will Sebastian have a chance then? I’m not sure whom I should support anymore. I want both of them to be happy without getting hurt. Maybe I’m asking for way too much.’

She hung her head, feeling hopeless and helpless.

“I will forget Sebastian,” Catherine finally stated. “If I work at Magic Tower and meet him constantly, I’ll stop coming here. I can work from home or I will quit working here. Whatever it is, I have to forget him.”

.....

historical

“Cathy...” Veronica started.

Catherine shook her head as she tried to deny everything Veronica had to say.

“No, Ver, I have to do this. No matter who I love, I willingly befriended Vincent; willingly dated him; I consented to have a relationship with him and agreed to marry him. I did it on my right mind and I still know that I love him.

“That’s why, no matter what, I cannot hurt him. I cannot see him heartbroken because of my treacherous heart.”

Veronica tried to persuade her otherwise, “You are not treacherous, Cathy. If you were, you would have hurt Sebastian and Vincent both and would enjoy it. But you are the one who is suffering more than anyone.”

“How can I agree with you, Ver? I’m hurting Sebastian. And I know I have feelings for him but I can’t do anything about it. I wanted to reject him face to face but I couldn’t find him. He hid away from me.”

Catherine put a hand on her left side of the chest.

She continued, “This place, it hurts badly when I think about him. It wrenches so tightly that sometimes I cannot breathe. But at that time, I didn’t know I liked him. I found it weird.

“I asked myself – why is my heart throbbing so much when I think about him? I didn’t know then. But now I know. And it will be the best for him if we don’t face each other.”

It pained Veronica that her friend suffered so much while making a decision.

“If that’s what you want, I will give you my full support. I will accept whatever you want to do for your life. However, you cannot regret it. You can never harm yourself or sacrifice your happiness like this ever again

“You want to start a new journey, that’s fine by me. But you have to be happy. You have to choose something that you will never regret.”

Catherine covered her face and nodded. Veronica hugged her until they reached the tower.

Meanwhile, Vincent went back to the resort. His mother saw him bringing some shopping boxes.

“So many boxes! Who bought all these?” she asked.

Vincent places the boxes on the table while replying, “Catherine bought them for you and father. She was saying that she didn’t have any elders to buy gifts for her wedding. So, she wanted to give some things to you.”

His mother muttered, “She has a big heart. Women like her devoted to their husbands.”

“Why does it sound like you still aren’t satisfied?” her husband inquired.

She hesitated before replying, “It’s not that I have anything against her. She is well educated. She is smart enough to get a job at the Royal Palace. However, she will work outside. That’s what I don’t like.

“We are all busy with our family and business. I wanted my daughter-in-law would be the same. She needs to be devoted to her family, children, and us. That’s all we want. A good housewife, not a good employee.

“What we need isn’t a smart daughter-in-law. But I couldn’t complain till now because our Vincent fell in love for the first time. She is a beauty too. I can proudly show her off to my neighbors and friends.

“But we will become a laughingstock when they find out she works outside. They will mock us behind our back and say we are so poor that we are letting our daughter-in-law work outside.

“I don’t think I can handle that humiliation. I’m getting older and weaker. This is too much for me.”

Her husband remarked, “Shouldn’t we be proud that we are getting an intelligent daughter-in-law who works in the palace? From what I saw, she wasn’t a bad woman.”

“So what we are proud of her? Will that change other people’s minds?” she retorted.

“Maybe it’s time not to think about what others have to say.” Her husband shrugged.

Vincent sang along with his father, “Mother, I think father is right. Why should we have to live a life to please others? When I fell in love with her, I didn’t care where she worked or what she did for a living. I saw a bright, honest girl and I liked the way she is.”

His mother retorted, “You all learned to talk big but the person who faces everything alone is me. How are you going to understand my pain? Anyway, it’s not like I want to complain. You asked me and I told you my answer.

“I don’t oppose this marriage and I never will. I do like her. It’s just I hope she can contribute to the family more than in her job.

“Married life is never easy. You cannot treat your married life the same way you treat your single life. If you cannot take the hardship of marriage, you shouldn’t get married in the first place. There is no point in ruining one or two lives in the process of curiosity.”

“I will keep that in my mind and work hard to contribute to Catherine and my married life,” Vincent promised.

“You!” His mother’s face turned red in anger. “Did you think I was telling this to you? Seriously!”

Vincent played innocent, “But the only person getting married here is me. If you want to tell that to Catherine, tell her when she is present.”

“Good, good, just stay here and help me with the kitchen for now. I need to collect some vegetables. Keep an eye on the pot. Chicken is almost done. Don’t burn it.”

After giving father and son a task, Vincent’s mother headed to the garden. On the way, she heard a scream.