She suddenly laughed. However, the next moment, tears started streaming down her face as she said, “So what? It has been so many years. I’ve already let go of my dignity in order to be with him. It doesn’t matter whether he has any feelings for me, as long as I love him. Since he had already promised to marry me, he will not go back on his words. How can you blame me for what went wrong between John and Hannah? Sometimes, fate just works in funny ways. Regardless of whether they still love each other, the time has already come for them to part ways. Some people are just meant to be passerby in our lives. I’ll be the one who will be walking this journey with John from now onward.”
I merely looked at her and didn’t know what to make of that. As such, I shrugged and replied, “I’ve already said my piece. It’s up to you whatever you want to do!”
Just as I was about to go outside and wait for Hannah, Yvonne stopped me and said, “I just don’t understand. Why is it that you can accept Hannah but not me? We’re both tainted, but why is it that I’m the one despised by everyone instead?”
I wasn’t going to say anything, but since she had asked, I had no choice but to tell her. After a moment of silence, I spoke, “Please don’t compare yourself to Hannah. Honestly, you are not even on the same level. We don’t just assess someone based on looks or status, character also comes into play. You should know very well that Hannah is way prettier than you but talking about looks is too superficial. So let’s examine your characters instead. Hannah knows her boundaries. She would never get involved with a married man with kids. She’s also not a hypocritical woman who would shamelessly covet something that belongs to someone else and achieve her aims through despicable means. Yvonne, if you are an honorable person, you would not have schemed to sleep with John. You would also not have threatened Hannah multiple times. That is the difference between the both of you.”
Yvonne’s face turned purple as I spoke. She must be trying really hard to suppress her rage. After a while, she looked at me and asked, “Did you hear all of those from Hannah?”
I let out a faint smile and shook my head, before replying, “You’re thinking too much. I’m just too familiar with such unscrupulous methods as they have been used countless times by women who tried to seduce Ashton.”
Just then, Hannah and Chandler came out. Hannah had changed back into her own clothes. When she saw the pale look on Yvonne’s face, she was stunned for a moment before looking at me and said, “It’s quite late already. Are you hungry? Let’s go get something to eat!”
I nodded and left the bridal shop with Hannah and Chandler. After Chandler went to get the car, Hannah tugged at my arm and asked, “Did you agitate her just now?”
I shrugged and replied, “Not really. I merely stated facts. Anyway, I’m not against John getting married. I’m just thinking that if he wants to settle down seriously, he should find someone who is decent and would make a good partner to him. He can be really irritating sometimes, but he’s still my brother after all. I know that he’s insecure and fears loneliness. Perhaps he desires to have a stable family of his own more than anyone else. I had thought that you would be the one for him but he did not cherish you. Yvonne is definitely not the woman for him, neither will she make a good addition to the Stovall family. As such, I played the role of a bad guy.”
Hannah tilted her head up slightly and took a deep breath. With a smile, she replied, “Maybe compatibility is never the most important factor when it comes to relationships. If John truly loves Yvonne, even if everyone else is against her, he will still feel blissful to be with her. Scarlett, I know you want the best for your brother, but sometimes, only the two people involved in a relationship know it best.”
I was stunned by her reply as I had expected her to agree with me. I looked at her with a slightly shocked expression on my face and paused for a moment before asking, “So, Hannah, are you really over John?”
Letting out a bitter smile, she looked at me and replied, “It’s not that easy to get over a man I loved for so many years. Rather than that, maybe I’ve just become more rational. After meeting Chandler, I finally know what I want. I’ve been too stubborn all along. Even though all the signs were there, I was still not willing to let go. John and I have argued and fought multiple times. We’ve also driven each other to the brink of insanity, but after much thinking, I feel like I can finally let go now. There’s still a long journey ahead of me and I wouldn’t be fair to myself if I continue to trap myself in darkness. Life’s too short to ill-treat ourselves. We should live every moment to the fullest.”
She paused and looked at me before continuing with a faint smile, “Actually, I really envy you and Ashton. After going through trials and tribulations, the two of you still ended up together. Moving forward, the both of you will have each other to depend on and will be building a future together. That’s so wonderful. Everyone’s experiences are not the same and some have better luck than the rest. You and Ashton are really fortunate to have each other and it’s something you should cherish.”
Just then, Chandler drove over and Hannah and I got into the car. However, I was still thinking about what she just said. Many of us could spend our whole lives figuring out what we really wanted and what was most important to us, but still unable to get an answer.
