Love's Redemption

Redmption 95

“Yes.”

I was about to say something when Conrad whispered, “I can’t help it. I can’t help wanting to be close to you, to be good to you, and… to tease you.”

It made sense. If love were something we could control, no one in this universe would fall prey to it.

I didn’t know how to respond, but then Brandon let go of me. “Drink plenty of water when you get inside. If you need anything, call me.”

He pointed at my bag. “Your room key. I’ll open the door for you.” Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“It’s okay.” I snapped back to reality and stepped away from him. “I can open the door myself.”

I fished out my room key in a rush, swiped it, and went in. I leaned against the door for a good while, unable to clear my mind.

By the time Kara returned, I was already lying in bed. She moved quietly, probably trying not to wake me.

I didn’t open my eyes because I didn’t want to talk, but I heard Kara mutter softly. “She’s sleeping soundly. It doesn’t look like I’m needed here.”

Hearing this, I clenched my fingers. It seemed like Brandon had asked Kara to look after me.

Brandon… How did I end up getting involved with this man?

I didn’t know and slowly drifted into sleep. I dreamt again, and the dream was chaotic. I appeared to have dreamt of my parents and the scene of their car

accident.

Even though I didn’t witness the scene firsthand, I had secretly looked through their case file at the police station and saw the pictures taken.

Those images were etched into my mind, becoming my nightmares.

When I first moved in with the Gildons, I had frequent dreams of it, and over

the years, the dreams had almost ceased. Yet, that night, the dream returned. When I woke up, it was still dark outside. I checked the time on my phone. It was five in the morning. Lately, I always woke up around this time, no matter how late I went to bed.

Despite drinking a lot the previous night, my head didn’t hurt, and I felt clear- headed. I had a few missed calls and messages on my phone, which I hadn’t noticed because it was on silent.

Lisa had called twice, and so had Bree. I didn’t know why Bree called, but I had an uneasy feeling. It was likely related to Chris.

But I thought I already made myself clear and she hadn’t contacted me recently. Could this be about Conrad instead?

I pondered for a while and decided to reply to Lisa first. It was too early to call, so I opened up WhatsApp and immediately saw several messages from her.

“Why aren’t you answering your calls? Are you all right?”

“Did Mr. Howell kidnap you?”

り

“Answer my calls or reply to my messages. Otherwise, I’m calling the police.”

“You went to Mr. Webb’s bar to drink. Did something happen there?”

Lisa must have tracked down Mr. Webb’s place when she couldn’t locate me. Otherwise, she probably would have banged on my hotel door.

I sent her an emoji and a message: “I’m fine. I was just in the mood for a drink.”

As soon as I sent the message, my phone rang. It was Lisa calling. She must be on the night shift again since she was responding this quickly.

I didn’t want to wake Kara, so I went out to the balcony to take the call. The moment I stepped outside, I saw Brandon jogging below. This time, I turned my back to him as I talked to Lisa.

When I told her about Bradon seeing her message, she laughed heartily and said, “Maddie, I think you should give Brandon a chance. Why not give it a try?”

“I rejected him last night. I’m not interested,” I replied firmly.

“Alright. Seems like you’ve been scarred by love and have sworn off relationships.” Lisa sighed.

33

After hanging up, I took a shower. When I finished, my phone rang again. It was a call from Bree.

I hesitated for a moment before answering, “Hello…”