Chapter 1994


    The moment ric dropped to one knee, the room went dead silent, including Hertha, who was so


    caught off guard that her eyes widened in sheer disbelief. There ric was, on one knee, with a ring


    in hand, proposing to her right in the middle of what was supposed to be a joyful and straightforward


    event.


    This whole scenario was far beyond anything Hertha had anticipated. She was already taken aback


    by ric''s sudden appearance, never mind his dramatic gesture of proposing to her then and there!


    Hertha was momentarily at a loss for words. Just moments before, she had openly admitted that


    ric was the father of her two kids, aiming to smooth over the tensions between Spencer and


    Emmeline. Thest thing she wanted was for their beautiful wedding to end on a sour note because


    of her. Nor did she wish for Spencer to lose Emmeline, given how hard it was for him to find


    someone he truly loved and wanted to marry, especially with Spencer''s parents watching from the


    audience. They had waited three long years to see their son get married. The thought of


    disappointing them again was unbearable; after all, how many "three years" could they possibly


    have left?


    As Hertha''s gaze met ric''s earnest and deep eyes, her heart skipped a beat. For a brief moment,


    she felt overwhelmed by his intense look, knowing that if she stared too long, her heart might just


    give in to the chaos and panic those feelings stirred within her. It scared her, the thought of falling


    back into the tumultuous pit of love from which it had taken her three years to crawl out of. The idea


    of going through that pain again made her want to run away more than anything else in that


    moment.


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    Her instinct wasn''t to run away from problems, but the situation she found herself in wasn''t


    something she could handle with her usual resolve. If she were tosh out at ric, telling him to


    get lost, everyone in attendance, watching and waiting for her reaction, would take it as confirmation


    that the rumors about her and Spencer were true. That would inevitably ruin Spencer and


    Emmeline''s wedding.


    Yet, epting ric''s proposal was beyond her emotional capacity. The unresolved issues


    between ric and Georgia were a chasm too wide for Hertha to cross.


    Hertha''s eyes darted around the room, desperately looking for an escape as she felt the weight of


    everyone''s expectations on her. Emmeline''s anxious and tearful eyes were particrly piercing,


    reflecting the tension and turmoil of the moment. Emmeline''s father, gripping her arm tightly,


    seemed ready to whisk his daughter away at the slightest hint of rejection from Hertha.


    No father who loved his daughter would let her marry a man whose heart belonged to another


    woman. That would be like throwing her into the fire.


    From the nervous look in Emmeline''s eyes and her father''s protective stance, Hertha realized the


    gravity of the decision before her.