Chapter 1768
Ernest froze on the stairs. He was in disbelief when he realized that Maria was calling Leah
downstairs.
It had been a long while since he had heard any news about Leah.
Maria''s attitude towards him had turned incredibly cold and distant. Shepletely ignored him as
though he was someone who hadmitted a terrible and unforgivable crime.
The rtionship between the two of them became strange.
Maria would not even look at him.
Only the two of them were living in the London vi besides a couple of servants and the butler
Pedro. Even so, Maria would not speak a word to him.
Ernest himself did not engage Maria in any conversation as well.
The two cousins did notmunicate much. Whenever they saw each other in the house, they
would just nod at each other as a greeting. That was all.
When Ernest heard Maria calling Leah downstairs, he hurriedly stopped in his tracks amidst
heading downstairs.
Instead, he took a small step back and hid behind a pir next to the stairs.
Maria asked anxiously, "Leah, why would you write such a tragic ending? It''s so sad! The main
characters loved each other so much, so why would you kill one of them off? It''s really upsetting. I
really don''t want the female lead to die."
Ernest''s heart stuttered.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.
It seemed that the book Leah had been working on had alreadye to an end.
He had stopped keeping up with the book''s updates three days ago. Before that, he thought that
Leah''s writing had taken on a sad tone. Every new chapter she wrote was filled with sorrow.
Her sadness had filled the book.
"Leah, has your breakup with Ernest affected your writing? Are you using this as a coping
mechanism or something? I''m really worried about you. Didn''t you tell me that you wouldn''t brood
over him?"
"I''m fine," Leah exined, "I just need some time to get over it. I''ll admit that I rushed the ending of
the book, but regardless of what everyone thinks, I
quite like the ending." "Your book ends with a tragedy! How could you like it?" Maria immediately
yelled, "I really don''t like it. Can you please rewrite it for me? Reality is already harsh enough. I can''t
believe you would write something like that in fiction as well."
"Leah, you''re not one to write angst. You used to be so jolly before. You can''t let yourself be a
depressed mess like this! You can''t break the hearts of your fans just because of Ernest, got it?"
Leah was amused by Maria''s usation.
She let out a quiet chuckle and said with a smile, "You''re cracking me up, Maria. I''m honestly fine.
It''s not entirely Ernest''s fault. After all, I''ve been busy with sses, so I don''t have much spare time
to write anymore."
"No, you''re lying. I''m certain that it''s because of Ernest, isn''t it?" Maria rebuked immediately.
"It''s not! I just don''t feel like writing anymore. Why are you acting as if I''ve given up on the idea of
love? The way you''re saying it makes it sound like I''m devastated over a broken heart," Leah tried
tough it off.
"Well, you are heartbroken! Leah, you don''t have to hide it. I know that you''ve been deeply hurt by
Ernest. If it weren''t for him, you would''ve continued writing your book! You would''ve written a happy
ending for your characters!" Mariained indignantly, "I honestly thought that Ernest was a
persistent gentleman. I can''t believe that he''s actually such a scumbag! He''s not taking any
responsibility for your pain!"
Leah knew that Maria would say it as it is. They were both quitefortable with each other.
Maria''s straightforwardments rendered her speechless for a short while.
In the end, Leah admitted to it, "Alright, I''ll admit that it''s because of Ernest. After the breakup, I
really have no energy left to spare to write my books. I''m honestly exhausted."
"Who knew that my love for him would take up so much of my energy?"
Maria immediately jumped at the chance, "I knew you were affected by the breakup! Let me tell you
this, Ernest hasn''t been acting like himself either. He''s always brooding around with a stone-cold
expression on his face. He''s even ring much more than usual!"
"The two of you only had a small fight with each other, didn''t you? How did you guys end up hurting
each other so badly?"
"It''s not like either of you cheated on each other, right? Why did you guys even break up? I honestly
thought that the both of you were a match made in heaven. I can''t believe that your rtionship
ended so tragically!"
"To make matters worse, even characters in your book are getting roped into tragedy! Tell me, why
are you making your poor readers suffer with you?"
"Maria, let''s not talk about Ernest anymore." Leah sighed, "I''ve only just started to get over him, but
the very mention of his name makes me feel sad again."
"It''s not like I''m purposely bringing him up. If you rewrite the ending to your book, I promise not to
mention his name in front of you anymore. Honestly, I think people like Ernest should stay single for
life!" Maria continued toin.
"Let''s not talk about him anymore, alright? Let the past be in the past. We have to move forward
from here," Leah sighed.
Maria immediately eximed, "Goodness, you''re really moving on from Ernest, aren''t you? Have
you started a new rtionship with someone? Are you really going to forget all about Ernest?"
"I''m single now, so it wouldn''t hurt anyone if I started dating anyway, right?"
"You''re moving on too fast! You''ve only broken up with Ernest a while ago. How can you forget him
so quickly? Weren''t you still brooding over him before?" Maria protested.
"I don''t want to hear his name mentioned anymore. I''ve already broken up with him. Is it really
necessary for you to mention him all the time? If you keep bringing him up in conversations, anyone
who overhears will misunderstand that I''m trying to get back with him again. I''m nning to move
on from him, alright? So don''t mention Ernest again."
"Why won''t you let me talk about my own cousin! Oh, Leah, are you really going to forget him?"
Maria suddenly felt very upset. Although she was still angry at Ernest, she was secretly worried for
him. She was concerned that he and Leah would never be able to make up.
"I''m really going to forget about him," Leah answered seriously.
"Are you for real? You really won''t give Ernest another chance?" Maria asked again.
"Maria, you can''t force certain things on other people. It''ll end up causing a lot of suffering," Leah
sighed.
"I know," Maria answered dully, her emotions sinking even further, "I know there''s no use forcing the
two of you together. But if you''ve made your choice, then I suppose I can only respect your
decision. It''s Ernest''s loss anyway. Leah, I will support you no matter who you choose. We''re best
friends!"
"Thank you, Maria," Leah said sincerely. "I''m honestly fine, don''t worry."
"That''s good to hear," Maria sighed, "So, are you going to rewrite the ending for your book?"
"The editor told me that she''s going to find someone else to pick up where I left off."
"You''re letting someone else write the book?!" Maria eximed in disbelief, "But Leah, it''s your
work! How can you bear to let someone else take over like that?"