He Watched Me Shine Without Him novel Chapter 40

Rose couldn’t help but laugh.

Meliora said, "Rose, you told me you and he rushed into marriage, with no feelings beforehand. I believe you. I know you’re still hung up on that scumbag Ethan. But do you really think Houston has no feelings for you either?"

Rose blinked, then thought for a moment. "Probably not."

Meliora groaned. "You are so clueless. Let me ask you—did Ethan ever serve you food? Peel shrimp for you? Carry your bag?"

Rose’s expression darkened. "He never did any of that. The most he ever did was help me with my papers."

Meliora pressed on. "Ethan barely did anything for you, and you convinced yourself he loved you. Now Houston’s doing all this for you, and you still think he doesn’t care? Come on, isn’t that real love compared to whatever Ethan gave you?"

Rose paused, her expression shifting slightly.

Meliora wasn’t about to let it go. "Believe me. Houston absolutely loves you."

Rose looked puzzled. "But when did he start liking me?"

"You’re sure you only met once before getting married?"

"Yeah. He was my patient. I only saw him once, in the clinic."

Meliora frowned. "I don’t know... it just feels like there’s more between you two than you ever had with Ethan, even after ten years."

Rose smiled. "That’s just your imagination. We barely knew each other before the wedding."

Meliora nodded, though she still looked unconvinced.

The two sisters were chatting happily when Meliora’s phone suddenly rang.

She glanced at the screen, then leaned toward Rose and whispered mischievously, "It’s Vivian."

Rose said, "I’ll give you some space." She started to walk away.

Meliora grabbed her arm. "Don’t go. It’s about time I cut ties with her anyway."

So Rose stayed where she was.

Meliora answered the call, and Vivian’s cheerful voice came through. "Meliora, I’m getting the wedding gifts ready. I know you can be picky, so you might not like the bridesmaid dress I picked. I wanted to ask—do you want to choose your own dress, or should I provide one?"

A cold smile tugged at Meliora’s lips. "Vivian, I won’t be coming to your wedding."

"What? Why not?" Vivian gasped.

She cared way too much about her image and didn’t want anyone to know what her social circle was really like. She pleaded with Ethan. "Ethan, why don’t you sincerely apologize to Rose and ask her to come to our wedding? Seeing you get married might help her let go of the past. I think she’d be willing to come."

Ethan hesitated.

Vivian urged him on. "All Rose ever wanted was to marry you. If she sees you get married, maybe it’ll help her let go. I really think she’d say yes."

Vivian’s words completely swept Ethan away. For a moment, he fully believed he was still the love of Rose’s life. He nodded without hesitation. "Alright. I’ll go see her tonight."

Sure enough, after dinner, Ethan and Vivian worked up the courage and knocked on Rose’s door.

The one who answered was Meliora.

"Meliora, what are you doing here?" Vivian asked in surprise.

She couldn’t hide the jealousy in her eyes. Meliora used to spend more time with her, and now she was at Rose’s house without even mentioning it.

Meliora replied, "Mr. Sam and Madam Linda are traveling. I didn’t want Rose to be lonely, so I came to keep her company."

Ethan brightened. "Perfect. Meliora, you’re just the person we need. Vivian and I want to invite Rose to our wedding. Maybe you can help us convince her."