Lingering Rain, Lingering Love novel Chapter 22

Morgan explained, “You see, our first encounter didn’t happen at the bar. It happened a month prior, at a dinner reception. You were there with Stephan, only for him to leave you mid–evening to dance with another woman. You sat by yourself on the couch, drinking somberly, as whispers and gossip about your relationship circulated among those present.

“I committed your name to memory the instant you brought that wine bottle down on Stephan’s shoulder. Your movement was so fluid and decisive, and your verbal assault was so cutting that everyone present was shocked into silence.

“Yet you, seemingly oblivious to their shock, simply gathered your dress and exited with remarkable poise and elegance. It was a moment that profoundly impressed me, one I couldn’t possibly erase from my mind.

“In the time that followed, I slowly gathered all the details about your relationship with Stephan. I couldn’t help but wonder how someone as fearless as you could allow yourself to be caught in such a toxic, crumbling marriage, stubbornly refusing to let go.

“It felt as though you and I were destined to cross paths. I mean, who could have predicted that our paths would converge again at the bar? You mistook me for Stephan that evening as you clung onto me and cried your heart out, letting go of every grievance and all the pain you had been carrying.

“Yet, oddly enough, even though I thought you deserved what you got, I found myself holding you and comforting you through the night. It was then that our narrative truly started. You were genuinely mortified about mistaking me for someone else and were dead set on compensating me. I turned you down, but you actually showed up at my campus with cash in hand, absolutely insisting I take it.

“It was after that day that the entire campus was abuzz with rumors of me being kept by a wealthy woman, leading to incessant gossip. I had no choice but to seek you out to return the money, to clear my name. You had just had a major argument with Stephan, though, and were completely wasted, which resulted in you propositioning me the moment you laid eyes on me.

“I had intended to refuse, but the vulnerability in your eyes at that time was disarming, and as someone with a tendency to be overly sympathetic, I found myself agreeing to it. I pondered the reasons behind such an illogical decision later on, wondering if it was just because I felt sorry for you.

“I honestly held onto a bit of hope. I desperately wanted to see you escape that awful situation, anticipating your renewed freedom. Yet, every choice you made afterward only deepened my disappointment. I couldn’t fathom your insistence on staying with Stephan, nor could I comprehend why you thought keeping me by your side constituted the ultimate retribution against him.

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