3

She adopts an adversarial posture and turns her back on me at the same time. Rave, you may tell yourself lies as much as you want, but I'm not going to trust a word that comes out of your mouth.

It is impossible for me to keep up my act while she is staring at me in such a way, so I divert my focus away from her. She is the only one who is aware of what took place when we were younger, and despite my efforts to conceal it, she is the only one who is aware of the fact that my feelings for Nolan Johnson have not changed despite my assertions to the contrary. She is the only one who knows what took place when we were younger.

"Rave, don't you sometimes wonder what would have happened if you'd been honest with him about how you felt after that night? What may have happened?"

I bring my hand up to my crown and give it a little shake. In any case, the outcome would not have been different. From the very beginning, Bella was his one and only genuine love. Since she first came into his life, she has been the only subject of his attention, and he has been unable to concentrate on anything else. It would have only served to make things more awkward between the two of us if I had been forthright with him about how I felt about him. It would have been impossible for me to maintain our connection.

She fixes her eyes on mine, and the misery I see in my heart is mirrored in the anguish I see in her eyes as she fixes her gaze on mine. "Are you really going to watch Nolan wed your sister while you sit back and do nothing?" "Are you really going to stand by and let this unfold?"

I abruptly turn my body to face the window and take a few unsteady breaths as I do so. "What other opportunities will I have available to me? Lizzy, you may know that they have been married for the last five years. I squandered the chance to do anything whenever it presented itself; I should have known better than to do that. I have high hopes for them as a couple since they seem to be happy in their connection. If any of them were to find out about my feelings, I would lose my relationship with Nolan, and it would also sever the tenuous connection that I have with my sister. If one of them did find out, I would be devastated. Both of these events have a good chance of occurring. Why would you want to do that? At best, he has never regarded me as anything more than a friend during our whole relationship. That is not something he will ever do.

Lizzy gives her head a little shake before continuing. Are you aware that I have no concept what it is or how it works? I don't think Nolan is as satisfied as he tries to convince himself he is, and I really doubt that he thinks you to be nothing more than a friend, Rave. I don't believe Nolan is as pleased as he attempts to persuade himself he is. There is no denying the fact that there has always been something between the two of you, despite the fact that it is likely that he is unable to bring himself to accept it. When Bella arrived, it was already there, and despite her best attempts, she was never able to remove it fully. Despite her greatest efforts, it was already there when she left. No matter how hard she tries, she will never be able to satisfy the void that you leave in his life. It doesn't matter how much effort she puts into it.

I look at my hands while I mull about how to answer while simultaneously considering what to say. It drives me crazy when she increases my expectations even though there is no reason for there to be any increase in them. Since this person is on the brink of becoming my future brother-in-law, it is vital that I keep clear boundaries with him if I want to make it through my sister's wedding to my future brother-in-law. Only then will I have a chance to enjoy my sister's wedding to my future brother-in-law.

"Olivia, I have no question in my mind that the only reason they are still together is because they are aware that they do not have any other alternative. This is the only conclusion I can come to after considering all of the circumstances. Nolan is aware, the same as I am, that he is obligated to marry someone who our Grandma has chosen... However, Bella was not the first candidate that she considered for the role of his girlfriend. It was you who did it."

When I think about it, it gives me a tight feeling in my chest. It is still a day that I will never forget: the day that my parents told me that they decided to retire and that they had chosen to unite their independent movie production firm, with Johnson Media. The Johnson and the Richards had been one another's business rivals up until that very moment. The proposed merger, on the other hand, resulted in a complete and utter paradigm shift, and not only for my parents.