Chapter 7 How Can I Earn Your Forgiveness
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The next day, I met with Ophelia and couldn’t help but share the news that Frederic had proposed to me.
“Well, well, I knew he wouldn’t waste any time,” Ophelia said with a teasing smile.
I asked her, “When did Frederic start asking about me?”
Ophelia paused to think. “I think it was after the fight you had with Kendrick. You two went to a private room in a bar. You started throwing up, and Kendrick thought you were embarrassing him, so he kicked you out.
“You called me afterward, and I drove you home.
“He was too busy drinking and smoking, having fun, not caring one bit about you.”
Ophelia’s voice grew angrier as she continued.
As soon as she mentioned it, memories flooded back.
I had always been sensitive to cigarette smoke. It made me
nauseous.
But Kendrick never seemed to notice, or if he did, he didn’t care.
Chapter 7 How Can I Earn Your Forgiveness Kendrick had insisted that I come to meet his friends.
with smoke, and I felt uncomfortable the
The room was th moment I stepped inside.
But he wouldn’t let me leave.
After just a couple of minutes, I couldn’t hold it in any longer ́ and vomited.
His face turned sour. “Ugh, women are so delicate. Can’t even handle a little smoke.”
His friends laughed at me, saying, “Kristine’s really embarrassing, Kendrick.”
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I ended up vomiting outside the room, dizzy and weak. Someone took me to a nearby pharmacy, where I took some medicine and started feeling better.
“So…” I said, slowly piecing things together. “He’s the one who helped me?”
“Yep.” Ophelia nodded.
I was touched but also a little embarrassed.
It seemed Frederic had witnessed all my humiliating moments.
Just then, Kendrick’s voice cut through the air.
Chapter 7 How Can I Earn Your Forgiveness “Kristine.”
He walked up to
, accompanied by a woman.
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I looked closely and saw it was Cecelia.
“Are you angry because of that post I made? I… I was just trying to get a rise out of you. It’s not serious between me and her!” Kendrick said, pushing Cecelia aside.
Cecelia looked a little flustered. “Kristine, the connection I share with Mr. Freguson is strictly professional. We have been working extensively together recently…”
I cut her off. Looking at Kendrick, I said, “Who you’re with doesn’t concern me. You don’t need to explain.”
Kendrick seemed panicked.
“I know I’ve made mistakes before, but it was just casual. I wasn’t serious with them.”
He paused, almost as if struggling with something.
I watched him bite his lip, and then, to my shock, he suddenly dropped to his knees.
Cecelia gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief.
She hadn’t expected the untouchable, rebellious Kendrick to kneel and beg for my forgiveness.
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Chapter 7 How Can I Earn Your Forgiveness Kendrick looked up at me, his voice full of sincerity.
“It’s my fault. I d’t handle things right. What can I do to make it up to you?
“We grew up together, and we’ve been engaged for years….. I never thought about separating.”
His friends, standing a bit farther off, also tried to vouch for
him.
“Kristine, Kendrick never cared about those women.”
“He really knows he was wrong, Kristine.”
I had never seen Kendrick so humbled, so earnest.
Maybe this time, he was speaking from the heart.
But the damage was done.
Ophelia rolled her eyes. “If admitting your mistakes could fix everything, then what do we need the police for?”
I held up my hand, stopping her, and said firmly to Kendrick, “Please understand, what we had is in the past now.”
B
