âYou know, you could make the same choice now,â Nolan said, his voice cold as the ice in his bourbon.
âMaybe our historyâs just soured the love, turned it into nothing but jealousy.â
Dahliaâs heart pounded like a drum at his words, and she felt a spark ignite within her. âDonât you dare pretend to know my feelings,â she snapped, her voice shaking with intensity.
âI love you, Nolan. Iâve always loved you! I didnât have a choice back then, and if I could have stayed, I would have. Never forget that I fell for you first. You know Iâve always loved you more, and you canât deny that.
Life played me like a cruel joke, Nolan. Every time I had to choose, it was like losing something as precious as you. And just when I realized my mistake, you picked another woman.
Canât you give me another chance? Or did you marry Regina just to spite me? You barely know her, Nolan. How can you commit to a lifetime with someone you barely know?â
Tears streamed down Dahliaâs cheeks, dampening Nolanâs shirt as she buried her face in his chest.
The sight twisted his heart, and he couldnât help but call out, âRegina, is the ambulance on its way?â
Regina nodded frantically, her own heart racing. âYes, I called them. Theyâre just taking a while. Dahlia, is the bleeding under control?â
âOh, spare me the crocodile tears, Ms. Tanner,â Dahlia hissed through her sobs. âWhether i bleed out or not is none of your concern. Youâd probably love for me to just drop dead here so you can have Nolan all to yourself.â
âDahlia, why would you think that? We donât have any bad blood between us,â Regina protested, her brows furrowing.
âNo bad blood? You stole the man I love. How is that not bad blood?â Dahlia shot back, her voice laced with bitterness.
Even as Dahlia lay wounded, Regina felt the need to defend herself. âI never wanted to fight over him with you. Besides, you and Nolan were never together, to begin with. Whatâs stopping me from marrying him? You need to figure out if what you feel for him is love or just possessiveness.â
âYou!â Dahlia tried to sit up in a surge of anger, but Nolan gently pushed her down.
âAre you out of your mind? Youâre still bleeding!â
However, Nolanâs concern only convinced Dahlia that she still had a place in his heart, that there was no real love between him and Regina. She settled back into his arms, feeling a sense of victory.
âMy head hurts so much,â she whimpered, clinging to Nolan. âWill I die if the ambulance doesnât get here soon?â
Bystanders murmured among themselves, âIf she was really afraid of dying, why smash into a post?â
âYou donât get it,â another whispered. âThat stunt wasnât for her; it was for Nolanâs benefit. If she truly wanted to harm herself, she wouldnât do it in front of a crowd, embarrassing Regina like that.â
âI think Reginaâs met her match with this one,â someone else added. âLook at her, standing there, not even defending herself.â
The crowd sighed collectively as the ambulance finally arrived. Before Nolan climbed in with Dahlia, he shot a knowing glance at Reginaâs boss, who reassured him, âDonât worry, Mr. Harris. Not a word of this will leak from New Blossom Press.â
Nolan, cradling Dahlia, stepped into the ambulance as the medics tended to her wounds, leaving Regina standing alone, chasing after them a few steps.
âStop right there! Where do you think youâre going?â the boss snapped at Regina, his patience worn thin.
âYou see what youâve caused today? Are you trying to make sure New Blossom Press hits the headlines?â he barked, frustration clear in his voice.