I Walked Away With His Love Child

Chapter 8

Instinctively, I took a step back, my eyes scanning the familiar park around us.

It hit me, this was the same park Gideon and I used to come to all the time.

I hadn't chosen it for sentiment. I was just here for a lakeside shoot. Convenient location. I never expected to run into him.

He looked like he'd been waiting for me.

And just like that, my head started to throb. Why hadn't he moved on?

"Gideon," I said, keeping my voice even. "The past is the past. What do you want from me?"

"You're asking if I still love you?" I gave a humorless laugh. "I've told you more than once, I don't. Why is that so hard for you to believe?"

"You want me to say I do? Then what? I divorce Lachlan, you dump Fiona, and we just… pick up where we left off?"

I hadn't even finished before Gideon stepped toward me, eyes alight with hope.

"Yes! We can!" he said urgently. "We can be together again."

I blinked, stunned.

Honestly, I thought he was just stuck in nostalgia, missing the girl who adored him for a decade. I didn't expect him to actually want us back.

I took another step back, frowning.

"Are you out of your mind? In your last life, you died for Fiona. In this one, you chose her all over again. And now you want to walk away?"

Gideon's expression twisted in pain. His voice lowered.

"Adeline, I was wrong. I thought I loved her. I really did. That's why, when I came back, I went straight to her. But being with her… I realized it wasn't what I thought."

"She's been talking about marriage, and I've been putting it off. I couldn't say yes. I kept thinking about our unfinished honeymoon… the life we never got to live."

My voice was calm, even.

"I remember your note," I said. "You said you'd only ever marry Fiona."

His face flushed. "I regret that. I mean it, I wouldn't make the same mistake again. Just give me one more chance. I'll devote everything to you this time. I swear I won't hurt you again."

I actually laughed, soft, but real.

"You're asking for another chance," I said. "But this life is the second chance, Gideon. And we're adults now. We don't get to hit rewind just because we're full of regrets."

I looked him in the eye.

"I don't regret my choices, not leaving you, not marrying Lachlan, and definitely not building a life that's mine."

"But we have ten years of history," he argued. "Ten years! My love for you isn't any less than Lachlan's. Why him?"

I tilted my head, gave him a small, sad smile.

"We spent ten years together, Gideon. Tell me… what's my favorite food? What am I allergic to? What color do I love most? What game do I always win at?"

With every question, the blood drained a little more from his face.

I let out a quiet sigh.

"You say you love me, but what part of me? During those ten years, I was constantly shrinking myself to fit your world. You didn't love me, Gideon. You loved the version of me who put you first and herself last."

I lifted my camera and showed it to him.

"This life? It's mine now. I'm not living for anyone else. Lachlan loves me, the messy, passionate, complicated me. All of me."