?Chapter 3165:


    How did she know? Who told her?


    Hadley? No, that did not make sense. Hadley and Elissa were far too close for something this cruel.


    So then where had she heard it?


    Had it been while shopping, or somewhere in the office? Had she overheard idle gossip?


    His silence only deepened her frown. “Is it true?” She turned toward him. “Answer me.”


    “Elissa.” He paused, and then nodded. “Yes.”


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    He wanted to deny it. He truly did. But his past with Linda was no secret in Srixby.


    If Elissa heard it elsewhere, denial would only turn into deceit.


    The moment he admitted it, her eyes turned red.


    “But.” He tightened his hold on her hand. “That’s all in the past!”


    She said nothing.


    “It really was a long time ago.” His thoughts scrambled for footing. “Locke is already grown. That should tell you how far back it was.”


    Elissa turned it over in her mind and realized the logic held. Judging by Locke’s age, their rtionship must havested for years.


    However, that realization did notfort her—it unsettled her even more.


    “Then why didn’t you tell me?”


    “I wasn’t hiding it.” His voice sharpened with unease. “Those old things weren’t worth bringing up. If you hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have even thought of it.”


    Elissa’s unease deepened. The half-heard exchange between those Flynn Group employees surfaced again.


    That unfinished remark about his new love would not leave her alone. Was it her?


    “Why did you break up?” she asked.


    “Because…” Ernest hesitated, searching for words that would not wound her. “There wasn’t a single reason. It just ended.” He paused, keeping his answer deliberately vague. “It ended calmly. There was no conflict.”


    Calmly. The word left Elissa unsettled. “But… weren’t you good to her?”


    She had heard he had been attentive, almost meticulous, when it came to his former fiancée. That kind of care did note from indifference.


    He met her gaze. “Where did you hear that?”


    “Why won’t you answer?” Her voice tightened. “Does it matter where I heard it?”


    She watched his expression and added, “Are you afraid to say it?”


    “Let me ask you something first.” Ernest lifted her chin, guiding her to look at him. “Have I been good to you?”


    She bit her lip, and then nodded.


    She could not deny that.


    “Then what’s troubling you?” His tone softened. “You’re my fiancée now. I’m good to you. The past happened before you and me. Let it stay there, alright?” He drew her into his arms.


    “We weren’t right for each other. That’s all it was. There’s nothing topete with.” His voice lowered. “My heart is with you.”


    “Then are we…” Elissa lifted her head from his embrace and looked at him. “Are we right for each other?”


    “We are.” He answered without pause. “If we weren’t, would we have two children?”


    So was he with her because he thought they truly belonged together?


    Another question pressed at her chest; she drew a slow breath and gathered the courage to speak. “When we first got together, had you already broken up with her?”


    “Was it because of me,” she asked quietly, “that you decided she wasn’t right for you anymore?”


    Ernest’s expression hardened. He had not expected her thoughts to turn in that direction at all.


    “No.” He held her face firmly. “Absolutely not. It had nothing to do with you.”


    She studied him, uncertainty still in her eyes.


    “You don’t believe me?” His voice gentled. “Then ask Hadley tomorrow. She’ll tell you the truth.”


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