No More Waiting, She Chooses Love

Lily knew she was at fault, yet tears streamed down her face as if she had been wronged. Ernest returned to her side, his eyes soft with concern. He pulled her into his arms, his voice gentle, "I'm sorry, I went too far with my words. It won't happen again."

His apologies only made her heart ache more. She hit him lightly, her voice breaking, "It's not you, it's me who's wrong."

"No, my Lily, you did nothing wrong. It was all me...I let my frustration get the better of me," Ernest took all the blame upon himself once more.

This made Lily even more upset, her hits becoming more frequent and, in a moment of heightened emotion, she bit him.

"Ow," Ernest winced, a sound she hadn't heard from him before.

Releasing her grip, Lily looked up at him through tear-streaked eyes. Ernest gently wiped her tears away, "No more biting, okay? We don't want your eyes all puffy tomorrow."

"It's all your fault," she accused, her voice soft.

"I know, it's all on me. I promise to do better," Ernest soothed her as he continued to wipe her tears.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

But he wasn't at fault.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her tearful face against his chest, "I've become too spoiled by you."

"Exactly, so it's my fault. I should be the one to apologize. Want to bite me again as punishment?" Ernest teased, lightening the mood.

She playfully hit him again as he held her close.

Their silly quarrel had escalated quickly, with tears and laughter mingling in the short span of a few minutes. But the awkwardness lingered. Seeking an escape, Lily voiced a simple desire, "I could really go for some warm milk."

"Alright, I'll heat some up for you. Why don't you take a shower in the meantime?" Ernest suggested, guiding her back to the bathroom and gently closing the door behind her.

"Ernest, I was wrong. I'll try to be better," Lily admitted from behind the door.

"Lily is always right," Ernest replied before walking away.

Hearing his words, Lily faced her reflection, her eyes welling up with tears again, She had always been cautious around her ex, Conrad always treading lightly. But with Ernest, she found herself being difficult, despite his indulgence.

Lily, you can't be like this, she scolded her reflection.

After her shower, Lily found Ernest waiting with warm milk, now dressed in his comfy home clothes and working on his laptop. He set aside his work to dry her hair as she sipped the milk, a comforting routine that eased the remnants of their spat.

"Ernest, I've been upset these past few days," she confessed as he massaged her scalp.

"Why?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.

"I thought you were deceiving me, keeping secrets," Lily admitted, her heart heavy.

"Why would you think that?" he queried, his voice calm.

"Because I thought Mr. Collins, the one behind Grant, was you. I thought you were hiding your identity from me," she explained, omitting how she had eavesdropped on his conversations.

"Now that you know it's not true, are you still upset?" Ernest asked, his tone light.

"Ernest," she called out to him, pulling him into a kiss that was sweet with the taste of milk, unlike their previous encounters.

But their tender moment was interrupted by Lily's phone ringing. It was Fanny.

With Susie still in the hospital, Lily

couldn't ignore the call. "Dr. Willis...can you repeat that?" she asked, her attention now divided between her concern for Susie and the warmth of Ernest's embrace.