HARD CHOICES

Three years had passed since Helen last heard from her lover. This broke Helen beyond doubts, and everyday she found herself thinking of what she had done wrong to deserve the silence and cold treatment. A lot of other guys had tried to come into her life but she didn't let them, and with each passing day, Helen would think of how good her life used to be with her lover before he ghosted her. They used to be inseparable, and some people even imagined that he'd propose marriage to her on her coming birthday of the year he left. Helen had those thoughts too. She and him had always talked about having a family, and her lover had told her that he was ready to settle down with a woman and have a family, so she wished it'd be on her birthday, but instead of a proposal, Helen got a heartbreak a day before her birthday. She had called him twice with no response, and when she drove to his apartment, he was gone. Gone from her life like he was never there.

Three years later, still hoping that he'd return, Helen tried to piece her life together. She got a job to keep herself busy, and soon she started to make friends again.
Peter was a guy she had met during a company dinner. He had offered to buy her a drink, and because he seemed like a nice guy, Helen gave in. Soon they got talking, and Helen laughed to the jokes he made. For a moment, she felt like her life was back, but that was soon to diminish when Peter asked if she had a man in her life.

"Excuse me. Thanks for the drink, but I have to leave now." Helen said, standing from the stool.

"Wait, Helen. You said you'd be here till late. Why do you want to leave now? Did I say something wrong?" Peter asked her, concerned.

"No, you did nothing wrong but I don't want to be here anymore." Helen replied.
She walked away from the party hall and went outside to hail a cab. Peter came out as well.

"Let me drive you home. Please, before you say no, I don't have any ill intentions towards you. You've had enough to drink, and I think it's only right that I get you home safely."

Peter drove Helen to her apartment, and made sure that she got inside safely before leaving. Helen knew in her heart that he was a good guy but at the thought of what Herald, the lover who had ghosted her, she didn't know if letting Peter into her life was the right call to make.
But she and Peter got close, and he cared for her. Before long they began dating, and her friends were happy that she had put Herald's heartbreak behind her. Those were good days for Helen. Peter would take her shopping, cook her a nice meal, and help her out with the yard.

"Peter, you're so sweet." Helen would always say to him, and he'd flash her a big smile.

During Helen's birthday a year later, Peter proposed to Helen in front of everyone that had attended the party. On that fateful day, as the crowd chanted for her to say yes, Helen's smiles turned sour, and she suddenly fell to the ground. A man ran towards her, and her family gasped in shock when they saw who it was. Herald was back.
Peter tried to carry the fainted Helen home, but Herald stood in the way. With the realization that he was the man whom Helen had first loved, Peter went home, leaving Herald to tend to Helen.
When Helen woke up and saw Herald instead of Peter, she was startled.

"Where's Peter, and why are you in here?" She asked him.

"Helen, please hear me out."

"Hear you out after three years of ghosting me?" Helen yelled at him.

"I am so sorry that I did that, but I had no other choice. My mom was in an accident, and I had to leave immediately. I was so scared that I couldn't call you, but I'm here now. I still love you, Helen and you know you feel the same way too."

His words pierced Helen's heart. She still had feelings for him no matter how deep she had fallen for Peter. Herald was her first, and he still held a spot in her heart. She weighed his words, and pitied him. She asked about his mom's health, and he affirmed that she was better.

"Herald, I've always loved you, and always dreamt that it would be you and me forever, but you didn't love me enough to tell me about your mom's accident. I would've dropped everything to go with you, so you wouldn't be lonely. You stopped calling, my calls went straight to voicemails, and you never returned them. Now you're here, telling me you love me after I had already moved on. What do you want me to do?" Helen sobbed.

"I know it's hard, but we can start all over. Let's rekindle our love for each other." Herald replied.

Helen stared at him, and scoffed. She stood to her feet and wore her shoes.
"Herald, I have no doubts that there'll always be a soft spot for you in my heart. But, I'd rather take my chances with the guy who made the pain go away, and that guy is not you."

With that, Helen drove over to Peter's house. She found him on the front porch with the ring in his hands.
"Yes, I'll marry you, Peter!!!" Helen screamed out, and Peter slipped the ring into her finger and they fell into each other's embrace.

It was that fateful day that marked the end of Helen's wait for Herald's return. At least she found closure in knowing that she had done nothing wrong to deserve Herald's ghosting.

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