Married to Her Sister’s Fiance – Chapters 67 & 68
She's the Only Option
THEME: The Replacement
CHAPTER 67&68
By, Mide L.
{•PROVIDING ANSWERS•}
NEXT MORNING,EMERALD COLLEGE CAMPUS~
As soon as the car pulled over, Rosie burst out of the vehicle, her face red with anger. She didn’t wait for Dean to catch up, ignoring the greetings from her classmates as she walked towards the basketball court, her mind fixed on a single goal.
Rosie stormed into the basketball court, her eyes blazing with anger. Noah was laughing and high-fiving his teammates. She marched up to him, and then slapped him across the face, shocking him, the sound echoing across the court.
Noah’s head jerked back, his eyes wide with shock, as his teammates gasped in unison. Rosie’s hand stung from the impact, but she didn’t care. She was consumed by a blind rage, her heart aching from the betrayal.
Noah turned to her, confusion etched on his face.
“Rosie, what’s wrong?”
“Noah, you’re such a liar!” Rosie’s voice trembled with fury.
“You told me you had practice, but I know the truth now. You were with Cara, weren’t you?”
“Was that why you haven’t been picking my calls?”
“So I could listen to more lies?”
“No, Rosie let me ex…” She cut him short.
“There’s nothing to explain! You lied to me,you told you me that you were going for practice but boom,you were actually with Cara, and you guys even hugged! I have evidence” she said, before bringing our her phone, to show him the pic sent to her last night, by the unknown number.
“Please hear me out,let me explain”
“I’m not interested, so hold your explanation to your f****ng self!” She hit him on the chest, before storming off.
“You should go after her” one of his teammates said.
Noah nodded slowly, his face still red from the slap.
“Yeah, I need to fix this.” He took a deep breath and jogged after Rosie, his teammates watching with concern.
“Rosie, wait!” Noah called out, but she didn’t stop. Noah quickened his pace, finally catching up to her outside the campus cafeteria.
“Rosie, please listen—” but she cut him off again.
“I’m not listening to your lies, Noah. Just leave me alone!” Rosie said with finality, before turning away.
Noah sighed, placing his hands on his knees.
Meanwhile, Cara was watching the scene from upstairs, with a satisfied smile.
*
LH~
Professor Smith, a renowned environmental scientist, stood at the front of the lecture hall, writing on the blackboard.
“Ecological Systems: Interactions and Impacts.”
“Welcome, students, to today’s lecture on ecological systems” Professor Smith began.
“We’ll be exploring the complex relationships within ecosystems and how human activities affect them.”
As Professor Smith lectured, he wrote equations and diagrams on the board, explaining the concepts of nutrient cycling, energy flow, and biodiversity.
“Now, let’s move on to the main thing which is the project work” He announced.
“I believe you’ve been paired into groups”
“Yes” they said in unison and he nodded.
Let’s make the project work a bit simpler, yet still relevant to the course material.
“Your task is to research and present on a local environmental issue, such as water pollution, deforestation, or wildlife conservation. Choose a topic, gather data, and create a informative poster or presentation to share with the class”
The students nodded, some looking excited, others concerned.
Professor Smith wrote the project details on the blackboard and turned to face the class.
“Remember, your presentations should be informative, visually appealing, and engaging. I expect to see credible sources cited and thoughtful analysis.”
He glanced at his watch and nodded. “That’s all for today, class. You have less than a week to work on your projects before your exam starts, and who knows,this might be your exam so take it seriously. I’ll see you next time!”
With that, Professor Smith gathered his things and headed out of the classroom, leaving the students to start brainstorming and planning their projects.
Tessa walked up to Dean, who was sitting next to Mariana.
“Hey, Dean, we’re in the same group for the project, right?” she asked.
“Yeah, we are. What did you think of the assignment?”
“I think we should focus on water pollution. It’s a huge issue locally, and there are so many angles we could explore.”
“That’s a great idea! I was thinking something similar”
Tessa pulled out her phone.
“We should exchange numbers and meet up outside of class to work on the project. How about we meet at the library on Wednesday afternoon?”
Dean agreed, and they exchanged numbers. Mariana, who had been quietly observing their conversation, chimed in. “I wish I was paired with you guys,my partner is so dumb” Mariana hissed, and they laughed.
“Let’s see later” Tessa said,then walked away.
“She seems like a nice girl” Mariana commented and Dean looked at her.
“Where are you driving at? Mrs Lincoln” Dean said with seriousness and Mariana almost laughed.
“Oh Dean, c’mon”
“Mariana, don’t you see something is off between Rosie and Noah,I haven’t seen them talk and they are sitting separately too” Dean observed, looking at Rosie who was sitting three tables away from them, with her head on the desk.
“Something is definitely up. Let’s go meet her”
“You go meet her, while I meet up with Noah,let’s tackle it that way” Dean said.
“Never knew you were this smart” Mariana teased.
“Ouch,that hurts” he placed his hands on his chest, feigning to be in pain.
“Stop being dramatic and let’s go” she dragged him up.
*
A HOTEL ~
Fernando stepped out of the hotel conference room, with his secretary behind him, adjusting his suit jacket. He had just secured a major deal for his company, and he was feeling confident and triumphant.
As he walked out of the hotel lobby, he took a deep breath of the fresh air and pulled out his phone, to message Mariana.
A car drove in and Fernando looked up. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at the person exiting the car, with an older man. It was Grace, or at least, it looked like her. She was dressed in a crop top and mini skirt.
Fernando’s mind raced as he tried to process what he was seeing. Grace was supposed to be dead, or so everyone thought. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating. But when he opened them again, she was still there, walking away with the man, without even noticing him.
Fernando’s jaw dropped as he stood frozen, his eyes fixed on Grace’s retreating figure. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. How was she alive? Where had she been?
*
BACK AT EMERALD’S COLLEGE ~
Rosie just finished explaining everything to Mariana as they sat at the school rooftop.
“Okay I understand,but did you tried hearing him out?”
“What are you saying? What’s there to hear again? I don’t like the face that he lied to me and the fact that he met up with his ex! Does that means he still likes her?”
“Rosie just calm down”
“I’m trying to, but anything I remember that hugging scene between them,it breaks my heart”
Mariana nodded sympathetically.
“I understand why you’re upset, but maybe there’s more to the story than you’re thinking. Maybe Noah had a good reason for meeting up with Cara, and maybe the hug was just a friendly gesture” Mariana said and Rosie scoffed.
“Friendly gesture? You didn’t see the way they looked at each other in the pic, and the hug was too intimate, Mariana. It was like they were still in love”
Mariana placed a hand on Rosie’s arm.
“Rosie, you need to calm down and think this through. Don’t jump to conclusions just yet. Let’s try to find out what’s really going on before you make any decisions”
Rosie sighed. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but it was hard not to when her heart was aching like this.
“Okay, fine. I’ll try to calm down and think things through. But if I find out that Noah is still in love with Cara, I swear…”
Mariana smiled. “I know, Rosie. You’ll deal with it then. But for now, let’s just focus on getting to the bottom of this”
Dean joined them afterwards and Mariana looked at him expectantly.
“So how was your talk with Noah?”
“Wait ,you talked to Noah?” Rosie asked, looking surprised.
“Yeah and I’m glad I did. Rosie,this guy loves you a lot and yes he explained why he met up with Cara”
“How?” Rosie found herself asking.
“He said Cara showed up at his practice location, refusing to leave until they talked. She’d been trying to reach him, but he wasn’t answering her calls”
“What did she want?” she pressed on, her voice softer now.
Dean shrugged. “Apparently, she wanted to apologize for what happened between them. She took advantage of his drunken state, and she’s been feeling guilty about it. She wanted to clear the air and move on”
Rosie raised an eyebrow, her mind processing this new information.
“And he believed her?” she asked and Dean nodded.
“Yeah, he did. He said she seemed genuinely remorseful, and he accepted her apology. She then asked for a hug to show he’d truly forgiven her, and he agreed” He looked at Rosie. “He loves you, Rosie. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”
Rosie’s expression softened slightly.
“I need to talk to Noah” she said finally, and Mariana nodded.
“I think that’s a good idea, Rosie. Go hear him out and see what he has to say”
“But I fucked up already,I slapped him” Rosie slapped her forehead.
“He will understand that you did it out of anger,now go meet your man” Dean told her and she smiled.
“I really appreciate this guys,what will I do without you both”
“Absolutely nothing” Mariana and Dean said in unison and Rosie chuckled.
“Exactly. Now let me go and meet my man ” Rosie stood up before walking away.
Rosie finally located Noah in front of the library but he was with Cara,and they looked pretty serious as they discussed.
Rosie turned and was about walking away when she heard Noah call out her name.
“Rosie, please wait” he ran up to her and she faced him.
“What are you doing with her?” Rosie asked straight away.
“Chat you later in the night, Noah” Cara said,then she looked at Rosie with a smirk, before walking away.
“Wow! So you are now chatting up with each other?”
“Rosie, it’s not what you are thinking”
“Then what do you expect me to think?”
“Something that’s not negative thinking, Maybe”
“What does she wants from you?”
“You’ve forgotten that we are paired together for the project? She’s my partner”
“Meaning you are going to be spending more time with her?”
“Only for the project work, nothing else. Nothing can happen between I and Cara again,she’s a thing of the past now”
“Dean told me what actually happened, and I’m sorry for jumping into conclusion, and also sorry for slapping…” He gently brushed his lips against hers, shutting her up in the process. Rosie’s heart skipped a beat as she felt his warm embrace and tender kiss. She melted into his arms immediately.
“I love you”he said, locking eyes with her.
“I love you too” she replied and they kissed again.
*
EVENING,ROSIE’S FAMILY HOUSE~
Rosie walked into her family house, wondering why she had been summoned home so urgently.
As she entered the living room, she was surprised by the sight of her parents, brother, and mostly Evelyn, all seated and looking at her with serious expressions.
“What’s going on?” Rosie asked.
“We are providing answers to all the questions bugging your mind,now seat” her mum said and Rosie sat, still looking confused.
“What do you wanna know, Rosie?”
TBC
