Decision

Chapter 10

Jessica sat beside Felix in the car, staring through the window as the city lights blurred past. Her hands rested tightly on her lap, fingers locked together as if she was afraid they might start shaking again.

Everything that had happened with Daniel still replayed in fragments inside her head.

The promises.

The late-night calls.

The fake love.

The missing money.

And worst of all… the realization that she had walked straight into another trap while believing she had finally found peace.

She closed her eyes briefly.

Beside her, Felix tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

“You haven’t said anything for ten minutes,” he finally said quietly.

Jessica swallowed hard before speaking. “I’m ashamed.”

Felix glanced at her briefly but said nothing.

“I should’ve listened to you,” she continued, her voice softer now. “You warned me about people taking advantage of desperation, but I thought I knew what I was doing.”

“You were lonely,” Felix replied calmly.

“That’s not an excuse.”

“No,” he admitted. “But it’s a reason.”

Jessica looked down again.

The words hurt because they were true.

Loneliness had pushed her into Daniel’s arms long before love ever did.

For a moment, neither of them spoke again.

Then Felix sighed deeply.

“I’m sorry too.”

Jessica turned slowly.

His eyes remained fixed on the road.

“I shouldn’t have left you alone after helping you settle,” he continued. “I thought giving you money was enough. I thought if I stayed away, you’d learn independence faster.”

Jessica frowned slightly.

“But all I really did…” Felix’s jaw tightened briefly, “…was abandon you when you needed guidance the most.”

The confession hung heavily inside the car.

Jessica blinked slowly.

For the first time since meeting him, Felix sounded… human.

Not like the composed, unreadable man she had always known.

This version of him sounded tired.

Regretful.

Almost broken.

“I was angry at you,” Jessica admitted quietly.

“I know.”

“I thought you stopped caring.”

Felix gave a faint, bitter smile. “That was never possible.”

Jessica looked away quickly after hearing that.

Something about the way he said it unsettled her,not in a bad way, but in a way that made her heart beat unevenly.

The rest of the drive passed in silence.

But this silence felt different now.

Softer.

Safer.

Or at least… that was what Jessica wanted to believe.

When they finally arrived at Felix’s house, Jessica stepped out of the car slowly.

The large compound stood quietly beneath the dim evening lights, looking strangely comforting.

The last time she had been here, everything had felt tense, unfamiliar, complicated.

Now?

Now it felt like shelter.

Felix noticed the way her shoulders relaxed slightly.

“You’re safe here,” he said.

Jessica looked at him.

And for the first time in weeks…

She believed someone.

The following days felt almost unreal.

Felix didn’t question her constantly about Daniel or the missing money. He didn’t shame her or make her feel stupid.

Instead, he simply… showed up.

Every morning.

Every evening.

Consistent.

Steady.

Jessica found herself slowly adjusting to peace again, though part of her remained cautious.

Peace had betrayed her before.

One afternoon, Felix walked into the living room holding a set of keys.

Jessica looked up from the book she was pretending to read.

“What’s that?”

Felix smiled slightly. “Come with me.”

Thirty minutes later, Jessica stood speechless in front of a newly renovated shop.

It was beautiful.

Bigger than her previous shops.

Cleaner.

Better positioned.

And fully stocked.

Shelves lined the walls neatly, filled with goods arranged perfectly. The fresh scent of paint still lingered faintly in the air.

Jessica turned slowly in disbelief.

“Felix…”

“I know you wanted to stand on your own,” he said calmly. “So this time, you’ll do it properly.”

Her throat tightened.

“You did all this for me?”

“For us,” he corrected quietly.

Jessica’s eyes widened slightly.

Felix stepped closer.

“I’m not trying to control your life, Jessica,” he continued. “I just don’t want you struggling when you don’t have to.”

She stared at the shop again, overwhelmed.

After everything that had happened…

After all her mistakes…

Someone still believed she deserved another chance.

And somehow, that hurt almost as much as it healed.

Business started moving faster almost immediately.

Unlike before, customers actually came in.

A lot of them.

Jessica barely had time to sit down most days.

Word spread quickly around the area about the new shop with quality goods and fair prices.

For the first time since arriving in the city…

Jessica felt useful again.

Valuable.

Alive.

But Felix wasn’t done surprising her.

One evening during dinner, he placed an envelope in front of her.

Jessica frowned. “What’s this?”

“Open it.”

Slowly, she did.

Then ,she froze.

Her admission documents stared back at her.

Jessica looked up instantly. “Felix…”

“You’re going back to school.”

Her heart skipped violently.

“No,” she said immediately, shaking her head. “I can’t.”

“You can.”

“I already failed before.”

“That was before.”

Jessica pushed the documents back toward him.

“I’m not smart enough anymore.”

Felix’s expression hardened slightly.

“Don’t say that again.”

She blinked.

“You think your mistakes define your future?” he asked quietly. “Jessica, you survived things that would’ve destroyed other people completely.”

“That doesn’t mean I can suddenly succeed in school.”

“No,” Felix agreed calmly. “But it means you’re stronger than you think.”

Jessica looked away quickly, emotions rising in her chest.

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

Felix’s voice softened immediately. “I know.”

The room fell silent.

Then he added quietly,

“But you won’t face it alone this time.”

And slowly…

Jessica began rebuilding her life.

Again.

But this time, it felt steadier.

School wasn’t easy. There were moments she wanted to quit, moments she felt too old, too damaged, too distracted to continue.

But Felix remained patient through all of it.

If she studied late, he stayed awake too.

If she doubted herself, he reminded her how far she had already come.

It felt unreal sometimes.

Dangerously unreal.

Because Jessica had spent so much time surviving pain that kindness itself now frightened her.

Months passed.

And somewhere along the way…

Jessica realized she had fallen in love with Felix again.

Not because he rescued her.

Not because he had money.

But because he stayed.

Even after seeing the worst parts of her.

Even after every mistake.

He stayed.

One rainy evening, Felix asked her to meet him on the rooftop terrace of his house.

Jessica frowned as she stepped outside.

The city lights shimmered beneath the rain-soaked night, glowing softly in the distance.

Felix stood near the edge, hands in his pockets.

“You’re acting mysterious,” Jessica said with a small smile.

Felix turned slowly.

But instead of answering immediately…

He knelt down.

Jessica froze.

Her breath caught instantly.

“Oh my God…”

Felix pulled out a small velvet box and opened it carefully.

Inside sat a beautiful ring.

Simple.

Elegant.

Real.

Jessica’s eyes widened as emotion flooded her chest all at once.

“Jessica,” Felix said quietly, his voice steadier than his eyes, “I know we both made mistakes. I know life hasn’t been kind to either of us.”

She covered her mouth shakily.

“But every time I imagined my future…” he continued softly, “…you were somehow already there.”

Tears burned her eyes immediately.

“I don’t want to rescue you anymore,” he added. “I want to build with you.”

The rain fell harder around them.

Jessica’s heartbeat thundered in her ears.

“Will you marry me?”

For a second, the world felt suspended.

Then Jessica nodded through tears.

“Yes.”

Felix smiled for the first time in days—a real smile.

And as he slid the ring onto her finger, Jessica felt something she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

Hope.

Real hope.

But hope has a dangerous habit of arriving before destruction.