No More Waiting, She Chooses Love novel Chapter 727

"You've had your suspicions about Dustin for a while, but what about Conrad? You both were working together, yet when he was surrounded by alligators, you didn't step in to help. Why was that?" I voiced my confusion.

Now that Conrad and I had parted ways, his fate shouldn't concern me anymore. Yet, the scene replayed in my mind, sometimes even haunting my dreams.

I had asked Conrad about it, and though he gave me his perspective, I knew Ernest's explanation would hold the true insight.

"Testing him," Ernest replied tersely.

"Because he's Dustin's brother?" I probed further.

"Yes, but that's not the whole story. I had other reasons to be suspicious," Ernest admitted, piquing my curiosity.

"Like what?"

From my angle, I couldn't see Ernest's wounds or his expression as he spoke.

"It all seemed too orchestrated, with all suspicions directed at Dustin, as if someone was pulling the strings," Ernest's words took me back to that time.

Indeed, it felt like that. Moving into Dustin's mansion, then the mishap. The danger seemed aimed at me, yet it was Ernest and his team who bore the brunt.

I realized then the trap wasn't set for me but used me as bait for Ernest.

In that whole kidnapping fiasco, I was the only one who emerged unscathed.

"Dustin had feelings for you, and Conrad knew that. But once you two were apart, he had no reason to stop Dustin directly. The best way to keep you apart was to make you believe Dustin was the villain," Ernest pointed out.

"Jumping into the alligator pit served two purposes. To show you how much he loved you, risking his life, and to clear himself of suspicion. After all, who would suspect someone attacked by alligators?"

Following Ernest's reasoning, I said, "So you thought Conrad was playing the martyr, and you wanted to see his reaction by not intervening."

"That's part of it," Ernest admitted, hinting there was more.